Page 47 of Savage Prince

She swallows a big gulp, then another, her gaze drifting across the pastel-hued villas dotting the verdant hills. She licks the rim then tips her head back for another long pull.

Merda… does she have any idea what she’s doing to me?

“Take it easy,tesoro,” I grumble. “Alcohol and the open water don’t mix.”

“Of course they do.” She throws me a rebellious smile and chugs down half the bottle in one go.

“Serena… don’t make me take that away from you.”

She snorts on a laugh, peeling her lips from the rim. “Who are you, my father?” She shoots me a wicked grin before taking another sip. “I know you’ve got a few years on me, Antonio, but you’re not old enough for that.”

“Dio, no,” I grit out. “That would mean I would have been a father at nine years old.” My lips twist at the thought, then my stomach knots. With the sinful thoughts I’ve had of this woman since the moment I met her, the idea of being her father is nauseating.

Even she looks repulsed as she brings the bottle to her lips once again.

“Serena…” I growl again.

“What? Did you want some?” She dangles the sparkling wine just out of my reach.

Shifting the gears and setting the course due north, I engage the autopilot. Not because I plan on getting drunk with her but because I’m fairly certain I’ll need both hands to keep her from falling off once she finishes that bottle.

CHAPTER 24

A LITTLE TIPSY

Serena

The light, airy bubbles go straight to my head, which is exactly what I intended when I started to guzzle the sparkling wine. I wanted the numbness, the pleasant tingly sensations to dull the ache that carved into my chest from the night before.

Fuck, I don’t know how women do it. How they survive an attack like that… Otto didn’t even succeed, and I still feel violated in the most horrific way.

“Serena…” Antonio’s growl of frustration tears me from my thoughts to the angry mob boss stalking toward me.

He grabs the bottle of spumante and stares through the dark green glass clearly trying to determine how much I’ve drank in the last fifteen minutes. The answer is: a lot.

When Mariuccia mentioned it, the idea of a peaceful boat ride along the scenic lake sounded perfect, but now, alone with Antonio in the middle of the rippling waves and unarmed, I’m starting to reconsider this little voyage.

Steeling my spine, I remind myself Tony is already brokering the deal for my release. Antonio has no reason to hurt me.

“You’ve had enough.” He corks the bottle and returns it to the wicker basket, then offers me a chunk of bread. “Eat this.”

“No, it’ll just sober me up,” I squeal.

“Exactly!”

“How do you expect me to enjoy this little cruise if I’m not at least a little tipsy?”

“You were the one that wanted to go out on the boat!” He drags his hand through the waves of dark hair, tugging on the ends.

“I only said that to piss you off because I knew you didn’t want to go.” I offer a cheeky smile which has less to do with the spumante and more to do with the fact that I love seeing this man flustered.

“So you’d rather torture both of us?”

“Yup.” I pop the P just for fun.

He shakes his head, releasing a frustrated breath. “I suppose you think I deserve that.”

“Sure as shit.”

---