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“This was Caterina’s favorite,” I say, the truth flowing from me far too easily. “Whenever she had a bad day as a kid, this is what she’d ask for.”
“Did you make it?”
I shrug. “Sometimes. Sometimes it was the cook or my mom. But this one always reminds me of her.”
Roisin takes a bite, the noodles expertly twirled on her fork. She shuts her eyes, moaning in a way that makes my blood rush right to my cock again.
Focus, De Luca.
“Caterina was a cute kid. Cute baby.”
“She’s five years younger than you?” Roisin asks.
I nod.
Her nose wrinkles. “That puts you at a near decade older than me.”
“What can I say,” I wink at her. “You’re mature for your age?”
She snorts. “You can say that again, I suppose.”
“I know you had to grow up too fast, Roisin. I’d change all ofthat if I could,” I say. My voice has dropped an octave, fury deepening it.
She pauses, her green eyes searching my face. “You would, wouldn’t you?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t?”
Roisin shrugs. “I do think you would, Marco. That’s the interesting part. Lots of people would make empty threats?—”
“Not people worth their fucking salt,” I rasp.
She huffs a laugh. “Even in the world we live in, people make empty threats.”
“I take all threats seriously, Roisin. The ones that I make, and the ones made against me and the people I care for.”
Her green eyes narrow. “And where do I stand in that?”
Something in her voice stops me from telling her exactly where she ranks.
“Eat your pasta,” I smile instead, spinning some up for myself as well.
Roisin’s eyebrows raise, but she does as I ask.
The fact that she’s always so willing to follow my commands, despite the fact it’s not in her nature to blindly follow an order, gives me a thrill.
Roisin trusts me.
I deeply want to know how much she’s willing to listen to.
If I command her to crawl across the floor to me, to suck onmy…”
“You know, this place is nice,” she cuts off my train of thought.
I nod, looking around. “It’s very secluded.”
“Hence why I thought you’d try to murder me.”
I laugh. “Never, Roisin.”