Page 32 of Sunrise Malice

“It’s associated with my family,” I say, hedging slightly. I’m not a direct owner, but I’m definitely involved in this place’s management. Since she’s a mafia girl herself, she’ll understand.

“Tell me again how bringing me out to an expensive dinner is going to help win your war?”

I pull her chair out. She sits down and spreads her napkin in her lap. I sit across from her at the best table in the house and lean back to admire her thick, dark hair and her full, kissable lips. I’ve been thinking a lot about those lips ever since I tasted her at the courthouse, and seeing her like this, dressed up and eminently fuckable, makes me want to tease her yet again.

“It shows that we’re not afraid.” The waitress comes over and I order wine for both of us. Something good and obscenely overpriced. “That’s the most important thing we can do right now.”

“I’m not really sure howdinneraccomplishes that, but okay.”

The waitress pours our drinks. I study Brianne’s mouth as she raises her glass to her lips. Fuck, she’s distracting. And very frustrating.

“Look over there.” I gesture toward the front of the house. Our table is near the windows overlooking a busy Chicago street.

She squints, frowning. “The homeless guy in the doorway over there?”

“No, my wife, the windows. We’re beingseenhere. More than that, we’re being seen out in the open, flaunting our wealth, and acting as though nothing is happening at all. That’s the message I want to send.”

Brianne adjusts her position slightly, head tilted as she stares at the windows. “So wait, are you saying this is dangerous?”

I wave that off. “I have half my guards covering this place right now. We’re as safe here as we are anywhere in the city.” Like hell I’d risk my new wife’s life just to take her out for fucking dinner. Two of my best men are at the table next to us, doing their best to pretend like they’re just a couple of normal guys out for a meal. But they’re pretty fucking conspicuous and I suspect she’s just ignoring them. “That’s not really the point. Word will get back to Dusan that I’ve been seen parading my pretty young wife around town, and it’ll piss him off.”

“Pretty young wife?” she asks, eyebrows raising. “You think I’m pretty?”

I lean closer to her and lower my voice, ignoring her question. “Once he gets past his initial anger, he’ll start to wonder: why isn’t Julien worried? Is he really that confident? Does that mean he’s stronger than I realized?”

“Mind games.” She sighs and shakes her head. “You criminals are all the same.”

“It’s the law of the jungle, my darling. Strength over everything.”

The waitress returns and we put in our orders. I’m tempted to ask for the tasting menu but I suspect Brianne will only get pissed off if I try that again.

I let her drive the conversation. She asks about hobbies, about TV shows, normal stuff, and mostly she does all the talking. We have common ground though, which surprises me. There are movies we’re both into, music we both like, even some books we’ve both read and enjoyed.

“I’m going to admit something,” I say as our dinner arrives. “I imagined you were more of a Katy Perry and reality TV kind of girl.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” she grumbles.

“Maybe not, but you have good taste. You like Godard and Lynch. You listen to Radiohead and Modest Mouse.”

“I know every single word onMidnights. That’s Taylor Swift, in case you weren’t sure.”

“But my point stands.”

“Just because we have a few things in common doesn’t mean we’re the same.” She makes a disgusted face. “God, could you imagine?”

“You wish you could be half as interesting as I am.”

“Please, just because you sell drugs and run your little crime family doesn’t mean you’re actuallyinteresting.” She raises her glass of wine, eyes sparkling with mirth. “I find you boring and self-centered.”

I laugh, unable to help myself. This fucking girl doesn’t back down. Even when I give her a hard look and hold her gaze, she only quirks her lips and raises an eyebrow, almost daring me to give her shit just so she’ll have an excuse to snap right back.

The fight is fuckingfun. I’d be lying if I tried to pretend otherwise. We bicker and tease each other, and it’s true that I find her frustrating and more than a little self-important, but I also like how quick she is and how she never backs down, even when I’m angry.

When she gets up to use the bathroom, I lean back and admire her ass swaying in that dress. But when I glance over at my guards, one of them is looking too, and he’s licking his lips like he’d rather have my wife for dinner. I lean toward him and catch his eye, and his face turns pale when he realizes I caught him.

“If you look at her again like that, I’ll cut off your dick and shove it down your throat. That’s not an idle threat. I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again.”

“Yes, Mr. Moreau,” he says quickly and stares at his glass of wine like it’s going to sprout tits.

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