Page 9 of Alessio

“Oh. So they’re very strict. Too strict?”

“Okay. Before you were worried they’d accost me, and now you’re worried they’re mean. It’s fine. I’m there to clean, and I did it. My job, although tiring and long, is fairly easy. I’m actually about to eat dinner in a bit and then probably get some sleep.”

“Well, okay. I’ll leave it be, but I have to go to work for now.”

“Please be safe. You know I hate you working there.”

“Of course, and hopefully I can stop working for that asshole soon, but the tips are good and it helps with school.” She just graduated from community college and hopefully will transfer to a four-year institution or get a better job soon.

“I know. I love you.”

“Love you too, June bug.” We end the call, and there’s a hard knock on the door.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asks the second I open it. I see him holding a stack of towels in his hand.

I tilt my head and ask, “No, why?” Could he be jealous?

“I heard you say ‘I love you.’”

“Does that matter?” I challenge.

“Well, it makes it difficult. No one is allowed on the property that isn’t sanctioned by Mr. Conti.” Nope. Damn rules. Oh, he’s just reminding me of the order of things here. Why am I so eager for him to want me?

“Oh. Well, I was talking to my sister. What does Mr. Conti do?” I question.

“He works. Did you want to shower before dinner?”

“Yes, I appreciate it.”

“I’ll be leaving after dinner. I have a meeting and will be back well after you retire, so you can watch television in the main living area if you’d like to. I can show you where it is when I leave.”

“No, thanks. I’m just going to read on my phone.”

“Fine,” he grumbles and then leaves my room again.

Chapter Five

Alessio

Throughout the entire dinner I feel emotions bottle up inside me, ready to explode at any moment. I can’t explain what they are, though. My body temperature has risen several degrees as I watch her eat daintily. Her eyes lift up to mine several times, but I must look like a madman. Why is she interested in Dario? I could have sworn she wanted me the way she leaned into me.

I have to get out of here before I question what happened in the sitting room. “Excuse me. I have to get going.” I rise from my seat, dropping my napkin on the table.

“Okay. I’ll clean up.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I will. Dinner was wonderful. Thank you, Alessio.” She stands and takes our plates to the kitchen. I watch her ass sway as she walks, and I imagine that sight for the rest of my life. I’m totally fucked.

Rushing out the front door with my keys and gun, I hop in my vehicle and go for a quick drive before heading back to the estate. My eyes are laser-focused on the road ahead. I had avoided looking at her so I could maintain a semblance of control.

My oldest friend, a cousin and honestly a brother at heart, had become a villain in my eyes. He’d done nothing to me, but he’d garnered the attention from the one woman I’d finally shown interest in.

From the second I saw her at the agency, I knew she was special to me. As I readied myself this morning, I’d felt this shift in my chest and my pants. My cock had perpetually been rock-hard, and my heart nearly beat my ribcage to death. I used any excuse to stall her at the gate to speak with her since I’d already read her personal information yesterday.

However, she’d broken the first rule she’d been given—the rule over all other rules. I’d been clear about Dario not because it was pointless to hit on him, but because I’d actually been jealous. She had watched him swimming like a woman in heat, setting my teeth on edge.

Dario sends me a text asking where I’m at, so I drive back to the mansion, steamed. Rage and lust fill every inch of my body. Switching my car into fourth gear, I speed through the roads, racing back, wondering how the fuck I’m supposed to reconcile today’s interactions and get through the rest of my life.

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