Page 6 of Always Mine

“So what? No time for a girlfriend or do you prefer to have a few on the hop for variety?” she teases.

“Hmmmm, more like I’m waiting for the right one. Timing is everything.”

“Ha! Timing. That old chestnut, right…”

“You’ll be home in six months.”

The reminder hangs between us. Heavy. Heady.

She shakes her head, like she’s trying to clear her thoughts.

“Oooh, I love this song!” she says, shimmying in her seat in time to the beat.

Standing I extend my arm towards her. “Dance with me.”

She looks at it. Hesitant. Then she lifts her gaze and gives me a coy smile before taking my hand and letting me pull her up to standing. I spin her around playfully, and she laughs as I drag her back to me before settling my hands on her hips. Hers automatically go around my neck. The room feels like it gets smaller as we move to the music and the tension grows, crackling like a live wire.

“Marco, I have a boyfriend,” she whispers, but it lacks conviction.

“That’s funny, ’cause I don’t see him.”

I inch my face closer to hers, letting my hands roam over her hips and dipping my fingertips beneath the low-cut back of her dress, grazing the top of her ass. She shivers at my touch, but she doesn’t try to pull away, her body at odds with her words.

“I promise you this, Sophia Rose Princi. If you were my girlfriend, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight—especially in this sexy fucking dress—and the only place I’d want to be is right by your side.”

“Marco. You can’t say things like that.”

“I can and I will.”

Without warning, I cup the side of her face and crash my lips to hers, kissing her hard. She hums softly and parts her lips, angling slightly so our tongues can glide together. Tangling feverishly and unrepentant.

“Fuck!” She pulls away and puts space between us. “I have a boyfriend. I-I-I…must get back to Stella and Evie.”

She turns to leave, but I need her to understand it will be for the last time.

“You’ve got six months to get rid of him. I’ll let you leave this time. Even the score. But believe me when I say the next time you leave, you leave with me.”

She hurries out without so much as a backwards glance and a part of me wonders if I’m too fucking late.

Year In Review: The New Year’s Eve Edition

Well, well, well. Look who’s back in town…

It’s been a big year in the Big Apple, andShhh Don’t Tell Daddyhas been here for it all.

As we close out the year, we look back at the now famous love matches made in A-list heaven and the infamous torrid affairs that have broken hearts, homes and careers. It would be remiss of us not to predict what the future holds as we welcome a (very beautiful and eligible) face back into New York society.

Tonight, the Princi Family will hold their exclusive, invite-only New Year’s Eve event. Rumor has it, the event is pegged to be extra-special now that daddy’s little girl, Sophia Princi, is back in the Big Apple for good. Having graduated from Harvard Law School with honors, Sophia is set to join the family law firm, and you can bet the eligible bachelor sons of law patriarchs will be vying for her heart. The list reads like a who’s who: Arthur “Arty” Bartholomew Jones, Callum Silver, Roger Ramos, and Henry Bernstein to name a few.

Fair warning boys, do your research and ensure your case is watertight because this pretty litigator doesn’t suffer fools. She’sas fierce as the spiky designer stilettos she favors, so we predict you’ll have your work cut out for you.

Who will be first to win Sophia Rose Princi’s heart?

The jury’s out.

Watch this space, and don’t forget to check your inboxes again tomorrow morning.

Nothing beats ringing in the new year with a fresh sprinkling of gossip.