Page 177 of Sin & Sapphire

“How do I make the lawyers do their jobs?”

Our first course arrived, and I reluctantly released Ana’s hand so she could eat.

What I wanted to do was yank her into my lap and feed her myself, watching her wrap those gorgeous pink lips around my fork, knowing she relied on me and me alone for sustenance, and that I would give her anything she fucking needed. What I did instead was watch her eat, my pants tight as fuck, as she made soft noises of appreciations for theprimo.

“This is amazing,” she said, her eyes soft and sweet as she looked at me. “Thank you.”

“Stop thanking me,” I growled. “It’s my pleasure to make you happy.”

Ana set down her fork and looked at me for long enough that I wondered if I’d said the wrong thing. “My father kept everything in his head. He never had a consigliere or a true second-in-command.”

“And you’re saying I need one.”

“I’m saying that you can’t rely on lawyers and accountants you pay by the hour to figure this shit out for you.”

“Could you?” I asked her, not bothering to mask the hope in my voice.

“You need someone you can trust,” she said softly as she moved her chair back to the table. “Someone who’s not a Costa but knows the organization inside and out.”

“That’s you, angel. Only you.”

She closed her eyes and set both hands on the table, taking deep breaths. When she opened them, the emerald depths shimmered with unshed tears.

“Please don’t do this to me, Angelo.”

“The Costas need you, angel. I need you.”

“So I can untangle your books and build your empire back,” she answered bitterly. “And make a strong alliance so that the empire can flourish.”

“Fuck! No, Ana! I need you because—” Ineed you because I love you. Because I’m miserable without you.But I couldn’t force the words out.

Ana stood.

I reached for her, only for her to step backward, her face made of stone, giving nothing away.

“Don’t,” she snapped. My gut churned with the knowledge that I’d hurt her, the opposite of what I’d hoped to accomplish today.

“Ana” I snapped, then stopped myself before I could give her the command threatening to slip out. “I’m sorry,” I said instead. Her eyes snapped to mine but revealed nothing about her inner thoughts. “I’m trying,” I continued.

“Try harder.” Her voice was ice cold, but she took her seat again.

Why couldn’t I just tell her I loved her?

Because what if she didn’t love me back?

We sat in silence until dessert arrived. Before she could dip into her cannoli, I took her hand again. “Ana, I’m so proud of you.”

She tugged her hand away but handed me her spoon—a precious gift I didn’t intend to waste. “Thank you. That means a lot.” After a long pause, she added, “Daddy,” with a sly smile, and while I did not come in my pants, I was sure I was staining them with precum.

“Ana—angel.”

She wrapped my fingers around her spoon and pushed her plate toward me. “I need this too,” she admitted. “For just a few moments, before I have to go back to the house and feel more alone than I did when I was with Boris.”

“I hate that you feel that way.”Can’t you tell we love you? That we want you to stay with us forever? That we’d do anything to keep you?

I dipped the spoon into the dessert, cracking through the fried shell, and fed her a bite, watching her lips wrap around the spoon, wishing it were my cock. When I raised my thumb to wipe away a spot of cream at the corner of her mouth, her breath turned ragged.

Bite by bite, I fed her, savoring every moment that she allowed me to satisfy my needs and hers. Her tongue poked out to lick her lips and I groaned, wanting nothing more than to lean over and kiss her, nibble on her lips and suck her tongue into my mouth, to fucking claim her like she’d claimed me.

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