Page 49 of The Cost of Corruption

“Because whatIthink is that your father has spent years filling your head with visions of how scary the ordinary world can be so you won’t fight back when he sends you upstate and locks you away in a crumbling old church.”

“That’s not fair.” I shook my head, defending my father more out of habit than any real sense of indignation.

“No, Chastity. What’s not fair is losing years of your life because of your father’s control issues.”

“So says the man who used our dinner date as a stage to prove he has control, not just over me, but the whole island of Manhattan.”

My heart pounded in my chest as I spoke. I’d never been in this heated of an argument before. I’d never had the chance.

The consequences if I so much as raised my voice to my father were swift and brutal. Even a hint of perceived annoyance on my part would end with stinging slaps and ringing ears.

But with Matteo, everything was different.

He didn’t seem the slightest bit upset at our charged conversation. If anything, he seemed to be enjoying it. An unshakable grin still pulled at his lips.

Of course, it was a little annoying that my argument about his controlling behavior was totally undermined by the fact that he was tolerating my verbal jabs.

But instead of throwing that mistake of logic back in my face, he simply let out a gentle, rumbling laugh.

“You missed your calling,” he said. “With your talent for arguing, you should have been a lawyer.”

“Is that supposed to be an insult?”

“Far from it.” He shook his head. “I mean it. You’d make an excellent defense attorney.”

Would I?

I’d never thought about it. Never even imagined which way my life would’ve gone if I’d had any say over its direction.

It was an intriguing idea.

That appeared to be Matteo’s secret talent—planting intriguing ideas in my head…then sitting back and watching me with those gorgeous dark eyes as those seeds took root.

“You’re a bad influence,” I told him. “You know that, right?”

“I’ve been called worse.”

“Mostly by my father, no doubt.” I’d meant it as a joke, but the second the words were out of my mouth, I realized how heartless they sounded and instantly wished I could take them back. “I’m sorry. That was cruel of me.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” he said, his tone serious. “None of this is your fault, Chastity.”

“It’s kind of you to try to make me feel better,” I said. “But let’s be honest. If I’d only followed my father’s directions and kept my lips and legs shut, then neither of us would be in this mess.”

“This isn’t a mess,” he said.

“No?” A dark laugh bubbled out of me, one filled with all the dread and tension that had been hanging over my head for the last twenty-four hours. “Then what the hell is it?”

But Matteo didn’t answer. Or say a single word. He didn’t makeanysound at all.

The only thing he did was stare across the table at me.

Despite the fact we’d both had the same amount of wine, his dark gaze was so much steadier than mine. So much moreintense.

I grazed my teeth over my bottom lip as I tried to pull my eyes away.

But I couldn’t.

The pull of his gaze was just too strong.

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