Page 18 of Mafia Rules

"Breakfast." He pulls on some gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt before leaving the room.

I flop my head back on the pillow. How can he just leave like that? After last night. It had to have meant something to him. He was so gentle and easy to be with. I hear the soft buzz of a phone. I glance over at his nightstand and see his phone lit up. I practically fly over the bed to reach it before it stops.

I flip it over and see the name Sasha, but the screen goes blank. A second later, a text comes through with a heart emoji and says, "See you soon."

I place the phone back on his nightstand and lie back in my spot.Who the fuck is Sasha?Of course, he had other women. How quickly and naively did I forget. I met him when he was fucking one, for Christ’s sake. He's not going to change that for me. I'd never be enough for a man like Ash.

"You okay?" Ash is standing by the door with a brown bag in his hand.

"Just tired." I grip the blanket, feeling stupid for falling for his charm. "I think your phone rang."

He hands me the bag. "Everything bagel with egg and cheese." He kisses me on the forehead. I smile, impressed he noted my breakfast at work yesterday.

He picks up his phone, his expression not giving anything away.

"Anything important?" I bite my lower lip.

"Just work." He slips the phone in his pocket. "You wanna shower first?"

"You go. You probably need to get out of here."

His gaze moves from my face to my body under his white blanket with a look of hunger. And that boyish façade comes back. He grabs my feet from the blanket and pulls my body down to him. I let out a yelp, then laugh when he smiles.

"We could kill two birds with one stone, Ms. Stone." He pulls the blanket off my body. "I'll do all the work." I feel the soft brush of his lips against my cheek, leaving a lingering tingle in my lower body.

I wrap my arms around his neck in response. He moves my legs apart, then bends down to pick me up. My legs entangle around his waist, and I feel his hardness through his pants.

He walks us to his bathroom, setting me down on the heated floor. He turns on the shower heads to his massive walk-in shower.

I gulp, thinking only about how many other women he has showered with here.

He pulls his shirt off, revealing those damn tattoos. His muscles flex as he pulls down his sweatpants until he's completely naked.

I take in his beauty in the light. He stands with his arms to his sides, allowing me unfettered access. Then his hand reaches out to mine, but I can't move toward him; instead, my hands wrap around my body. Afraid of what he would think of me in this light. I wasn't perfect like that blonde and most likely not like Sasha—who he just lied to me about. Oh the fucking red flags.

"Tell me what's wrong." He pulls me into his arms and rubs my back.

"I…" I wasn't good at lying, but I couldn't tell him I saw his phone and wanted to know who Sasha was.

"Tell me, beautiful." He kisses my forehead again, and then his wet lips trail down my face. "There's nothing you can't say to me."

I keep my eyes on his chest and offer a weak smile. My stomach is feeling ill. I wanted to run out of this room, out of his place. What right did I have being here? With him?

"Hey." He lifts my chin so I'm forced to look into his eyes. "Did I hurt you last night?" Concern furrows his brow, causing his eyebrows to droop. "You never have to do anything you don't want to." His hands cup my face.

I pull his hands from me. "Nothing is wrong."

"Too quick?" His eyes narrow, intensifying his gaze as he attempts to gauge my genuine feelings.

"No. I had fun last night." I glance at the shower, the steam fogging up the glass. "We should shower. You're wasting water."Did I just say that?

"Fuck the water, Eve. I need to make sure you're okay." He stands behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist, bringing me against his body. "What did I do?"

"I’ve just never had a one-night stand,” I say quickly, hold my breath, and close my eyes as his arms fall from around me.

“Step in,” he demands.

I obey, and he’s in front of me now, his hair wet from the shower's steam.

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