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“It has to be,” Sienna replies, walking to the en-suite.

I stare at her thick ass, her wide sensual hips. She looks over her shoulder, and suddenly, the lust takes second place. First place is her face, the concern in her eyes, the humanity. No artist could capture the conflict in her expression. Except, maybe, Sienna herself.

“I’ll head downstairs,” I say.

She breathes a sigh of relief. “Okay, thank you.”

At the bottom of the stairs, Mother says quietly, “Adrian wants to speak with you in the kitchen. Is Sienna still here? Her paint supplies are in the garden.”

“She’s upstairs.”

“Oh…” My mother has a wicked smile on her face.

“I don’t want to hear any matchmaker nonsense,” I tell her sternly.

“Is something wrong?”

“No–yes. Everything. She doesn’t want me. No, that’s not right. She doesn’t want to want me. But I can’t stop.” My head feels hazy. I’m oversharing. “Forget I said that. I’m going to speak to our consigliere.”

Without waiting for a reply, I head into the kitchen. Adrian is leaning against the counter. “Sup, cousin.” He seems nervous, but he’s trying to hide it.

“All good?”

“Got word from some of my guys. Apparently, Viktor has been buying warehouses through one of his legitimate contacts. I was thinking we should check them out.”

“We… meaning me and you?”

Adrian averts his gaze. “Yeah, why not? If we leave this to the men, they might make a mistake.”

The Don and the consigliere don’t usually handle business like this. This is work for capos and soldiers. Adrian must have another reason for wanting me to come personally. Is he planning a trap? Perhaps this is my chance to test his loyalty.

“Then let’s go,” I tell him. “We’ll take my car.”

Perhaps mafia work will distract me from Sienna, my Vignette, my piccola pittrice.

Unlikely.

ChapterFourteen

Sienna

I walk into the kitchen to find Nico talking quietly with a familiar-looking young man. He wears a shiny silver suit with his hair slicked back.

Nico seems withdrawn, distant. Likely, he doesn’t want this man to know how he feels about me… if he feels anything. “Sienna, I’m sorry, but we have to leave. Business.”

Also known as… mob stuff.

“Our painting session is done for today, anyway,” I say, like it’s no big deal.

“Uh, cousin?” The young man cuts in.

Nico frowns. “Sienna, this is Adrian, my cousin. You’ve met.”

Adrian swaggers over, grinning at me. “Sort of. Nice to meet you… officially. You’re the special lady who put a smile on my cousin’s face at the Vine, if I’m not mistaken?”

“Uh…”

“We’re leaving,” Nico says stiffly, almost dragging Adrian from the room.