Page 39 of Joey

I rest my head on the countertop and sigh. I’m grasping for fucking straws here. My phone vibrates, rattling against the kitchen counter. I see Ash’s name on the screen and answer. “Yeah?”

“I know you asked me to check in on Fred at the warehouse, but I can’t tonight. If it can wait, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Why not tonight?”

“Joey’s going out, so…”

“Right.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. It’s not like her to go out on a Wednesday night. “Where’s she going?”

“On a date.”

White-hot anger sears a hole through the middle of my chest. I take a breath and count to five. “On a what now?”

Ash laughs. “Yeah, I know. Guy must have balls of iron, right? Wouldn’t think that to look at him though.”

My knuckles turn white as I grip the phone so tightly, I almost bend it in fucking half. “Who is she going on a date with?”

“Toby Fiore.”

Toby. Of fucking course it’s him.“And Dante and Lorenzo are okay with this?”

“Yup.” He laughs again.

Kristin stares at me with concern, and I realize I’m scowling.Going on a fucking date.I’ll kill him. Rip his fucking arms off his body and beat him to death with them. And I will spank her bratty ass so hard—

“Maximo?” Ash interrupts my murderous thoughts. “Tomorrow for the warehouse, yeah?”

My jaw ticks. “Yeah.”

“Good.”

“Ifanythinghappens tonight. Anything weird at all. If she even looks the slightest bit uncomfortable or upset or—” I take deep breaths to calm my racing heart. When I get my hands on Joey Moretti, I will remind her exactly who she belongs to. “You call me. Okay?”

“Okay, boss, but…”

“But what?”

“Well, they’re only going to see a movie and then…well, Dante said that if she’s in the Fiore mansion, she’s okay to be left alone, so me and Henry won’t be in there with her.”

My right hand balls into a fist. “He said what?”

“He spoke to Michael Fiore first. Made him aware that Joey would be under his care, you know? That Toby kid would have to have a death wish to try anything stupid.”

I growl. Michael Fiore is a traditional family man, and he’s a loyal employee—who happens to have a healthy fear of his employers. Tobywouldbe a fucking fool to try anything more than a kiss—but don’t all horny twenty-two-year-old fuckwits think with their dicks? Says me, the guy who’s foaming at the mouth just thinking about Joey—a girl I can’t fucking have—going on a date. But what did I expect when I told her there was no future for us? Joey’s not the kind of woman who sits around and waits for life to happen.

“I’ll call you later, Boss.”

“You better,” I snap and end the call. Now all I need is an excuse to go to Michael Fiore’s house later tonight.

ChapterEighteen

JOEY

“You have the most incredible eyes,” Toby says, and that’s when I realize he’s staring into them. Oh, fuck. This is happening. I mean, I wanted it to, right? This is why I went out on a date with him. I know he’s into me. And he’s kinda cute. We got back to his house half an hour ago. His mom and dad hovered around us for a while and reminded Toby we couldn’t go to his bedroom—no doubt a stipulation put forth by my brothers. I was surprised they were cool about me coming to Toby’s house without Ash and Henry, but I guess they know I’m safe here with the Fiores. They have almost as much security as we do. But now Toby and I are alone in the den with the TV on in the background.

“Thank you,” I whisper, shocked by how embarrassed I feel all of a sudden. I wish I wasn’t so inexperienced when it comes to sex. The thought of kissing Toby makes my toes curl in my sneakers, and not in a good way. But it’s just because I’m nervous, right?

Except I’m never nervous around Max. Well, not like this. I’d climb that man like a tree if he gave me the slightest bit of encouragement.