Page 19 of Ice
She was his, and he would always belong to her.
Dom dropped his hold on her face and grabbed her hips. He quickly lifted her up and carried her to his bed. As soon as he sat down, he broke the kiss.
Sofia’s hands were on his face. Her blue eyes were no longer lifeless but full of a fire he wanted to continue to stroke. Dom’s hands went under her shirt, his palms expanding against her low back, and he pushed her closer to him. “How are you always so sweet for me, Saffi?”
Sofia chuckled. “Even after all this time you still ask me that.” She shook her head. “I have too much blood on my hands to be sweet.”
“That doesn’t matter to me.” He kissed her, nipping at her lips. “You’ve always been my queen.” He shrugged. “If you have to kill a few people to secure your throne, so be it. I’ll always be here to help you bury the bodies.”
Sofia threw her head back, laughing, and Dom tried to swallow the lump in his throat. His chest felt heavy with the need to keep her laughing and help her get everything she wanted and deserved. He knew the moment he had a taste of her when they were younger, that she was going to flip his life upside down. Here they were years later and he happily welcomed the chaos that came with being with her—the power behind the last name and the enemies that came with it.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Sofia’s fingertips made lazy circles at the back of his neck and his cock twitched.
“Because I want to fuck you, but we need to build your empire first.” He lifted her up as he stood, and the gasp that left her lips had him gritting his teeth. “Saffi,” he groaned, leaning his head on hers. “Once you secure what you’re after, I want you to be mine. If I have to play the dutiful soldier in public, that’s fine, but behind these closed doors you will be my Saffi, and my name will be a praise across your lips.”
She nipped at his lips. “So confident I’m the one that’s going to be singing your praises, huh? I think you’ll be screaming my name instead.”
Dom and Sofia pulled up to Casa Nonna. The ride over had been a quiet one again, but it was a different type of silence—a comfortable one. Dom kept his hand on Sofia’s thigh the entire trip over, and she didn’t have the energy to put space between them. In fact, she liked the idea that she was his in the comfort and peace of being behind closed doors. She knew it wouldn’t stay like this forever, but she was going to enjoy those stolen moments.
Sofia and Dom walked into the restaurant and requested to be seated somewhere in the middle. Their meeting with Bruno wasn’t until tomorrow, but thanks to Gianna, they knew Bruno had to step out soon to secure the truck that held the women who were meant to be sold off. He couldn’t keep them at Tres Bellas; the cops were still watching the place. From what Gianna overheard, Bruno was to meet with the driver at one.
The plan was that once Bruno saw Sofia sitting in his restaurant, he’d send someone else to the pick-up location instead of him, so he could sit down and chat with her and Dom. Once that person left, Otto’s and Wolf’s crews were going to follow him out and hopefully set the women they were holding free and find out who Bruno was working with. As far as plans went, this was as shitty as they came. Sofia had no illusions that this was going to go off without a hitch, but she was hopeful they’d secure much-needed information.
Sofia and Dom sat at a table that was directly in line with the kitchen and the front of the restaurant. The place was busy, and it was easy for Sofia to spot the men from Otto’s crew—he made sure to send guys that Bruno wouldn’t recognize. She saw a few guys and girls from Bebo’s crew too. They were evenly matched against the men Bruno kept at the restaurant disguised as regular patrons in case something went wrong.
The kitchen door swung open, and Sofia’s eyes locked on a shocked Bruno. He was flanked by four men and quickly covered his surprise. He ate up the distance between the kitchen and her table quick enough. “Ms. Barbati, I thought our meeting wasn’t until tomorrow.”
“It is.” She shrugged. “I was in the mood for some eggplant parm. I heard you had the best in New York, figured I come check it out. Or are the rules of the old still in place and I can’t eat here because I am a Barbati?”
Sofia smirked as she watched the wheels in Bruno’s head turn. He checked his watch and leaned back to one of the men he walked out with. He whispered something in his ear and nodded, grabbing one of the other men, and headed for the front door.
Bingo.
Bruno pulled out a chair and sat down next to Sofia. “You don’t mind if I join you? It’s not everyday I get to dine with a beautiful woman such as yourself.” She nodded her head, trying not to roll her eyes. He was laying it on a little thick, but Sofia knew the game, Bruno was going to try and see if she was as smart as the rumors said she was, and if he could control her.
Sofia picked up the menu, chancing a glance at Dom. He sat in his seat, cool as a cucumber, but she could see the underlying radiation brewing off of him. One wrong move and Dom would snap Bruno’s neck, if that’s what she wanted. “I wonder, what makes your eggplant the best?”
Bruno laughed and pushed the menu down on the table. “How about we cut to the chase and tell me why you’re here? And I don’t mean in my restaurant. I mean in New York.”
“I like a man who gets straight to the point. I’m here for my father’s legacy. To make sure the Barbati organization remains in the Barbati family.” There was no reason to lie or bullshit Bruno; he was going to find out soon enough what he was up against when it came to her.
Bruno leaned back in his seat. “Vinny isn’t going to let that happen, and no offense, sweetheart, neither will anyone else.”
“And why is that?” Sofia asked, already knowing the answer. It had zero to do with her ability to handle the life and everything to do with the fact that she didn’t have a dick in between her legs like the rest of them.
Bruno leaned his elbows on the table and ran his fingers against her bare arms. The urge to stab him with the butter knife made her jaw tick. “Women weren’t meant for this life, sweetheart.” He smirked. “Honestly even with your last name, they’d prefer you on your back.”
“And you?” Sofia asked. “How do you prefer me?”
“I think we’d serve each other better if we were on the same team. I heard the rumors about the fridge queen you could be back in Colombia. You know I have just the thing to thaw that out.”
Sofia looked at Dom and laughed. “You remember that conversation we had about men?” He nodded, though she was pretty sure he had no clue what she was talking about. “Why is it…” she turned to face Bruno again and dragged her hand down his chest, “why is it men always think their mediocre dicks can solve the world’s problems?”
Sofia gripped his shirt and pulled hard, slamming his face against the table. All of his guys started shouting and pulled their guns on Sofia and Dom. She heard laughter coming from Bruno, and she leaned down so she could hear what he was saying over the shouting.
“You stupid bitch. If you don’t get your fucking hands off of me, my guys will put two bullets in you, and if I have time, I might fuck you while you’re bleeding out.”
Sofia grabbed Bruno by the back of his head, lifting him up and slamming his head back on the table. She brought her thumb and index finger of her other hand to her lips, letting out a loud whistle. The restaurant got quiet, and she let up off of Bruno.
