Page 56 of Into the Fire

I just needed to get a few things in order before I did anything.

“How about I get back to these cookies and then I’ll make you feel good,” I said softly against his lips.

“Fuck, Rosebud. I wanted to join you and Enzo today. I held back.”

“I’ll come to your room tonight and you can show me what you wanted to do to me.”

He nipped my bottom lip, making me whimper. “You fucking tease. I love it.”

I smiled and turned in his arms, then went back to the cookies as Enzo distracted him with talk of who was winning the basketball game. Cole slapped my ass before leaving the kitchen with another piece of pizza minutes later.

“Go hang out with the guys,” I said to Enzo a few minutes later after putting the cookies into the oven. “I’ll watch the cookies.”

“I hang out with them all the time, and I’ve been neglecting you,” he said, taking my hand and leading me to a kitchen chair where he pulled me onto his lap. “Let’s just talk.”

I rested my head against his shoulder as he twined his fingers with mine.

“Any luck on a dress?” he asked, his voice thick with hesitation. I knew he didn’t want me to think he was pushing meon it. I didn’t think that at all. I understood perfectly that he was excited to marry and wanted to get it rolling.

“No,” I said, squeezing his hand. The rings he wore on his fingers were cool against mine. “I did look online last night and saw a few that I would like to try on. I just don’t have anyone to go with. My mom was weird that day. I guess it turned me off and bummed me out. I want to be excited but it’s just me on my own, you know? I always thought I’d be doing this with my mom or Jamie. Jamie is so far away, and Mom is. . .” I let my voice trail off. Thinking she didn’t care or couldn’t care hurt. My dad was a major asshole. I loved them both to pieces, but I was hurting. I still struggled to get his words about Blossom out of my head.

“I’ll go with you, Sunshine.”

“No.” I sat up. “You can’t see my dress. I want it to be special and a surprise.”

He gave me a gentle smile. “OK, but the offer is open. I don’t want you to think no one cares.”

“I know Jamie cares. And you guys do. I guess I’m just hung up on my parents.”

“Your dad is a prick, Rosalie. We all know it. I get he’s upset, but he had no right to say the shit he said to you. Let’s take them out of the equation right now. What can we do to make you happy?”

“Keep loving me?”

“Oh, baby, I’ll never stop.” He cradled my cheek and gave me the most gentle of kisses on my lips. “You figure out what you need from us and we will see that it’s done, OK?”

I nodded. “OK.”

“That’s my girl.”

The oven timer went off and I got up to pull the cookies out, feeling a little sad, but happy too. And when I looked up from putting the cookies on the cooling rack, it was to see Enzo’s dark eyes fixed on me, a smile on his face.

The smile I’d missed so much.

My Enzo.

My secret keeper.

It lit a fire in my heart, making me eager to walk down the aisle to him.

My only prayer in that moment was that he would always be this way.

SIXTEEN

ANSON

Istared at the numbers on the clock in my dimly lit apartment, the gun Matteo—my father—had given me tucked away at the back of my waistband. I’d been unpacking everything I’d learned. Fox was my family. I was an heir to a kingdom I didn’t want and would never accept. And my father—he was the man I’d missed, yet he wasn’t. He was colder now, but I suppose I would be too if I’d lost what he’d lost.

That didn’t excuse him of his crimes, but it did make him, as a person, more palatable. While I wanted to be closer to him, I knew he was Matteo De Santis and was as ruthless as he was cruel, so I needed to tread carefully.

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