Page 76 of Now and Forever

Dario’s polished veneer cracked for a millisecond, and I knew his response would be no. I looked to my husband. “Camila has never been inside Wanderlust. I told her I’ve been in Emerald Club.”

“During the day,” he said definitively.

“We could do that,” I replied. “Armando and Miguel could take us there tomorrow morning. We can show Camila around.”

Dario narrowed his eyes at my sister. “Kansas’s drinking age is twenty-one. I don’t think your father would approve nor would the KCPD.”

“The famiglia worries about the police?” she asked with a smirk.

Dante’s laugh eased a bit of the building tension. “We don’t worry about them, but most of the force are regular customers. No sense making it awkward.” He winked. “Besides, you’ll be twenty-one soon enough. Come back.”

Camila’s cheeks pinkened. “Two and a half years is a long time.”

“No way,” Dante said. “I figured you for at least twenty.” He turned to Dario. “She could pass our bouncers with a fake ID.”

“No,” Dario and I said together.

Dante flashed his handsome grin. “I’m trying to help out here.”

We didn’t go to the Emerald Club the next day or even the day after. Instead, we spent the better part of our second day at Crown Center, a three-story mall filled with restaurants and stores. It was the first time I’d spent time shopping since becoming Dario’s wife. I won’t lie, using my new credit card made me feel like the stereotypical Mafia wife. It was a feeling I should have hated but didn’t.

“What did you buy today?” Dario asked later that night once we were alone in our bedroom.

“Have you already seen the bill?”

My husband laughed. “I haven’t, but now I’m concerned.”

Going into my closet, I brought out a long pair of yoga pants.

His handsome expression blanked. “Really?”

“I thought you’d like these versus my short ones for our sparring at the gym.”

Dario nodded, a small grin emerging. “Covers more skin. That’s good.”

“I also bought a few new nightgowns.”

“That’s a waste of money.”

“It is?”

My husband came close. His spicy cologne filled my senses. The warmth of his body radiated toward me as he wrapped his arm around my waist. His timbre slowed. His deep baritone voice ricocheted through me. “I like you sleeping naked.”

Lifting my chin, I met his stare as his words sent electricity to my core. “The nightgowns are for under the robe at breakfast.”

“I’d like a fashion show. I need to be sure the nightgowns are breakfast ready.” He reached for my chin and lifted my face even further before his lips sought mine.

My body melded against his as his tongue slipped past mine. Lifting my arms around his shoulders, I inhaled his scent, tasted the whiskey on his breath, and pressed against his firm, muscular body.

When we came up for air, I smiled. “Thank you for not minding that Camila is visiting. I’ve missed her more than I realized.”

“This is your home. You may have whomever you want here.”

“I was thinking about Em.” Dario’s body tensed beneath my touch. My cheeks lifted as I grinned. “Is that a no?”

“As a rule, a capo doesn’t welcome soldiers from the cartel to his home.”

“Capo?”

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