Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 73655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
"Are you sure, little dancer?" he continues to tease, the tip of his tongue tasting me, licking a white-hot path down my neck, before he sucks the flesh hard, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin sending more goose bumps skittering over me.
"Enzo," I bite out, my tone more confident, his name a warning on my tongue, and for a long while, he stays silent, then a low, rumbling chuckle vibrates through his chest, causing my nipples to harden against the tight top I'm wearing.
Enzo pushes away from me. The wolfish grin still there making my heart skip a beat when I take in just how handsome he is. "Someone killed my father's lawyer," he tells me suddenly, shocking me because I didn't expect him to admit something about his job to me.
"What?" My mouth falls open and I follow Enzo to the living room where he and Mario settle on the sofas. Both men still dirty. Their expressions cast with vengeance, and I have a feeling this has to do with my uncle. "Do you think it was Tommaso?"
Mario's gaze snaps to Enzo's, while my fiancé looks away and realization hits me right in the chest. The silence is deafening, but they don't have to tell me what I already know—my uncle is dead.
"I don't need protecting," I tell Enzo, hoping he'll just give me the honesty I need. It's the least he could do now that I have nobody.
Tears burn my lashes. I fight them, I don't want him to see me cry. My strength has always been my saving grace. It's what my parents taught me, mostly my father since he had been there longer than mom. But it was the one thing I learned from an early age.
"You're the fiancée of a Boss," Mario interjects. "Of course you need protecting." He pauses for a long while before continuing. "You are about to become a De Rossi, and when that happens, you'll be a target for a lot of bad people."
"I've been a target for bad people all my life," I throw back easily. It's as if he's forgotten who I am. A mafia fucking princess. "My father was also a Boss, he knew this life better than anyone, so don't tell me what I am."
"Enough," Enzo's voice booms in the space, filling it up with his presence, and both Mario and I seem to shrink away. Those dark eyes pin me to the spot where I'm trying not to shy away from the force of Enzo. "You are going to be my wife, whether we like it or not." There's no longer a smirk on those perfect lips. "And when my men are there to protect you, it's because I put them there. Yes, you may come from this life, but you are still a woman. My woman. Am I clear?"
"I didn't think you'd protect someone you hate so much," I throw out, deep down wanting him to refuse that he hates me. I want him to feel something other than hate, and anger for me.
My chest tightens when he doesn't respond immediately, and I'm certain he's about to tell me he is only doing this because of his dad. "There is a fine line, little dancer," he speaks. "A very fine line."
"What?" I spit. "Between love and hate?" I sing song the words.
But my heart leaps into my throat when he says, "Between hate and obsession. And you are a fucking distraction," he admits, before his gaze flicks to Mario and then back to me. "I don't like being distracted."
"Then send me away." Even as I say it, I know I'm lying to him. I wonder if he can see it. If he can read through my facade and see just how much I don't want to leave. It makes no sense. Perhaps it's because I'm alone now. No parents, no uncle. It's just me against this life, against this world.
The corner of Enzo's mouth tilts slightly. Just a small bit which nobody would notice if they didn't know him. But I do. Now I do. And then he gifts me an answer that has my body turning rigid with shock. "Your name is signed in blood alongside mine, little dancer. The only way you'll ever escape me is in death."
Chapter 17
Enzo
Glancing at the clock, I watch the minutes tick by as the red numbers tell me it's almost three in the morning. Darkness grips the apartment in its hold, as I paw through the paperwork Romano had in his office. Mario and I emptied out what we thought was important. Now, I have to wade through information before this evening's festivities.
I've been in two minds, wanting to take Luna with me, to show her what my life entails since she's so adamant to be a part of it. But I also want to show her who I really am. She's only seen me at home, and I know being cooped up in this apartment may be making her crazy.