Page 15 of Shot For Mercy

“I can’t kick him out.” I sigh, “So instead I’m here. And I’ll stay here as much as possible until he either moves out or forgets about his little obsession with me.”

“Well, at least we know you’re not freaking out because he’s a guy,” Lorenzo says with a shrug. “I thought that would be more of a deal breaker for you.”

I shake my head. I’ve never been into men before. Sure, I can acknowledge when someone is attractive, but that’s about it. Cole, on the other hand, has my body doing all kinds of crazy things. Like popping boners in my office at the mere thought of his hand on my cock again.

I’m so fucked.

“That’s not even the important thing right now,” I tell him, hoping he’ll drop it. I’ll process my sexuality on my own time. “Or the worst part.”

“Wait, it gets worse?” Tony raises an eyebrow.

I close my eyes and breathe in deeply, trying not to strangle each and every one of them. “He wants me bad,” I say through gritted teeth. “He treats me like?—”

“Like?” Alessandro asks.

“Like he’s in charge.” I sigh, going back to my desk and sitting down on my chair. “He’s not going to stop until I give in.”

“Didyou give in yet?” Giovanni asks.

Yet?

I bristle, even though I know he’s technically right. “Kind of,” I tell him, remembering Cole’s calloused hand wrapped around my cock. It felt heavenly. If I had the chance to do it again, I would. In a heartbeat.

Alessandro sighs. “Be reasonable.”

“You don’t even know the meaning of that word,” I snap. “You and your crazy ass.”

“Don’t get him started,” Giovanni says, and I roll my eyes.

“He’ll cut you again, Emiliano,” Lorenzo reminds me.

“Can you just leave?” I ask them. “I’m probably staying here tonight.”

“Why?” Alessandro narrows his eyes at me. “You could be balls deep inhim.”

My jaw drops, and I can hear my brothers snickering. All of them except Alessandro, who, in turn, is as serious as ever. “What the fuck, Alessandro! I won’t do that. You’re supposed to talk me out of it.”

“Am I?” he asks, tapping his chin with his forefinger. “We both know you don’t listen to shit we say. You’re like one of those girls constantly asking her best friends for advice, just to go back to her ex and fuck him anyway.”

“After she’s been cheated on,” Lorenzo says.

“Repeatedly,” Giovanni adds.

“I get it,” I say through gritted teeth. “But I’m not going to do it—again.”

My brothers laugh at me, and a shiver runs down my spine. I could kill them all right about now and feel nothing but a deep sense of satisfaction. They’re really pissing me off.

Just not more than Cole already has.

It’s been forty-eight hours since I last saw Emiliano, and I know he’s actively avoiding me. He went as far as staying the night somewhere else, and he better be careful who he spends his nights with—they might end up dead in the Hudson River. I’m almost ashamed to admit that I waited for him on the couch all night. I did it under the guise of spending time with Matteo, and we watched rom-coms until we both fell asleep. Like the good old days. I’m not ashamed to admit those are my favorite. I missed doing the simple things when I was in prison, and I’m going to make up for it however I can.

Speaking of Matteo, I’m no closer to telling him we’re done than I was yesterday. Somehow, I feel guilty, and it’s not a good time. Ten out of ten would not recommend fucking your best friend then falling in love with their dad. It’s a recipe for disaster, and I know the time is coming when I’ll have to come clean. It’s inevitable. But I don’t want to drop that bomb on him unless Emiliano and I actually get together. There’s no reason to break Matteo’s heart further if Em and I aren’t going anywhere. Which will most likely be the case here. I know he wants me, but he’s not going to let himself have me. He’ll feel too guilty. He needs to take what he wants more often, but I know he’s not going to do it at the expense of his son’s happiness. Fuck him for being such a good dad.

Maybe I should move out. It would probably be best for me. I bet Emiliano would have a damn field day and celebrate until the end of time. Finally, his tormentor is out of his hair. But it’s not that simple. I don’t want to leave him alone, which means that I won’t. No matter how much he begs the universe for me to give up, I won’t. Not unless he marries someone else or kills me. And if it’s the former, I’ll just kill her too. Then he’ll wish I was really dead—and he’ll probably make it happen too.

Worth it.

“They’re here,” Matteo says, pointing toward the men at the docks. We’re sticking to the shadows, just as always, in case there’s unwanted company. Unfortunately for us, this is neutral territory. “Let’s go.”

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