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Losing the club would make it a challenge to achieve our six-month plan to position him as boss. But I was wavering about what to do next because I was determined to keep Bianca.

A significant part of me still maintained this: The De Luccis wouldn’t risk Bianca with a big move like this. That they trusted me enough to keep her safe even when I cut off all communication. But I couldn’t be everywhere while I ran the family, and that was why I had Sticks on this property. Someone who was loyal only to me and who couldn’t be corrupted by money and influenced by mafia politics.

“This is a mere setback. We should get rid of our toxic assets first and rebuild from there.” I leaned back in my chair. “Now, where are we with the cocaine?”

Tommy’s mouth flattened, and he regarded me as if he wanted to talk about the fire some more, but thought better of it. His shoulders sagged in resignation. “The Toronto Albanians contacted me. They’re willing to take it off our hands for what we paid.”

I tried not to smile. Luca came through, after all. According to Luca, the relationship between the Toronto Albanians and their New York counterpart was on shaky ground and it was the perfect opportunity for a power play. New York didn’t want our cocaine? Then fuck them.

It was four thirty when I snuck into the bathroom of our bedroom. I’d been sitting in soot and the smell of smoke for half the night; washing all the grit away lifted some of the weight off my shoulders. I decided to just wear shorts when I slipped into bed with Bianca.

She immediately rolled into my arms. “All done?”

“Yeah.”

“You smell good.” She rubbed her nose against my chest.

“You should have joined me in the shower.” So much for sleep, I was getting hard. I purposely stayed out late to reduce our time in bed. And I refused to sleep elsewhere. Taking care of Rossi business was a perfect excuse. But each night, she seemed to trust me more and started rolling into me when I slipped in beside her. I had brushed her full tits, gripped her tiny waist, and had my hands all over her generous hips and ass. Fuck. Forget getting hard. I was fully erect.

She gave a small laugh. “We haven’t even had sex yet.”

“Oh, is that the order of things?”

“Hmmm.”

“Why aren’t you asleep?”

“I’m sorry about the club.”

“I don’t want you thinking it’s your fault.”

She didn’t answer for a while and I thought she had fallen asleep. Then her fingers drew circles over my chest. “I don’t want you to go shooting people simply because they insulted me or looked at me wrong.”

“I wasn’t going to shoot Raffa,” I admitted.

“Then—”

“I was going to give him a warning. You probably shouldn’t have challenged him earlier.”

Her fingers stopped circling. “I’m sorry.”

She was silent for a few beats before saying, “What is this about producing a Rossi heir?”

I stiffened. At the beginning of all this, the thought of consummating the marriage was not even part of my plan. That changed rapidly the second I made Bianca my wife, and I wanted a taste. But I was also a coward, because I knew once I had a taste, I would never let her go. Boy, was I wrong. I didn’t even have a taste, and I decided to keep her. I was jealous as fuck of Miller, and I wanted to rip off the head of any man who even looked at her with lust or stars in their eyes. It reminded me of the time after I watched Bianca in that fashion show. I returned to Club Aristos and destroyed my office.

But I would never, ever become my father. I would never force myself on a woman. I would never force a woman to have my child. Bianca only knew that my father had an affair with my biological mother and she died during childbirth. Raffa and Wilma were the only ones alive who knew the whole sordid truth of how I came into existence.

A product of an atrocity.

Raffa wanted to prove I was my father’s son.

“Sandro?” Bianca’s voice was tentative. “What’s wrong?”

I blinked back my dark thoughts. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about that part of my life yet. She would recoil. Bedisgusted. “The reason Raffa wanted me to keep you from your family for three weeks was because he thought I could get you pregnant by then.”

“What?” She pushed up on an elbow. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”

I raised a brow. “Are you going to have sex with me to fulfill that request?”