Page 129 of My Mafia Queen

I hold her gaze.

“I don’t know how to lie,” she says.

“I do,” I argue.

“Not when it comes to me. And your words aren’t necessarily what I’m talking about. Words mean nothing when you can easily read a person. You’re not hiding stuff from me. And I’m not suggesting that you should,” she says. “What about the other people?”

“I read them too,” I say, although I’m not sure that’s what she’s asked.

She has probably referred to hiding stuff from them or not.

A few moments pass before I continue.

“To ask you to consider this kind of life is to ask you to accept something you don’t entirely know. There are way too many aspects to being with someone like me. You have to be ready, make decisions quickly, and do what it takes. Once you’re with me, you belong to this life, and there’s no turning back. If you’re with me, your sister will be, in some capacity, part of this life as well. She’d be shielded and live her life as a normal teen, but she’d eventually catch on to what was going on. It’s a difficult decision to make because you’re not only choosing for yourself but your sister, too.”

She searches my eyes.

“What would you like me to do?”

“It’s not about that.”

“Okay.”

She ponders.

“What do you want, Damaso?”

I give her a soft smile.

“I want you, baby.”

“But?”

“I want you to stay alive and not grieve me if something goes wrong.”

“I won’t grieve you.”

I notice the humor in her voice despite her not smiling.

“I want you too, Damaso.”

I wrap my arm around her neck and kiss her hair. Her arms go around my waist.

“It’s normal to feel that way. I’m your first man.”

“That’s an easy way out.”

I laugh and look at her.

She cracks a smile.

“We’ll stay together for a while and see how things go. Would that be okay with you?” I say.

Her eyes glint with a newfound passion for life.

“Yes. I’d love that.”

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