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“Finally!” Cassie shouts, grabbing my hand. “I was about to drag you out here if you didn’t come soon.” She lifts my hand and spins me around like a ballerina just as the song the bandwas playing comes to an end. But as soon as the next one starts, I squeal.

“I love this song!”

Robin S’s “Show Me Love” is one of two songs that can get me dancing without fail. The other being Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”. Both are even better to sing and dance to when you’re surrounded by your girls.

This song is quite fitting, too.

But do I really want Santino to show me love? I wanted him to show mesomethingthese past two weeks, but he left me alone. I fully expected him to show up at my door or…I don’t know really, justsomething.

But why?

Why do I even care?

GAHHH!I yell at myself internally.

Fuck it!

Fuck him!

I close my eyes and sing the lyrics with my family like I don’t have a care in the world. Because in this moment, I don’t.

Chapter 10

Santino

“You think you’ll be able to work with them?” Emilio asks after we grab drinks at the bar. “Can you trust them to honor their end of the deal?”

“They’ve never gone back on their word or a contract before. Their reputation is everything to them, so I’m going to trust them. Besides, I have Mia. They won’t fuck with me if it means something could happen to her or my ability to provide for her.”

“Speaking of Mia…” Emilio lifts his chin over my shoulder and I turn around, my eyes finding my wife immediately.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Her head is thrown back with a huge smile on her face while she spins with her hands in the air. She clutches her chest and sings out the next line of the song –you’ve got to show me love.

Oh, baby, do I want to show you love.

“She’s fucking hot, San.”

My eyes cut to his. “Shut the fuck up. Don’t look at her like that.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “Are you going to tell every man in here that too? Because look around, brother. You’re not the only one to notice how hot she is and probably wondering where the family has been hiding her.”

“I swear to fucking God, E,” I grind out, but then look around the room and see all these assholes looking at Mia like he said. The other women she’s dancing with are beautiful too, but none of them are as radiant or awe-inspiring as she is.

“Fuck this.” I slam my drink down on the bar and weave my way through the tables of guests, all unaware that I’m on the verge of killing any one of them who stares at my wife for longer than they should.

Walking right up to her, I wrap my arm around her middle and pull her against me, her back to my front, and whisper roughly in her ear, “Let’s go outside before I kill every man in here for looking at you the way they are.”

She turns her head so her lips are just an inch from mine. “How are they looking at me?”

“Like they want to steal you away from me.”

“They can look. I doubt you’ll let any of them take me from you.”

The possessive growl that rumbles from deep in my chest is primal and almost inhuman. “No one will ever touch you,farfalla, let alone take you from me.” She blinks slowly, her eyes turning a molten amber for me. I know she likes my possessiveness even when everything she’s said to me contradicts that. “Let’s go for a walk.” She nods her agreement and I place my hand on her lower back, guiding her towards the doors that lead out to the patio and gardens.

The night air is fresh, with a cool breeze that makes the flowers and grasses around us come alive along the pathway. The music from the dining room fades and the soft classical music coming from the hidden garden speakers replaces it.

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