Page 17 of Vito

Instead, I had kept my emotions and thoughts out of my expression, much like I'm doing now.

I will myself to ignore my lust—the tall god-slash-devil isn't just attractive, he'shot as fuck. I also try to set aside my anger. Even though this man had been the one to call and flatly tell me that my brother was dead, it isn't his fault that Aiken named me his successor. Nor is it his fault that I accepted.

I meet his hooded blue-green eyes and it's a struggle to look away from the dangerous man.

And make no mistake, this manisdangerous.

Not only because he's one of the violent, ruthless people present here and for the predator vibes that radiate from him, but because of the most intense, lustful response I've ever felt.

Giving into that lust and having sex with this man could kill me. Literally.

As Aiken's successor and Gilly's new owner-operator, this guy and any other criminal are strictly off-limits.

Aiken had repeatedly warned in his email that even if someone were suspicious of inappropriate conduct—and the visions I'm having of this guy's face buried between my legs would definitely be categorized as inappropriate conduct—between Gilly's owner-operator and one of the criminals in this city, I could be marked for death.

Now that Tommaso's crew is lowering their weapons, the others do so as well, and it pulls my attention away from the dangerous man. Thankfully, our heated stare hasn't been that long, and no one seems to have noticed.

Keeping my face schooled in an unreadable, cold expression, I scan the Chamber leaders. They and their inner circle relax, realizing that I'm not a significant threat.

Two younger men flank Tommaso. One is the blue-green-eyed, dangerous-hot-as-hell guy. The other one has broad shoulders and serious dark brown eyes. Based on their protectiveness of him, I'm guessing they are his sons. When Tommaso walks toward me, they don't like it based on the tightening of their jaws and clenching of their fists, but neither stop him.

All eyes in the room are trained on us, and I surmise that Tommaso is the Chamber's de facto spokesperson.

I eye him with caution, not sure what to expect. When I decided to come in the way I had, I honestly thought it was a fifty-fifty chance of whether I'd still be breathing right now.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Tommaso extends his hand to me. "Aiken was a good man." His tone is sincere, as are his piercing light blue eyes.

I shake his hand, making sure I have a firm grip. I need to downplay my femininity as much as possible in this male-dominated environment. Although that won't be hard since Aiken always accused me of being a tomboy.

Regret and a pang of longing for my brother seizes my chest, but I remain outwardly unaffected. "Thank you."

"I'm Tommaso Santoro. It's a pleasure to meet you…"

He isn't sure what to call me. Since I need all the help I can get in the 'let's forget she's a chick department,' I go with Ed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ed. This is my brother, Marco." He motions to the older gentlemen and then to the two younger ones. "And my two sons, Massimo and Vito."

The blue-green-eyed one dips his chin at me when Tommaso says his name—Vito.

I now have a name, which actually makes my lust burn a bit hotter and my cooch pulse.

I incline my head at them rather than shaking their hands. Having skin-to-skin contact with the one called Vito is asking for trouble.

Lixin Xhang steps forward. He's lean, tall, and handsome, with his black hair styled back. He's smiling, but his dark eyes are cunning. "It's nice to meet you, Eden—"

"Ed," I cut him off firmly.

His smile grows. "Ed. Aiken has chosen wisely. Welcome to Gilly's."

He steps back to let his fellow Chamber leaders introduce themselves. Amazu Musa of the Fire Clan, followed by Dominic Jude of the Saints, and Ash Dexter with the Havoc Guardians.

I study Ash. I once dated a wannabe biker named Jax. He was part of the crowd I had fallen in with after I ran away from home.Back then, his goal was to prospect with the Havoc Guardians, and I hadn't seen or heard from him since Ohith whisked me out of the city.

I really hope Jax moved on, or maybe is dead, because that historydefinitelywon't be neutral-territory. Jax had almost killed me once because he didn't like how one of his buddies looked at me, and I wouldn't roll over if he came at me again.

Chapter 7

Eden

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