Page 26 of A Seed Of Peril

“Don’t be. We both want him to be happy, but you need to understand that certain traditions are set in stone.”

“What if hedidwant to walk away from the business?”

The pain of his answer was written on his face. He let out a long, afflicted breath, weighing the gravity of his words.

“I would be disappointed… And he would be shunned, but I’d still make sure he was protected, and I would still love him, regardless.”

My chest tightened at his admission. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fucking fair.

“That’s so cruel.”

“Such is life.”

Dominic was right, and that twisted my heart the most. There was nothing I could do, which just made me feel like I had already failed my son. I couldn’t safeguard him. I couldn’t preserve any particular path for him, unless…

“Are you filling Thomas’s position?”

Dominic’s brows creased as he looked at me with suspicion, speaking with caution. “No. Why?”

After some Googling—because I wasn’t by far any kind of scholar on the mafia ranks—I learned a consigliere played a pivotal role in a family. As the don’s closest advisor, next to the underboss, they are one of the most trusted men. Dino had held higher authority than Thomas, but Thomas’s wisdom and advice were never overlooked. If Dino wasn’t available or couldn’t handle any situation, Dominic placed all his faith in Thomas.

Was I ready for such responsibility? Aside from offering advice and insight, a consigliere could be called on to mediate disputes or help in negotiations, one of those being contract negotiations. They attended every meeting, miniscule in importance to life changing. If I were sworn into Thomas’s position, Dominic would grant me access to their contacts, including police, politicians, and those more closely guarded, like Andre.

Would I respect the position and its power? Of course, I would. I would keep proving myself worthy and that I could be entrusted with the most sensitive pieces of information. Our secrets.

I would also be able to better protect our son and be his voice when he went unheard. Consiglieres got away with telling the don no. They could argue against decisions, and no one in either of the other families could stop me. Only Dominic could override me. To everyone else, I would be untouchable as consigliere, just as I was untouchable now.

“I want it.” Dominic widened his eyes. “I want to be your new consigliere.”

The silence was deafening but short.

He caressed my cheek. His eyes told me he expected nothing less from me.

“Are you sure?—”

“I’ve done my homework, and I can balance both. Let me prove it, please. You and our family mean the fucking world to me. I feel so useless as a soldier, especially with the baby coming.” Taking hold of his hand, I nuzzled my cheek against his knuckles, kissing them. “I’d be safer as your consigliere than your soldier.” Looking at him, I added, “And I feel I’d make Thomas proud.”

Dominic crawled closer and palmed the back of my head, planting a kiss on my forehead. His words felt smooth, like butter on my skin.

“You already make him proud.” He kissed my skin again. “You makemeproud,Bellissima.” He pulled back, gazing into my eyes. “Let me talk to my men. Give me twenty-four hours.”

“Deal.” I smiled.

Dominic crawled off the bed, tossing his towel in the hamper on his way to the fireplace. That was another sexy thing about him; he picked up his clothes. After putting out the dwindling fire and foregoing a fresh pair of boxer briefs, he got back into bed. I felt his breath. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed him staring.

“Never doubt my love and commitment to you and our son.”

I placed two of my fingertips on his lips. He immediately went silent. I moved my hand.

“It’s not that I doubt you because I want you to know that Idosupport our son being your next in line, and Idosupport him continuing this legacy. I just want it to be on his terms andhisdecision, that’s all. We need to come to a compromise because you’re too important to me, Dominic Matteo Rosini. And it might shock you, but I actuallydolike my new life. I mean, have you seen yourself lately? What womanwouldn’twant this scrumptious sexiness of a man in their bed?”

We both laughed, our tension easing.

“It’s not the money or the big house or fancy cars,” I added. “All I want and need is you.” Holding my hand, Dominic kissed it, his lips light as a feather.

“Before I met you,” he said, “women faked it, and I tossed them out with their money. They’d say what they thought I wanted to hear just so they could suck my cock and gain access to my credit card. Love wasn’t in my vocabulary—not until you came along.

“It takes a woman like you, a woman who fought and clawed her way to survival, to begin to understand and connect with me and to accept my flaws and my darkness. We’ll figure this out just as we do with everything else. I promise.”

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