Page 41 of Broken Prince

Here he was, annoying me again. He knew exactly what I meant.

I feinted with a left hook and punched him with the right. “Stop being an asshole.”

He chuckled, rubbing at his jaw. “You’re so easy to rile up.”

I was, and it was all because of her. I was always good at keeping everything close to my heart before, but she was like an open wound letting all the feelings out.

“Domenico…” I warned him.

He rolled his eyes. “It had to do with the FBI. They’d put her in the list of ‘person of interests’ for her parents' murders, thinking she knew more than she let on.”

I stopped moving around. “This is stupid; this woman would not hurt a fly.”

“Obviously! And the FBI knows that too, but the bureaucracy is taking its time and as long as she is not officially removed from the list by a judge, she can’t take her little brother out. She has to be supervised at each visit because she’s a flight risk, and it’s taking a toll on her because it is never-ending.”

I nodded. “Why didn't you tell me that? I could have helped.”

“Why didn't you ask her how she was doing instead of pouting like a five-year-old? Is it because when she touched you it made you feel something in your heart and in your pants?”

“Cazzo!” I threw a punch which he dodged and punched me right in the kidney. “Fuck!” I growled, holding my flank, and I almost folded in two trying to get my breath back.

“We’re done,” Dom announced ominously, getting out of the ring and grabbing a bottle of water. “Next time you want to spar, remember I’ve been training every day while you’ve been soaking your organs in alcohol for the past few years, okay?”

I threw him a withering look, making him laugh.

He wiped his face with a towel and looked at me as I rubbed my flank which still burned like a bitch. His face morphed from teasing to serious. “Also, next time, instead of acting like a stupid alpha caveman, talk to me, man.”

I frowned, unsure where he was going with that.

“Even if you don’t think that way about me—youaremy best friend. My brother in every way but in blood. I’ve been offered everything by almost everyone to leave your side and join theirs, but I’ve preferred to stay with your sorry, angry, and suicidal ass than look for something else.”

He took a deep breath and I exited the ring, walking toward him, emotion cloaking at my throat, making it hard to swallow. This wasn’t something we did in the famiglia, show our feelings. Feelings were a weakness; we fought our hardest not to have them, and if heaven forbid we caught feelings, we were fighting like beasts to hide them from the world.

“Cassie is one of a kind. I saw her bring life back to you, and I’ll kill myself before trying to take that from you but if you don’t move, another will because she’s something, that woman. She is young, yes, clueless of our world, of our ways? Most definitely. But she is brave, strong, and loyal. She can handle it; she can handleyou. She is a fucking unicorn, brother.”

I was now standing in front of Dom and did something I never thought I'd ever do. I pulled him into a hug.

“Thank you for staying with me. You saved my life,” I admitted quite reluctantly.

“Ti voglio bene,” he stated, hugging me back.

It took me aback having Dom admit that he loved me, and I loved him too—with the same brotherly love that he gave me, and despite everything I couldn't tell him.

So I told him the next best thing… “Io ti proteggerò sempre.” I’ll always protect you. It was the only way I could reciprocate and with the way his hold tightened, I knew he understood.

Chapter Twelve

CASSIE

I was getting ready to leave to go see my brother when Luca appeared in the kitchen.

“Are you okay?” I asked, shouldering my handbag.

He cocked an eyebrow. “Good afternoon to you too.”

I blushed, that was rude and I was happy to see him, once again getting that giddiness in the pit of my stomach. I liked that he didn’t try to hide his face anymore; he was looking at me head-on.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect to see you. Is there anything I can help you with?”

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