Page 66 of Prince of Malice

“So, is that what we are then?” I ask him hesitantly.

“What?” he replies, playing dumb on purpose.

“You know,” I insist.

He tries his best to hide his cocky smile, keeping this bit going just to mess with me. “Why don’t you remind me?”

I roll my eyes and bite the bullet. I might as well get used to Dominic’s attempt at jokes. “Dominic Rossi, would you like to be my boyfriend?”

“Hmmm, I’m not too sure,” he replies with a failed attempt at holding back his laughter.

“Hilarious.” I groan, rolling my eyes and thumping him on the leg with my fist. “I’m being serious!”

“Okay, fine. I’m sorry.”

“That’s exactly what you want to hear, isn’t it?” I tell him sarcastically. “Okay fine,” I repeat.

“Oh, so now you’re making me look like an idiot.” He laughs.

I crack a small smile and side eye him from the passenger seat. “I don’t think that’s my fault, if I’m being honest.”

“Is this what dating you is going to be like?” he asks with an exaggerated sigh.

“So, we are dating then?” I blurt out, finally having won this weird back-and-forth game.

Dominic groans heavily, hanging his head down toward the steering wheel as he continues driving forward. “Don’t make me regret this,” he grumbles beneath my blanket of raucous laughter filling the entire car.

21

DOMINIC

Ipress my foot against the brake, feeling the car squeak to a halt in the expansive driveway of the Valenti home. Staring up through the windshield at the large manor, I pull the handbrake to lock the car in place. Luca and I share a long, shaky breath, trying to muster the courage to actually get out of the car and talk to Salvatore.

“Are you ready?” I ask him, not sure if I’m ready myself.

Luca nods more than he needs to. I know that he’s terrified of having to do this, even though it was his idea in the first place.

Reaching across, I take his hand in mine and hold it gently in his lap. “No matter howthis goes, whether it goes perfectly or ends up being the worst thing in the entire world, we’ll handle it together.”

He squeezes my hand and finally looks up to meet my eyes. “You’re right. We’ll figure something out if we have to.”

I rub the back of his hand with my thumb softly and release it from my grip. “Let’s get this over with then,” I tell him as I throw the car door open beside me and take an almost confident step down onto the asphalt drive.

I wait for Luca to get out as well, so the two of us can go up to the door together. Walking side by side, my body feels so tense, unlike every other time I’ve come to this house previously. Whenever I’ve had to come here, it’s always been by force, and I’ve never cared about Salvatore’s opinion of me. Hell, Iwantedhim to hate me and not want anything to do with us, but this time I made the decision to come here and I need to make sure he likes me. Salvatore Valenti isn’t just some stuck-up asshole who’s trying to take over my family. Now he’s my boyfriend’s stuck-up dad.

Standing in front of the large front door, Ihesitate before opening it. “Do we knock, or…?”

“Let’s not make this weird. Just try to relax and be normal,” he tells me, trying to keep himself calm as well.

“Well, after you then… It is your house.” I usher him forward, not wanting to be the first one in the door. If I’m the first thing that Salvatore sees walking into his home, he’ll immediately be on guard and come at us with hostility from the get-go.

Allowing Luca to take the lead, I follow behind him and stand in the open entranceway waiting.

“He should be around here somewhere,” Luca mutters quietly. “Probably in his study or something.”

“Should we go find him?” I ask, looking around the room. He could come out of anywhere to ambush us. Going to him feels like a larger hurdle, but I’m already starting to crack under the weight of the paranoia and want to get it over with already.

Without saying a word, Luca makes his way slowly up the stairs, expecting me to follow behind him.

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