Page 50 of Pregnant By the Italian Mafia Enemy

I snuck into the kitchen as Lucia prepared dinner, and within a few minutes, I managed to pour half the bag into the ground beef mixture, stirring it to hide the evidence. When Lucia turned her back, I stirred the rest of the bag into an uncooked puddle of brownie batter.

Then, I waited. As the meal came together and Lucia placed it all on platters, I kept the conversation running smoothly. I helpedin whatever way I could, and then we ate. Dante tried talking to me during the meal as he ate, but I either ignored him or acted diplomatically as he informed Lucia of all the travel plans in the coming days.

It had to be done. Ithadto.

My family was gone, and with each bite Dante ate of his poisoned food, I felt a little more relief that the vengeance would be carried out. I pushed aside the sadness and the hesitation.

“Sienna, I need to talk to you,” Dante said as he forked down the last bite.

“You can talk.”

“In private.”

I considered his words. I’d planned to pull him away from Lucia and Bria before he began reacting to the sesame seeds. I didn’t want them to see him, and I needed to prolong the reaction and ensure it took his life. If they were here, they’d call an ambulance and ruin everything.

“Fine,” I said, pushing away my food and standing alongside him.

“We’ll be back in a few minutes,” he told Bria, offering a small kiss on the top of her head.

Would she remember that kiss in the coming days and years? I remembered the last hug my dad gave me, and sometimes, I still dreamed of how it felt. It brought such a sad longing to my chest as I stared at the smiling little girl who would soon feel the same.

Was I a monster for doing this to her?

I followed Dante out of the room and into the living room, and he shocked me. He didn’t guide us further than the next room before whipping around and grabbing my wrist. I gasped as he pulled me closer in one swoop and slammed his lips into mine.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t melt into the touch. “You want romantic words?” he asked. “You want to know why I’m keeping you around?”

I shook my head.

I’d asked him so many times. I’d demanded he explain the reason he wouldn’t let me go, but now that I stood here, waiting for the sesame seeds to kill him, I didn’t want to know anything else. I needed to distance myself for my own good because as angry as I felt about the situation with Fiona, I couldn’t quench the guilt.

I’d never felt guilty about killing someone, but I couldn’t allow myself to delve into that.

“I don’t love you, Sienna. It’s nothing that deep or powerful.” I exhaled deeply, thanking every merciful god in existence that he said that. “But I’m fixated on you. From the first time you challenged me, I realized I couldn’t get enough. I call you Stellina because you burn brighter than anyone I’ve ever fucking met. You don’t back down to me or anyone else, and that’s so damn rare. I can’t fucking get enough of you, and I don’t understand why.”

“Dante,” I said, my breath catching in my throat.

“And since the moment I tasted your pussy, I haven’t been able to get the taste out of my throat. It’s all I can think about, all I can dream about, and all I want. You’re driving memad,and you don’t even realize the effect you have on me.”

I couldn’t listen to this right now—not when I knew what was coming.

I wouldn’t admit to him that I’d been thinking the same thing since the moment we came together.

But he was my first time having sex, and I knew I’d find another memorable experience. I’d find someone who would care for me. Someone who would be a decent person. I’d find a man who wasn’t involved with the death of my entire family, and I’d be happy one day.

Dante pressed his mouth back into mine, and I couldn’t stop my lips from melding with his and deepening the kiss. My body acted on its own accord as it leaned deeper into his and took in the warmth he offered. His arm wound around my waist, and any speck of air between us evaporated. Our bodies became one as the kiss deepened, his tongue sweeping into my mouth in a scorching trail that had me breathless.

Jesus, I shouldn’t want this, but I did.

I allowed him to press me back into a wall and use his body to capture me. I took in every second of this, knowing how soon it would end.

“Fucking stunning,” he said through deep breaths. He turned his head and released a small cough before moving his lips down my neck to my ear lobe.

He coughed again.

I moved my hands up to his chest and pressed them there, pushing him back slightly. He pushed my hands back, not allowing any space between us as his breathing continued to deepen.

I planted one more long, deep kiss on his lips before pulling myself away.

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