Page 44 of The Mob Boss' Pet

She announces it so sweetly, so carefree I can’t help but chuckle.

“I think I’ll take you outside more often.” I brush the hair from her face. The breeze blows through the trees, rustling the leaves and making a mess of her hair.

“Not afraid I’ll run away?” She points down the path. “Eventually this path will turn into a parking lot, which will be on a street, and then there’s buses and Ubers.”

“You’d rather I kept you locked in your cage?”

Her pupils expand in a flash.

She stares at me a long moment, then blinks, ending the serenity.

“I’d rather something else entirely,” she says. The somberness in her tone weighs down on me.

“Tell me what it is and if I can give it to you, I will.”

She meets my gaze. “I’m not sure you can.” She sighs. “We should probably head back inside. Your phone keeps buzzing; seems like you have a busy afternoon ahead of you.”

I’ve been ignoring the messages coming through, but she’s right. People are waiting on me for decisions. I have a delivery coming soon with information that will lead me to my cousin’s killer. Taking long walks through the woods is a luxury not meant for me. I have a business to run, an empire to build.

We walk back toward the house quietly. She braids her long hair and ties off the end with a hair tie she had around her wrist without missing a step.

“You have a lot of men working for you?” she asks when the house comes into view.

“Enough,” I answer.

“And your brothers, they work for you too?”

“It’s a family business,” I say with some humor attached.

“But they don’t shoulder as much of the responsibility as you do.”

“I’m the boss,” I say simply. It’s more complicated, but I’m sure she already knows that. Stephania wouldn’t be fooled by any lies I gave her about my work; she’s seen enough to know better.

A part of me, a small glowing ember deep in the pit of my soul, wants to tell her though. She doesn’t need sheltering and even though I’ve taken her, even though I’ve held her captive in my room, she won’t turn on me. It’s a weird sensation, trusting her.

“You don’t have to carry it all on your own, I guess is what I’m trying to get at.” She steps up onto the patio and turns to face me, her eyes soft. There’s no tension or fear, just acceptance as she studies me. I’m eye level with her up on the step.

Without urging, she leans into me, brushing her lips across mine tentatively. Not wanting to scare her away, I let her have this moment of control. She slides her hand along my neck; her thumb rubs against my earlobe and her mouth presses harder against me.

The second her tongue touches my lip, I take over, grabbing her hips and dragging her forward a step. With her pressed hard against me, I kiss her with enough force, her lips will remember me for days. Or at least until I can get back to her this evening.

When she breaks free from the kiss, her eyes roam over my features. Her pupils are large, her mouth puffy.

My phone vibrates again; the loud buzz rips the moment apart.

“I should go back to the room,” she says, dropping her hands back to her sides.

“Vincenzo. Here you are.” Anton marches across the patio. “This just came.” He hands me a thick manila envelope.

I take it from him, keeping my gaze on Stephania. “Go on upstairs. The room’s unlocked. I’ll be there later,” I say quietly.

“Sure.” She glances up at Anton’s hovering. “I’ll see you later.”

“Did I interrupt?” Anton teases once she’s back inside and the door is closed.

“Shut up,” I say, and tear open the envelope.

I take in the photographs, the text messages, phone records. Everything is laid out in front of me to charge and convict Sergio’s killer.

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