Page 298 of Hate Mates

“He’s right. It’s dangerous,” I said, and the glare she shot me had me smirking. I liked her already. Maybe a bit more thanliked.

Rico sighed, clearly tired of the back-and-forth. “Just stay close, Isa,” he said, his voice low and firm.

“I don’t follow orders, Enrico.” And with that, she turned and walked away, her posture straight, shoulders back, not bothering to glance back once.

I watched her go, my thoughts running a million miles a minute.

“Dom,” Rico said, his voice soft but firm. The nickname my father often frowned at. I hadn’t earned the title. “They want to talk to us. It sounds serious.”

“It always fucking is with them.” I downed the rest of my drink before handing the empty glass to a passing waiter. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”

I knew better than to defy my father’s wishes. It was time to go into the lion's den.But my mind was on one thing:Isabella Deluca.

Rico would kill me if he knew the thoughts of his sister that had crossed my mind during the brief encounter. The things I’d imagined doing to her. She was… intriguing. An enigma wrapped in silk, and the more I thought about it, the more I knew I had to see her again before this night was over.

TWO

Isabella

These gatherings have never been my thing. They always reeked of cigar smoke, expensive cologne, and deceit—not exactly my idea of a good time.

Not that I hated people because I didn't. It was just that these people were different. They all wore masks, pretending to be something they weren't. It got exhausting after a while.

But as my older sister, Adelle, likes to say, “When in Rome,” or rather, when your brother is the heir to one of the most notorious crime families in New Orleans. That was another thing entirely.

Rico's been overprotective of Adelle and me ever since Mom died. I can’t blame him. But he needs to understand that I was used to being alone, especially when I was shipped off to boarding school at thirteen. It was for my own safety, or so they said—to keep me away from the dangerous world they led. But nothing could have prepared me for the life I was thrust back into when I returned home for college breaks and holidays. My father asked me to come. He had something important to discuss with me.

I sighed, fingers tapping on the terrace railing, looking out at the lit-up city below us. It was beautiful from up here. It harbored so many secrets, so much ugliness beneath its shimmering glory. I missed Adelle most when I came home. Maybe I should have gone to London to stay with her and her new husband, Dimitri.

I could still feel his gaze on me. Dominic Saviano. It sent a chill through me. Not the unwelcome kind. I smiled. Thoughts of him shouldn’t fill my mind. There was no room for a man in my life, not when I was supposed to be focused on the real reason I'd come back home. But there was something about him, a pull that I couldn't shake. Maybe it was the fact he was literally untouchable.

“So, we meet again, Isabella,” a familiar voice said behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. Dominic leaned against the railing, one leg propped up, a cigarette dangling from his fingers. His dark hair fell over his eyes in that sexy, effortlessly messy way that made him look like he didn’t have a care in the world—yet everything about him radiated control.

The smoke curled lazily around him, adding to the air of danger that seemed to follow him. He shot me a slow, crooked grin, as if he knew exactly what kind of effect he had on me.

“That’s bad for you,” I quipped back, sauntering over, taking it from him and taking a long drag. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing else as I blew the smoke in his face.

He chuckled darkly, the sound low and knowing, a dangerous edge that sent a shiver down my spine. “Sei come il fumo, Isabella,” he murmured, his voice thick with a drawl I hadn’t expected. “You’re like smoke, Isabella. Hard to breathe in, but impossible to resist.”

I could feel the heat of his gaze on me as I exhaled the last of the smoke, my fingers still wrapped around his cigarette. Fora moment, I almost forgot why I was here. Almost forgot who I was supposed to be.

“Smooth, aren’t you?” I replied, trying to regain control of the situation, but my voice betrayed me—slightly breathless. “Does that line work on all the women?”

He straightened, taking a step closer, his eyes never leaving mine. There was a flicker of something dark, something predatory in his gaze that made my pulse quicken, and for a split second, I couldn’t find my words.

“It’s not a line, Isabella,” he said, his voice lower now, as if we were the only two people in the world. “It’s the truth. Youarehard to resist.”

His proximity was suffocating, his scent intoxicating, and every inch of me seemed to awaken under the weight of his attention. He was dangerously close—so close I could feel the heat from his body, his words still hanging in the air.

I stepped back, stopping myself, and breaking the tension with a shaky laugh. “You’re not as charming as you think, Dominic.”

He smiled, but it was a knowing, almost wicked smile. “Maybe not. But you’re still here, aren’t you?”

And just like that, everything felt like it was teetering on the edge. Something between a challenge and an invitation I couldn’t deny.

I swallowed hard, but it was too late. The pull was there. That magnetic force I couldn't ignore.

I forced a smile, leaning in just enough to let the closeness settle in the air between us. “Not for you, Dominic?”

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