Page 54 of Luciano (Belles & Mobsters 1)

With everyone gone, Luciano and I were left alone.

I chewed on my bottom lip, forcing myself to meet my husband’s gaze. “You shouldn’t have lost your temper like that.”

He seemed unconcerned.

His hand slid to the back of my head, his fingers threading through my hair. Right now, I was happy that I decided to leave it down. I loved his smell and the strength of his touch. Our gazes locked, our lips inches apart. His thumb brushed across my lips. My pulse raced, my need grew.

“We should clean up your bloody knuckles,” I whispered. Because I was scared to say anything else.

I felt tension rolling off Luciano for the next hour, while we waited for Luca to get back. But it wasn’t an angry tension. More like anticipation of something that was to come… between us. I sensed his eyes on me, tracking my every move and every breath. My skin itched with that same anticipation. The one that would unravel me in the best way possible but could also destroy me with its invisible hold.

Cassio returned from checking on Ian and sat in the room with us. I learned this nightclub was his. Talk about an odd coincidence. It was probably how Luciano ended up here and saw me dancing with Ian.

“Have you heard from Luca?” I have been pacing back and forth, wondering what took Cassio’s brother so long. Ian’s place was right around the corner.

“No, not yet.” Both men’s gazes were on me.

“And Ian?” I questioned.

“He’s still here,” Cassio responded, leaning back into his seat. I could clearly tell by Luciano’s look and posture he didn’t give a damn about Ian. “Slightly woozy after the meds he received.”

“You drugged him?”

“Just a small dose of a sleeping aid.”

“That’s good,” I agreed in a raspy voice. I couldn’t feign wrong doing when it was something Ella and I contemplated ourselves. Hell, we even talked about killing him.

Luciano sat manspreading on the couch, his eyes boring into me while his arm rested behind the head of the couch. He looked comfortable, not a single worry on his face. I, on the other hand, kept worrying about everything.

I chewed on my lip. “Did Ella get home safe?”

“Yes.” He almost looked bored sitting there. Didn’t he realize shit was happening? I wondered what was going through Luciano’s head because I couldn’t read that man to save my life. Maybe it was exactly that which made him a good mobster.

I resumed my pacing again.

The office door opened, and Luca strode in. I rushed to his side.

“Oh, were you worried about me?” he teased me.

“No. I was worried about you finding the right documents.”

I didn’t notice it till now, he had a manilla envelope in his hands. “You mean this?” He raised the folder, waving it in front of me.

“Did you read it?”

“Yes.” I narrowed my eyes on him. “That fucking safe he had was something. Took me longer than usual to break into it.”

Thank God he went. He handed me the envelope, and I grabbed it eagerly. Pulling the papers out, my eyes scanned through it.

“So how long has your uncle been stealing from you?” Luca’s question had me pause and lift my eyes to him. Truth was I didn’t know, but I suspected probably from the moment he became my guardian.

“We have to return the key to Ian,” I answered instead.

“Done.”

With a nod, I strode to the chair in the furthest corner of the room and started reading. Zeroing on the date, I raised my eyes to find all three of the men watching me. “Was this the only will and only copy?”

A smile tugged on Luca’s lips. “You want this one too?”

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