Page 26 of Dark Mafia Vows

My body burns from her soft touch. And when she slides her hands over my shoulder to pull her body flush against mine, I groan.

“Fuck, Ginny.” My hand hitches higher on her thigh, my thumb tracing patterns on her inner thigh.

She whimpers, her fingers digging into my back. When I lean down to press kisses on her neck, she moans, throwing her head back against the door.

“You have no idea how obsessed I am with your scent.” I run my nose along the length of her neck to her shoulder. “Your taste.” I lick the same path, traveling back up before pulling her earlobe between my teeth. “Everything.”

She buries her hands in my hair, and I pull back slightly to look at her. The thick desire in her eyes, the way she’s biting her lip and breathing heavily, drives me crazy.

We both wait. One second. Two seconds. Before I can risk it all by kissing her, a loud knock interrupts us.

The air instantly chills as she pulls away. I step back, and she slips past me, eager to escape the moment.

“I’ll take you home.”

Maybe because she knows I’ll carry her to my car if I have to, she doesn’t protest. The night air is chilly as we step out of the building. She shivers slightly, but when I take off my jacket and offer it to her, she ignores me.

When she slips into the passenger seat of my car, I know her scent will linger for days. I don’t just know if it’s a good or bad thing.

I turn on the engine and pull into the dark streets. At first, the silence was thick and uncomfortable. Before she starts fuming again, launching into an angry tirade about how I ruin everything and how she never wants anything to do with me.

My body is still tense from earlier, but she continues to mutter insults under her breath. I can’t help but smile and steal glances at her. The fire in her eyes, the way her voice trembles with passion when she speaks—it’s captivating.

“How do you know where my brother lives?” she asks as we pull up to Lorenzo’s house.

“How did you know where I lived?” I shoot back.

She huffs before undoing her seatbelt. As I stare out the window, I catch a glimpse of someone lurking across the street, looking at the house. Before I can pay closer attention, they vanish into the shadows.

“Stay away from me, Dario.” Ginny’s voice pulls my attention to her. “I mean it.”

She gets out of the car, and I watch her walk toward the door, a mix of frustration and longing bubbling inside me. I should have done more tonight. I should have kissed her, touched her the way I knew she wanted to be touched, and made it more difficult for her to stay away.

As she disappears into the house, I can’t shake the feeling that this night has changed everything. The tension between us lingers like smoke in the air, and I know this is just the beginning.

11

GINEVRA

Atired yawn escapes my lips as I close the book I’ve been reading—or rather, trying to read. I’ve been stuck on the same page for over ten minutes, my mind wandering elsewhere while my eyes lazily skim over the words.

I’ve been cooped up indoors for days, and the boredom is driving me insane. The walls seem like they’re closing in, and amid all this, my thoughts are fixated on my encounters with Dario. They play and replay in my mind like a broken record, especially our most recent run-in at the club.

It’s almost absurd how he seems to be everywhere. Ever since we collided—no,hecollided into me—at that event, it’s as if I summoned some spirit that ensures he shows up wherever I am.

Okay, slight exaggeration. We’ve only met twice since then, but both times are permanently engraved in my memory.

His intense gaze, the way his touch lingered, the heat of his lips against my neck, his hands tracing slow, deliberate circles on my inner thigh. I still shiver at the thought. But it’s not simply the physical connection. He’s infuriating—his smug remarks, the way he gets under my skin with those crude jokes. He drives me mad in a way that makes it impossiblenotto think about him.

But then reality slaps me in the face every time Lorenzo comes home at night. I can’t even remember the last time we had a proper conversation. He’s been running himself ragged, desperately trying to save the company, but nothing seems to be working.

He’s losing weight from hardly eating, and he looks more disheveled than ever, with his hair longer than usual, a scruffy beard, and those tired eyes.

Whenever I catch myself thinking about how perfect it felt with Dario pressed against me, I remind myself that he’s the reason Lorenzo’s life is in shambles and our family is falling apart.

This morning, though, Lorenzo mentioned he had a new idea that might turn things around. For the first time in ages, he actually smiled at me—and even ate the banana bread I baked. In that moment, a glimmer of hope flickered. Maybe things will get better.

My mood lifted even more when I remembered that there hadn’t been any more assassination attempts against me. Dario has made it clear he wasn’t behind them, which narrows down my suspicions to someone else who may have it out for my family. Papa made a lot of enemies in his time and while that’s not exactly comforting, it does make me feel somewhat safer. At least I have private security now.

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