Page 24 of Charity's Torment

His lips tipped up in a panty-melting grin. “Oh, really, now?”

I buried my face in his shoulder to hide my embarrassment at my sudden lack of filter. Nico’s chest rumbled with quiet laughter while he tipped my chin up, forcing me to make eye contact.

“You think that would get your mom off your back?”

I nod, waiting for the words to find their place. “You’re successful and handsome. Although the good-looking part doesn’t seem to be part of her criteria lately.” I shuddered, thinking about Mr. Hippie. Come to think of it, maybe it wasn’t ever part of it. God, just having this conversation was embarrassing. My cheeks burned, and I was antsy.

“Okay.” He swayed his head from side to side as if weighing the idea.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll play your boyfriend.” He released my chin, and I looked away.

“You don’t know what you’re agreeing to. She’s a monster. You’ll never look at me the same way again.”

This time, he let out his deep laugh, and it made my stomach flutter. “Your mother is a lot like mine was—God rest her soul. She was a God-fearing Catholic who lived her life like a nun.”

My mother was far from a nun. She was a controlling manipulator. Even though she loved us deep down, it didn’t stop her from the things she did.

“Until she got caught cheating on Arturo?” I asked. His mother’s description didn’t match what I knew in the tale of why Arturo got locked up.

“That was our step-mother. My mother died from an aneurysm when we were teens. He remarried shortly after that.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Nico’s phone pinged. Vito… his ride was here.

I walked him to the door. “Thanks for bringing me home.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and inhaled his cologne. He ran his hands up and down my back until they finally came to rest at my neck. Nico cupped my face gently in his warm hands and brought his lips close to mine.

I fist my hands in his shirt at his sides, and he closed the distance, bringing our mouths together in a soft collision. He threaded his fingers through my hair and deepened the kiss, pulling me in tighter against the hard contours of his body. I moaned against his lips as he flicked his tongue out to meet mine. Warmth pooled low in my belly. I craved more. Nico pulled away and pressed his forehead to mine.

“I’m thinking there is a competition going on,” I said, then bit my lip.

“Why is that?” he asked.

“All three of you have kissed me today. I don’t believe in coincidences,” I said, sharing my ideas aloud.

“Maybe we finally realized what was staring us in the face all along.”

Nico pressed an ardent kiss to my forehead, then pushed on the bite on my neck. “Put a cold compress on it.” He walked away, leaving me confused and on fire.

Cannoli meowed, loud and incessant from the couch. I threw a pillow at him. “Traitor.”

I ran through my nightly routine, making sure I locked my windows and doors, too. Every entry point was accounted for and secured. I set the alarm, stripped down, and crawled into my pastel blue sheets, then played a couple of games on my phone. I needed a distraction from the battle of thoughts warring through my head.

How do I go about finding my brother yet still complying with Luca’s demands?

I put my phone away and checked my Kimber at my bedside and my large hunting knife under my pillow. Check and check.

I laid back and closed my eyes, begging for sleep to take me. I clasped my hands together, rested them on my stomach, and circled my thumbs around each other. Each rotation tickled the sensitive skin. My eyes bounced back and forth beneath my lids, and my hearing peaked at each creaking noise around me. I could hear the soft padded steps walking down the hallway, and I knew he was coming to lie with me.

Cannoli’s massive body landed on top of my chest and perched himself there like a mighty lion. Our noses were nearly touching. His rhythmic purring, like a soothing melody to my ears, vibrated the confines of my chest and lulled me to a night of deep sleep.

Chapter 8

My lungs were on fire.

My adrenaline was pumping as my feet hit hard against the sidewalk. This was a run for my life. The next drop was merely two blocks away, and I had enemies on my tail. I picked up speed, having only three minutes to make it to the sector before the supplies would disappear, and I’d be left stranded.

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