Page 6 of Dark Desires

My last name is Mancini.

My bloodline writes the rules in this city.

And right now, I’m breaking every one of them.

If my father knew, he’d put a bullet between this man’s eyes—no questions, no hesitation.

But right now?

I’ve never felt more alive.

Every instinct screams: run.

But tonight, danger doesn’t just tempt me.

It’s wrapped in a Russian accent and looking at me like I’m already his.

It wears a tailored suit and smells like sin.

CHAPTER 2

ISABELLA

Penthouse: 1.

Common sense: 0.

The elevator dings; the doors part and we step into his world.

“Here we are,” he says.

“Straight into the lion’s den?” I quip.

He lets out a low chuckle and lays a hand on the small of my back, guiding me out with a gentle, proprietary pressure. It’s absurd—I've known him for twenty minutes and his touch already has a direct line to my spine. A slow shiver works its way down me, hot and stupid and completely unhelpful.

The apartment is ridiculous in all the right ways: wide-open, glass walls drinking up the city’s lights, marble and shadow and the kind of furniture that doesn’t ask questions.

Who the hell is this man?

“Come.”

Seeming to sense how stunned I am, he takes my hand and leads me into the kitchen. It’s a sleek expanse of granite and stainless steel. He pulls out a chair from the kitchen island bar and gestures for me to sit. I do.

“This is quite a place.”

He chuckles as he takes a glass from one of the cupboards and fills it up at the sink.

“Let’s just say I’ve got plenty of family in town, so it’s nice to have a little refuge from all the insanity of that.”

As he fills the glass, I notice more hints of tattoos peeking out from under his collar and the sleeves of his shirt. Pieces are starting to come together in my head.

He turns, and I yank my gaze from his tattoos. But the smirk on his face suggests he can tell I’ve seen them.

“Here. Drink this.”

He hands me the glass and I take it. The water hits just right, perfectly cool. I feel the last traces of booze fade away, replaced by a mental clarity, my nerves settling, my energy restored.

And all I can think about is how much I want this man.