Page 23 of Mafia Boss's Fake Fiancée

Maybe.

“Good.” I flash him a smile. “Because if you put a spider on me now, I would punch you in the face.”

“Why did your father retire?” he suddenly asks.

My eyebrows shoot up. “He was tired of running everything, and he wanted to do something for himself. Spend more time with my mom. Go on trips. Just live. Didn’t Cesare tell you any of that?”

My brother isn’t exactly talkative, but this is just some basic stuff. Nothing top secret.

“We never really talk about things like that,” Salvatore says. “Although, when Cesare took over, we both got really drunk to celebrate, so even if he told me, I don’t remember any of it.”

I groan.

“Thank you.” He steps closer to me.

“What for?” My lips part as I stare into his eyes.

He’s way too close. I should back away, but I can’t move.

“For earlier, with my grandma. And everything. She’s happy and she believes us, and that’s exactly what I need.”

“It’s nice to see that you care about someone’s happiness other than your own.”

The corners of his mouth quirk up. The light falls in his eyes in such a way that it makes them warmer than ever.

His lips hover over mine, and I want him to close the distance between us and kiss me. He tilts his head, moving even closer. It’s like there’s a magnetic pull between us, forcing us together.

I jump away from him, tearing my gaze off his. What the hell is wrong with me?

I can’t possibly be hoping for Salvatore’s kiss. That would be all kinds of wrong. I can’t just forget everything he’s done to me.

All he wants is to get into my pants, so he’s willing to play nice, especially because that will get me to play along with his plan.

No. I can’t let myself fall for whatever the hell this is and the strange energy crackling between us.

“Is there any progress?” I ask, but my voice is a little hoarser than usual.

I seriously need to get a grip on myself. Nothing is happening between Salvatore and me. But why do I have to tell myself that over and over again?

“With Flavio, I mean,” I add.

“No, nothing yet. At the moment, it’s like he doesn’t even exist. Who knows what name he’s using now.” His gaze is still on my lips.

“So what are you going to do? We don’t have much time.”

“I’m going to get some hot chocolate. Do you want some?”

Way to avoid the subject. Why not just have the staff get it for us? But it looks like it’s the Carducci way to avoid certain situations, just like Claudia wanted Salvatore out of the room, so she asked him for some wine so she could talk to me.

“Yeah, sure. Who doesn’t love hot chocolate?” I watch him as he strides away.

Will we figure anything out before it’s my time to leave? I’m not so sure, but what will happen then?

Salvatore can’t expect me to stay with him, and I don’t want to have to hide. I could run to my family, but I don’t know if Cesare is behind all this. It’s more likely it’s one of Salvatore’s uncles, but what if I’m wrong?

Still, I made a deal with Salvatore. After New Year’s, I’m out of here and away from him. I’ll find some place for myself where I can be safe, and we can pretend I’m preparing for the wedding or something like that.

Not that his family should know much about our lives after we go back home, but I don’t know if Claudia or Salvatore’s mom will want to be with me to help with the wedding, so we might have a problem.

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