Page 35 of Merciless Desires

“What is it?”

“Kiss me.”

“That’s an easy request.” He took my face between his hands and brought my mouth to his.

Once our lips connected, sparks exploded inside me. Every time we kissed, I wanted more. I had been restless the past few nights, knowing how he had made me feel with his fingers. What could he do with his tongue? His…

I shuddered against him, causing him to break the kiss.

He looked down at me with curiosity in his expression.

“I have another request.”

“I’m afraid to ask.”

“If I behave at dinner, follow all your rules, and don’t ask any questions, can we take a shower together when we get back?”

“We’ll see how the night goes.” He winked. “But I have a feeling I’ll feel quite dirty after dinner.”

An hour later, we were in the lobby waiting for Conti to bring the SUV around for us to go to dinner. The usual groups of people stood in awe as Gio and his men walked through the lobby. It amazed me how bold some of these observers were. In my country, when my father and his associates walked through a crowded room or on a busy street, people looked down at their feet and didn’t dare take their phones out to get a picture.

“Do they wait here all day hoping to catch a glimpse?”

“Some of them do. Others are just lucky and happen to be in the lobby when I come through. You should see when I’m with Romero. They go crazy with the two of us. Like we’re some kind of royalty.”

“You are.”

“We’re criminals,” he whispered. “We’re supposed to keep a low profile.”

“I don’t think you know how to do that.” I laughed as one of the team held the door open for us. “You’re too showy.”

“And you’re not?” He looked me over. “Could that dress have any more sparkles on it?”

“What? I like sparkly things.”

“You look beautiful with or without sparkles.” He kissed my temple, and a warmth settled in my soul. Are we a couple? “Let’s go.”

As he took my hand and led me down the steps to the waiting car, I had a brief moment of intuition. It was difficult to explain, but something big was on the horizon between us. Almost as if something had shifted and we could move forward.

“Get down!” someone screamed as a car screeched down the street.

“Cin!” Gio shoved me down and pushed me toward the side of the steps.

So much for my intuition.

I couldn’t process what was happening until the snap of a loud bang lit up the street. Firecrackers? Gio drew his gun and pointed at the car that had stopped in front of the building. His security team ducked behind Gio’s SUV and took aim at the car. It was then that I realized the pops were not firecrackers.

Conti yelled for Gio to take cover. The loud noise rattled through the crowded street. People screamed and ran away as gunfire was exchanged.

I tried to stand, but Gio turned and shoved me back down before three more shots were fired. He fell to the ground, inches from me, but I was too afraid to move. He was still. Too still.

“Gio,” I whispered. “Gio!”

Chapter Eleven

Gio

When the chaos broke out my only mission was to get Cinzia to safety. As frantic people scurried away, I tried to assess the situation. The bullets came from a gray sedan parked directly in front of the penthouse. The windows were tinted, so I couldn’t get an identification on the two shooters. One in the front passenger seat and the other in the back.

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