Page 110 of Fix You

“Oh, like you were supposed to after your one night together?” Leo challenged with a grin.

“Testa di cazzo,” I snapped.

Leo’s dark eyes danced with amusement. “How am I dickhead for pointing out the facts?”

“Because you don’t have to shove my mistakes in my face.” At the implication of my feelings for Maeve being a mistake, I grimaced. “What I meant was you don’t have to call me out like that.”

“The truth hurts.”

“Once again, you’re a fuckingtesta di cazzo.”

“Yeah and you’re an insufferablebastardowhen you’re sexually frustrated,” Leo chuckled.

With a grunt, I glanced between him and Gianni. “Are you sure you two have it under control?”

Leo rolled his eyes. “Like we don’t keep this business afloat.”

With a wink, I replied, “Gianni maybe, but you, never.”

Leo responded by raising his hand in the air and shooting me the bird.

Gianni jerked his chin at the door. “Get out of here and have a much needed fuckfest with your girl.”

Leo nodded. “Give her our thanks for taking the stick out of your ass.”

“Watch it,” I muttered as I rose out of my chair.

When I reached the door, Leo’s voice froze me. “It’s still not too late to end the contract with Caruso.”

Whirling around, I stared at him in surprise. Just as I knew the absolute necessity of the contract, my brothers did as well. That’s why I couldn’t believe Leo had uttered the words.

At what must’ve been the shock written over my face, Leo shook his head. “I know what you’re going to say. That we’re too weak after Father’s assassination to do such a thing. And yeah, we probably are. But this is your life, Rafe.”

More than anything in the world, I wanted to draw him into my arms and thank him for putting my happiness over the family’s position. But I couldn’t do that. I was capo, and I had to lead by example.

Instead, I kept a hardened look on my face. “That will not happen. Just as I will honor my alliance, you should best prepare yourself to face the same thing.”

At his defeated grimace, I turned and walked out the door. As I made my way down on the elevator, I felt like an epic asshole for what I’d said. But it was the truth.

During the drive to the airport, there were two or three times that I debated telling the driver to turn around. Leo’s suggestion, coupled with the crippling burden of the alliance, had me feeling like calling more off than just my trip.

What was I doing stringing Maeve along? Even if we both knew our relationship had an expiration date, I was still a fucking bastard to put her in a position to get her heart broken.Despite her arguing that our affair was her choice, I wondered how much she believed that.

Just as I opened my mouth to finally be a man and tell the driver to turn around, a text from Maeve came through. It was a string of racy pictures of her in a dressing room outfitted in lingerie.

Which ones do you like?

And with my cock pounding against my zipper, I shut my mouth and let my true bastard side take hold.

I spent much of the flight to Dublin sexting with Maeve. Our actions also gave me the knowledge that after her shopping trip for lingerie, she was heading home to spend the rest of the evening studying.

When I got off the elevator on Maeve’s floor, I saw her bodyguard standing outside her doorway. We’d been introduced over Christmas. I was surprised to find him outside rather than inside, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if Maeve preferred it that way.

At the sight of me coming down the hallway, his brows shot into his hairline. “Mr. Neretti, what are you doing here?”

“The bodyguards in our family are ordered not to ask questions,” I responded.

His blue eyes narrowed. “I work for the Kavanaughs, not you.”

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