Sinful Kisses by Emily Bowie
CHAPTER 23
Ipace the kitchen floor most of the night, waiting for her to escape. I’m almost looking forward to her trying. The thought of me pushing her against the wall, gripping her hands, and getting all in her face has my heart accelerating and my cock straining. She never leaves the room, never baring her tears to me.
When her breathing evens out, I go into the room to check on her. She looks the same as every other night. But it feels different now. Now, she knows who she is and why I’m not a good person. Going to my dresser drawer, I pull out an old piece of paper and unfold it. The folds are torn, my writing faded. It has all the reminders of why I hate Gia Rossi. Why I must use her to get to my rightful place in the world. She’s lucky I’m not vindictive. I’m not the type who feels an eye for an eye sort of thing is necessary for every situation.
As I slip into the sheets, she nestles her ass into me, and I have to adjust so it’s not rubbing on my dick. When my arm pulls her toward my naked chest, she sighs. But then she mumbles something about Alfonso. It has me wanting to bury my cock into her right now, reminding her who has her. He’s not even searching for her. Her loyalty is lost on him. She needs to learn who deserves it. I bet he’s balls-deep in some whore who pumps up his ego.
When I wake, Gia is attempting to untangle me from her. She lifts my heavy arm from around her waist before nudging my leg off hers. I can feel the sun hitting my face, and I can’t remember the last time I slept so soundly. I did my job. She didn’t attempt to run away in the middle of the night. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.
I open my eyes, and she’s facing the other direction. “Want to know why I keep a dog here?”
“It can’t be that you like them.”
“No, you’re right. Honestly, I don’t like animals. I hardly like my own brother.” The brother bit is a stretch, but she gets the point.
“The anticipation is killing me.”
“He tracks stuff. If you try to run, I’ll send him after you. I spent a year teaching him how. The problem is, I didn’t fully train him. The last person I sent him after, he brought me their hand back.”
I watch her gulp. She must see I’m not lying, because she has no response. I stand. Her eyes draw down to my boxers before she averts them.
Quickly, I dress. The heat of her eyes prickles my back.
“We don’t have to be enemies, Romeo,” she says softly, bringing her hair into a ponytail. A deep-red bruise sits nicely on her neck. I’m used to people manipulating me before they betray me. When I look her in the eyes, no truth lies in them. She’s like every other person.
“And you don’t have to be another pretty face, yet here we are.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means life isn’t a bed of roses. You can’t smile, give a blowjob, and get your way. Alfonso paraded you around like a trophy, and you were happy about it. You would rather people talk about your beauty and your fake kindness. When in reality, you put your nose up at them and did nothing but party.” I didn’t want to bring him up, but her saying his name in her sleep irritates me more than I want to admit.
“I am a nice person.”
I raise a brow. “What was the last thing you did out of kindness rather than doing it so they would talk about it?” She flinches, and I know I hit a sore spot. “That’s what I thought.” I take her hands, looping a rope around them. I can’t hide my grin when her eyes go wide, and she fights me. Her entire body wiggles and kicks as I carry her back to the bed and tie her there. “I need to leave for a few hours.”
I leave her tied to my bed, her angry voice yelling at me. I can hear her all the way to my car before it drowns out.
I spend mostof the day with the few men who are loyal to me. We’re building our strategy for my revenge on the Rossis. The Rossis were the ones who lit the match that caused my world to go up in flames.
Gia keeps popping up in my thoughts. It’s harder to concentrate than I’d like to admit. Knowing she’s tied to my bed has my imagination running rampant.
As much as I keep telling myself that Gia is a spoiled brat who deserves what she gets, my mind no longer believes the image I’ve created since I was younger. She is kinder than I anticipated. I expected the diva side of her to come out, but she works just as hard as I do at the farm. She’s never once complained. Unlike me. It’s all starting to fuck with my head.
Somewhere along the line, as I was pretending to be the good guy, I became him. I fucking caught feelings for her. My hand wipes down my face.
“Where’s the butcher tonight?” one of the guys asks, referring to Max. In a short amount of time, he’s gained that nickname. He’s embraced the lifestyle more than I thought he would. I’m proud of the guy. My father would be too.
“Campisi called him out of town for business.” Once again, I’m reminded why I’m doing this. It’s time people take note of the Mancini brothers once again. I deserve to be in the ranks, not hidden away like a dirty secret.