“I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lock the door so we can talk.”
“It’s been a crazy night.” She blew out an audible stream of air, and her shoulders hunched over. “Can’t we table this conversation until tomorrow?”
“Jesus, do you have to be so argumentative? Lock the fucking door.”
“This is a really bad idea.” Her hand fumbled behind her back. “No one found out about you being here the other night, but they’re suspicious now. They’ll be watching more closely.”
When the lock clicked, I said, “I knew they’d be waiting for you, and I didn’t want anything to happen to you.”
“They wouldn’t hurt me.”
“What about Gian?” I worried about my sister being with a hard ass like Gian. Even supposing he wasn’t a sadistic son of a bitch like my father or Nico DeAngelo, my sister was soft and artsy. She loved acting and dancing, and she lived her life with her head stuck in the clouds. Gian ruled the men under him with an iron fist. I’d slit his throat if he broke Evie’s spirit.
Carmela studied me for a moment, her teeth worrying her lower lip. “Gian’s protective of the people he loves, including your sister. You don’t have to worry about him with her, you know. He would never hurt her or me. You’ve never come right out and asked about him, but I think you might be curious. You miss her, don’t you?”
Her proclamation hung in the air, baiting me. I refused to bite. I couldn’t talk about my sister with her. Evie’s absence in my life felt too raw. The state of our relationship made a mockery out of all of the days we spent catching up after I got home from New York every summer. We’d get lost in the cornfields neighboring our property, eating raw corn until our stomachs ached, and making promises to always be close. It didn’t look like that was in the cards anymore.
“What’d they say?” I asked, changing the subject, hating the choppiness in my voice.
“Nothing important. They’re worried about me.”
“That’s it?”
She padded across the patterned carpet floor and sprawled out on her bed. She closed her eyes, leaving a soft, relaxed look on her face. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m exhausted. I don’t think we got more than three hours of sleep last night. You should go home. You have to be exhausted too.”
“They want you to stay away from me.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah.” Her eyelids cracked open. “My brother has someone tailing me, so he knows we’ve been meeting up. Obviously, he doesn’t approve. He said he’d support my decision not to marry Nico if I stayed away from you.”
“I’m not surprised he’s keeping tabs on you,” I answered. I couldn’t blame Gian for wanting her to stay away from me. It showed he cared about her. I respected that.
“What are we going to do?”
I crossed the room, removed her shoes, and rubbed the arches of each foot. “We’re going to go to bed. Get some rest, and we’ll figure out a plan later.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
She propped herself up on her elbows, and her dark wavy hair looked like an inky waterfall next to the moonlit white duvet. “Don’t you think that’s risky?”
“I don’t care.” I shimmied her fitted black pants down her legs, and she pulled her shirt over her head and unclasped her bra. A pang shot through me as I took in the image in front of me. Her golden eyes glowed in the dim light. Her nipples were dark pink and hard, her skin like silk. Her curves made my mouth water and my dick come to attention. I never understood how Laney could crave drugs enough to ruin her life. Looking at Carmela, I finally identified with the freedom in losing control because I was damn close to jumping into the abyss with her. Nothing good would come of my growing attachment, and despite knowing this deep in the recesses of my soul, I couldn’t stop myself from reaching for her time and time again.
I tossed my keys and wallet on her dresser and climbed on the bed. I hovered above her, trying to decide what I wanted to do first. There were so many options. So many things left to explore. So many things to check off my list before I had to hand her over to that asshole Nico forever.
Holding her jaw in one hand, I pressed my mouth against hers. Her tongue dove through my lips, swirling, tasting, and setting my cock on fire.
“What about your clothes?” she asked, her lips still against mine, her voice breathy, and her body vibrating with unconcealed desire.
I came to my knees and grabbed the hem of my t-shirt, yanking it over my head. I unbuckled my pants and pushed them down my hips. I could get used to having this woman next to me every night.