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“Do you even have to ask after our date?”

Roman’s laugh is loud and honest. “Nope. Best date I’ve ever had.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Mm-hmm. And your friend, is she…?”

“She’s okay. She’s recovering from his attack, and she’s in a new apartment with a live-in security guard until she feels safe.”

“Look at you.” Roman pulls me to a gentle stop underneath a wooden trellis covered in winding honeysuckle and various other plants that rest softly under the stars. “You’re taking care of everyone.”

“Hardly.” The sweet floral scents tickle my nose, but it quickly becomes an afterthought as Roman very slowly presses me up against the trellis with his eyes locked onto mine.

“You’re marrying me to keep your family safe, you’re helping your father, appeasing your mother, taking care of your best friend.” He lists each thing in a slow, buttery tone that sends warm tingles up and down my arms and legs. Staring up into his gorgeous butterscotch eyes, my heart starts to race.

“It’s what anyone would do,” I reply softly, briefly glancing down at his full, soft lips.

“Is it?” His voice drops an octave lower. “You’ve seen my family. Not a good word shared between them.”

“Well, you’re soon to be part of my family so…so…” Roman leans in closer and closer with each word I speak, and thoughts fade from my mind. My point is lost to the eager racing of my heart. I grip onto the trellis behind me with one hand, rough wood digging into my palm while my other hand lightly grabs his silk tie.

“Your family are so…?” he asks.

Nose to nose, I can’t think of anything else to say. I blink slowly, and his eyes turn into pots of deep honey that I’m losing myself in. Warmth radiates from his thick torso even through his suit, and my mouth runs dry. “I um…I forget.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he says in a whisper, his lips so close that they lightly brush mine as he speaks. “But I do have one question.”

“Mm-hmm?” I nod, feeling slightly dazed as the anticipation for a kiss rises, but he refuses to commit.

“Who takes care of the girl who takes care of everyone else?”

I need an answer. Something honest and sweet, but only one reply enters my mind. “My vibrator.”

Roman bursts out laughing, slides one strong arm around my waist, and kisses me deeply with a smile that melts against mine. He kisses me like I’m the most important thing in the world and holds me against his body like he never wants to let me go. His cuddles are so tight that it’s like he’s trying to compact me into him, and I love it in a way I have no idea how to explain.

And the true answer to his question? Only one person has ever taken care of me.

A sexy masked man with gorgeous ink on his arms.

Who just so happens to be my fiancé.

My dislike for Roman as a Gatti vanishes into the night, leaving only an aching yearning in my chest.

And I like it.

22

ROMAN

“Roman? Where the hell are you?” My father’s voice rises like the bark of a dog from the speaker phone on my desk. “You were supposed to meet with Alto about the Yakuza, and I find out that not only were you a no-show, but the Yakuza bastard Alto was supposed to meet didn’t turn up either?”

I’m half listening as a message pops up from Jasmine asking if she can come and see me. I text her the address of my current residence—my city apartment—and tell her to drop by whenever she has time. Then I set my phone down and stare blankly at the speakerphone.

“Well?” Santino demands. “The fuck is going on?”

It’s difficult to mask my sigh, but I manage it with a cough. “I’m staying in the city, remember? It’s August, and what always happens in August?”

Santino grumbles slightly. “Casino changeover.”