Page 38 of Unwilling Vow (Mafia Marriages 4)

It’s not even stamped. Someone dropped it off.

Who? When? I glance around the office. No one seems to pay me the slightest bit of attention. It is addressed to me. I double-check, wondering if I mistook the label because I’m still half-asleep.

I had trouble falling asleep last night. The bed in Jace’s home was comfortable enough, but it felt strange to be under his roof, living with him. Before when I stayed over, the first time, he was a handsome stranger, a man who had made me an offer that, while peculiar, had been in a way quite flattering.

Now, he’s my boss.

And while I was excited about working for him, the fact that he is my boss and sleeps down the hallway under the same roof, I’m having trouble wrapping my head around.

I swore we’d keep it professional. Don’t get me wrong, we are. We haven’t so much as kissed, and while I want to see what he feels like under my body, it can’t happen.

It won’t happen.

I like my job. Appreciate the fact that I have a roof over my head and a steady paycheck. Sure, the money will start flowing in faster now that I’m carrying his kin, but even so, I don’t want to screw this up.

“Hey stranger,” Jace says, stopping over at my desk. He’s carrying a giant mug of coffee. It puts mine to shame.

“I hope that’s decaf,” he says, glancing at my nearly empty cup of coffee.

I don’t answer him. Avoiding the statement seems best. “You don’t have to worry,” I say and give a faint smile. “Everything is going well.”

“Good,” Jace says, and glances down at the package on my desk. “Who is that from?”

But now that he’s standing over me, watching me, I can’t open the damn envelope. What if it’s a message from Caruso?

A lie so easily rattles off my tongue. “It’s the information for ordering more toner for the printer,” I say.

“Is that contraption out of ink again? I swear we replace it daily.”

He’s exaggerating, but we do replace the toner quite often. I swear that’s how the company makes their money, sending us cartridges practically every week that we need to run the machine.

“It’s not that often,” I say. “Can I help you with anything?” I glance up at him with eager eyes. I want to send him off so that I can open the envelope. I also don’t want anyone getting any ideas about the two of us.

There’s nothing to gossip about.

Well, except that I’m carrying his baby.

“Let me take you out to lunch,” Jace says.

Is he crazy? We’re trying to keep a low profile, not give the rumor mill something to talk about. As much as I want to spend time with Jace outside of work, we can’t. We’re already living together. I plan on keeping to myself as much as I can, at least for the time being.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I say.

“You’ll be home for dinner?” Jace asks, keeping his voice down so that only I can hear his question.

There’s nowhere else for me to be. “Yes,” I say, staring up into his green eyes. He gives me a thousand-watt grin. “Good. Then it’s a date.”

“Wait. What?”

Jace turns on his heels and heads back toward his office.

He didn’t mean an actual date, I’m sure of it. It’s an expression. That’s probably what he was referring to, and I’m overreacting.

I rub my forehead and make sure Jace is long gone before I open the envelope. Inside there’s a note along with a thumb drive.

You work for us. Turn on your phone, or we’ll hurt Jace.

What do they want me to do with the thumb drive? I glance inside the envelope, but there isn’t anything else. I toss the envelope into the trash.

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