Kon (Trassato Crime Family Book 2)(29)

I sensed he expected me to lie, which could only mean he already knew about Nico. Rather than prodding me, he remained silent, scrutinizing my every blink, twitch, and inhalation. Although he hadn’t made any move to get closer to me, I felt the heat of his nearness.

I drew in an abbreviated breath and glanced to the side. Moonlight mottled the far wall, submerging the room in a silvery blue light. “You already know the answer, don’t you? How’d you find out?”

“It’s not a secret. I was probably the last person to find out.”

“You and me both,” I mumbled.

He framed my face with his hands, forcing me to meet his stare. The warmth of his calloused fingertips made my breath hitch. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Evie asked me about it after you left the coffee shop. That was the first time I heard anything about the party or the plan to announce our engagement.” His eyes narrowed and I curled my fingers around his forearm, needing him to believe me. I didn’t want to examine why I cared so much. It would be better if this whole thing exploded right now, and I let the chips fall where they may. “I can tell you don’t believe me, but it’s the truth.”

“Are you engaged or not, Carmela? It’s not a trick question.” His hands skimmed down my face to the tops of my shoulders. His fingers slipped under the razor-thin strap of my camisole.

“Not really. Not officially anyway. Like I said, Nico never even proposed.” Kon leaned back, and I swayed toward him a fraction of an inch like a hidden string linked us together. “Everyone expects it to happen at some point. Nico and I talked about it last week. It’s what he wants. I told him I wasn’t ready to commit to anything.”

“So you lied when you agreed to an engagement with me to help Gian and Evie.” He pursed his lips and scooted away from me. “You lied again when you agreed to work with me to find a way out of it.”

“No.” I tugged on his light blue tie, trying to pull him closer again. “The thing with Nico happened after I made the deal with your dad, and now…I don’t know. I’m confused. I’ve never gone against my family and I’m scared.”

I didn’t know what I’d do if my family pushed me out of their lives. It happened to Nico’s sister and it could happen to me. My whole world could change with a snap of Dominick’s fingers. I’d lose my brother, my best friend, and my mom. I wouldn’t have anything except my little online interior design business. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure I could live with the fallout when I had already lost so much.

“I didn’t ask you to abandon your family. You can marry Nico after I get him to agree to some concessions.”

“Even if I go through with the engagement party, we can still make this work.”

“This isn’t a fucking game, Carmela. We made a deal. We had a plan. You need to stick to the script or I can’t protect you. My father isn’t called Bloody Alix without reason. He’s not forgiving. He can be a sadistic bastard, and that’s the polite way of describing him.”

A shiver flitted down my spine and I wrapped my arms around my torso. “What about you? Are you forgiving? Are you my enemy? Evie said you weren’t always like this. According to her, you two used to be close and you were,” I cleared my throat, “her favorite person in the world. What happened?”

He cupped my chin hard enough to get my undivided attention without hurting me. His eyes were bluer than ever. The angles of his face appeared sharper and stonier than seconds earlier. His lips looked fuller and more tempting than I remembered and they were mere inches from mine.

“I don’t want to talk about my sister. Ever. Not with you or anyone else for that matter. You got it? I agreed to this sham with you so she could get what she wanted. You did the same thing for your brother, and yet you won’t find me questioning your relationship with him.”

Guilt hit me like a punch to the gut. In a roundabout way, he helped his sister not only by breaking up her engagement with her cheating ex, but also by agreeing to explore something with me. I shouldn’t judge him or his methods. It wasn’t fair. God knew, I’d done plenty of things I regretted, particularly when it came to Rocco. I didn’t tell him I loved him when it counted the most. In fact, I outright said I hated him and I didn’t want to marry him.

“Yeah. You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t make any assumptions. It doesn’t concern me.”

His face softened and the corners of his mouth twitched. On impulse, I inched closer to him, intending to kiss his cheek. At the last moment, he moved his head and my lips brushed across his.