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“Shh!” Dom whispered back even harsher while he dragged her down the hall back to her place. “Okay, maybe I should have given you a heads-up that her cooking is worse than DeeDee’s, but I knew if I told you that, you wouldn’t have fucking come!”

“Why did you want me there?” Maria stuck out her tongue and tried to wipe the taste out of her mouth with her hand. “To violate my fucking mouth?”

“No, princess.” Dom laughed before his tone went serious as they reached her place. “It would have felt wrong to be there without you.”

Oh gosh, here we go again, Dominic saying the right fucking thing!

“Next time you want to have dinner with Kat and Drago”—Maria reached up, lightly grabbing his chin like she had last night in the casino—“I’m catering, or you tell her I’m dead.” She placed a light kiss on his lips.

Dominic gave her another kiss, revealing his dimples that she loved to see. “All right.”

Opening the door to her apartment, Maria gave him one last kiss. “Goodnight, Dominic.”

“That’s it?” he asked, confused. “You’re not going to try to scheme your way into getting me in your apartment and then into fucking you?”

Wow, if she didn’t know better, she would think he might be a little bit offended.

Maria shook her head with a slow smile. “Nope.”

“Really?” he asked, now clearly offended.

“Why?” Maria raised a perfect brow. “Would it work?”

“N-No.” Dom ran a quick hand through his hair, seeming to be the one who was sexually frustrated tonight. “It’s just unlike you.” Putting a hand back to her cheek, he felt to see if she was warm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes,” she assured him but tried her best to give a good yawn. “I’m still sleepy after last night.”

Dominic didn’t look like he’d give her an Academy Award anytime soon, but he thankfully didn’t question her. “All right. Goodnight, Maria.” Leaning down, Dom placed her a tender kiss on her cheek before his lips went to her ear to remind her of something he never wanted her to forget. “I love you, Maria.”

Swallowing, the tightness that had been in her chest went to her throat. “Goodnight.”

Why did it hurt so fucking badly that she couldn’t tell him those three words back? And it only made her hurt worse to have to shut the door on him when she wanted nothing more than to have Dominic spend the night with her.

But there was someone Maria needed to see ….

Knocking on the door, she waited for permission to enter, instead of just entering like she used to.

“Come in.”

Hearing the dark voice, she slowly opened the door. It felt like forever since she had come in this room, and it felt even longer since she’d last spoken to the man behind the desk.

In the middle of lighting his cigarette, he did a double-take, seeing it was her before Lucca leaned back in his leather chair. “Long time, no see.”

Maria took a seat down in front of him. She had avoided her brother since the last time they had spoken. Even before he murdered Kayne, they weren’t in good standing, because he had yet to find One-Shot, the man who had taken their baby brother’s eye.

“I didn’t come to apologize,” she let him know off the bat.

Lucca blew out a puff of smoke. “I didn’t think you did.”

“I’m here because … Dominic asked me to marry him,” she said the words way easier to Lucca than Angel, but it was clear by his lack of response that he already knew. “Not surprised?”

“No,” he told her honestly. “But you didn’t come here for my blessing”—leaning forward, his blue-green eyes glowed—“so why are you really here, Maria?”

Taking a deep breath, Maria wasn’t sure if she could get the words to come out of her mouth, until they did.

“How are you with her?” she whispered heartbrokenly into his eyes. “How do you allow yourself to even be with Chloe with what you are?” Not only did Maria’s eyes trail down to the floor, but so did her fallen voice. “How am I …?”

Lucca understood what she was asking, having already gone through the same feelings when he had chosen the beautifully scarred Chloe. It hurt for something so evil to touch something so pure, and it was the only time they could feel pain.

“Maria, you will never deserve Dominic. Just how I will never deserve Chloe,” he said the words just as unsympathetically as she had, but neither of them meant any ill will. “But we will spend the rest of our lives trying.” The look he gave her was one of sympathy, as he left his sister to his office to think and to be alone.

“What do you get out of me marrying Dominic?” Maria asked without turning away from the sparkling city.