Page 16

I couldn't take my eyes off her. Larissa stood beside me in that midnight blue dress and she was a vision to behold. From the moment we had entered the gala, I had seen heads turn. Women, with envy. Men, with desire.

The fabric clung to those curves I had spent too many nights imagining. That slit, riding up that smooth skin, made me lose myself in a daydream for the briefest second, wondering what it would be like to run my hands up those legs.

We walked through the room, and I waved and nodded at a few people.

Every time I did, I sensed her tension as she moved to adjust her dress or flicked her hair behind her ear.

I could tell she was nervous from her small tells.

Not to mention, her hands were trembling, yet she worked hard to conceal it by clenching them tightly across her clutch.

“Relax,” I whispered, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. “You look like you're about to bolt.”

She turned those aquamarine eyes on me, wide and alert. “I'm not used to... this.” Her gesture encompassed the opulent ballroom, but I knew what she meant was the gathering of the most dangerous people in the city.

“You need a drink.” I caught a passing waiter by the elbow, plucked two flutes of champagne from his tray, and handed one to Larissa. “Liquid courage.”

Her fingers grazed mine as she took the glass, and that small contact sent a current up my arm. At forty-two, I'd thought myself immune to such schoolboy reactions. Apparently not.

“Thank you,” she said, taking a sip. The champagne left a slight glisten on her lower lip that I wanted to taste.

The alterations to her dress had been worth every penny.

What had been merely beautiful in the shop was now devastating—the neckline dipping just low enough to hint at the swell of her breasts, the waist taken in to emphasize the hourglass of her figure.

Her blonde hair fell in loose waves over one shoulder, and the emerald earrings I'd given her that morning caught the light whenever she moved, making her look like some fantasy creature, too exquisite to be real.

“The earrings suit you,” I said, my voice rougher than I'd intended.

A blush colored her cheeks. “They're the most beautiful things I've ever owned. I still can't believe you gave them to me.”

I shrugged, uncomfortable with her gratitude. “Green is your color.”

Her eyes scanned the crowd again, that hopeful expression making my jaw clench. I knew who she was looking for. The very same people I was, only except we both had different intentions.

“Do you see them?” she asked, standing on tiptoe to peer over the crowd.

I placed my hand on the small of her back, steadying her. “Your brothers won't come, Larissa.”

Her face fell. “But, how can you know?”

“We’ve been here for a while, and my men reported that they did some digging. It turns out your brothers canceled at the last moment.”

A look of disappointment fell over her face, and to be honest, I felt it too.

I had planned for tonight weeks in advance.

I had shown up knowing that the Ajellos would be here.

How I longed to see their faces when they realized they had been hunting for their sister high and low, only to learn I had had her the whole time.

How I longed to witness the shock when they discovered she was happy and safe at my side, and would be heading back home with me.

I wanted my revenge. But more than my plans falling apart because of their no-show, I was furious by the disappointment Larissa felt.

A sadness dimmed the light in her eyes, and I felt a twist of something unpleasant in my chest. I didn't want her upset. I hated seeing her upset.

“Come on,” I said, guiding her toward a group of guests, hoping to show her a good time regardless. “I'll introduce you to a few people. We might as well have fun while we’re here.”

She hesitated. “Should I use my real name?”

I smiled at her intelligence. By now, she knew how sheltered her brothers had kept her.

They had never introduced her to other crime families and had kept her identity a secret.

To most of the criminal world, she was just a faceless rumor—the pampered princess of the Ajello crime family. I intended to keep it that way.

“First name only,” I confirmed.

She nodded.

We started making the rounds, and what I hadn't anticipated was how thoroughly she would charm everyone she met.

Within minutes, she had an elderly weapons dealer eating out of her hand, laughing at his war stories and asking him questions that made him puff up with pride.

She conversed in perfect Italian with the head of a smuggling operation, discussed art with his wife, and even managed to elicit a rare smile from my perpetually serious head of security.

“Where did you find her?” a voice murmured at my shoulder. An acquaintance from a long time ago stood by my side.

“It's a long story.” I kept my eyes on Larissa and tried to get him to go away.

“I bet it is,” he sipped his whiskey. “You know who she is?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t offer any more information, for I knew he was digging for it. Bruno was an acquaintance, capable of being either an ally or an enemy. I had never seen his true colors and didn’t trust him with Larissa’s name.

He frowned when he noted the cold shoulder I gave him, and with one last lingering look at Larissa, walked away. I then felt the tension ease from my shoulders.

But… I wondered, would Bruno try to pry into her background? Was his interest in her dangerous for Larissa?

I was so lost in thought with my paranoia that I almost missed it when Diego Abate, the young, ambitious head of one of our allied families, approached Larissa. His hand touched her elbow, his body leaning in too close as he whispered something that made her laugh.

Heat flared in my chest, spreading outward until my fingertips tingled with it. I knew that look in Abate's eyes. I'd worn it myself often enough around a pretty young thing in my younger years. To see him deliver that look on her had my blood boiling hot.

Larissa smiled up at him, twirling a strand of hair around one finger.

Her body language was open and inviting.

She had no idea who she was flirting with, and I wondered if she even realized she was flirting.

She was just so nice— too nice. Diego, however, would perceive it as more than just her being nice.

I was over by her side before I consciously decided to move.

“Diego,” I said, sliding a possessive arm around Larissa's waist. “I see you've met my date .”

I watched Larissa’s head whip in my direction, surprise etched on her face.

Abate's eyes flicked between us. “She's delightful, Lebedev. You've been holding out on us.”

“I don't share what's mine.” The words came out like ice. Abate raised a single eyebrow, entertained, I was sure by my display of jealousy.

Larissa stiffened beside me. “I need some air,” she said, pulling away from my grasp.

“Feisty,” Abate commented, watching her retreat with a smirk.

I brushed past him and followed Larissa out. She weaved through the crowd, her back straight and head held high. She moved so quickly, so swiftly, that I knew anger was what urged her on.

I followed Larissa onto the terrace, where she stood gripping the stone balustrade, her back to me. She heard me behind her, for she turned to face me with fire in her eyes.

“What was that about?” she demanded, crossing her arms in front of her.

“What was what about?”

She scoffed and narrowed her eyes with disbelief. “That caveman display. I don't share what's mine? I'm not yours, Gio. And we are not on a date!”

God, she was even more beautiful when she was furious.

“Abate isn't someone you want to encourage,” I tried to say placatingly.

“We were just talking! Having fun! I wasn’t encouraging anyone!”

“He wasn't looking at you like he wanted to talk.” I stepped closer. She scoffed, and for some reason, that pissed me off. Couldn’t she understand I wasn’t the type of man to get worried over nothing?

I raised my voice, and before I could think, I said something I shouldn’t have: “He was looking at you as if he wanted to bend you over the nearest surface.”

She reddened in the face, shocked by what I’d said. “How dare you? I was just having some harmless fun. We’re at a party, for god’s sake. Are you even listening to yourself?”

A growl built in my throat. Harmless fun? For some reason, those two words jarred at my consciousness. “What else for you is harmless fun?” I spat out. “Was kissing me also harmless fun?”

The question hung between us, and for once, she had no instant answer.

Her eyes widened, caught off guard by the change in direction. “I... That's not...”

“Because it wasn't harmless for me.” I moved closer, backing her against the balustrade. “It wasn't fun, either. It was torture.”

I didn’t know what it was, the heat of the moment or the pure jealousy and anger coursing through me, but in that moment, I needed to know. I needed her to know.

Her breath hitched. “Gio—”

“Torture,” I continued, “because I've thought about nothing else since. Because I want to do it again, and more. Because when I see you look at another man, I want to tear his eyes out.”

“That's not fair,” she whispered.

“No,” I agreed. “It's not. None of this is fair. You're twenty-five. You're an Ajello. You're everything I should stay away from.”

“Then why don't you?” Her chin tilted up, defiant.

“I've tried. But I need you to tell me the same, Larissa. That this is the worst idea you’ve ever heard of, and I’ll back off. I need to hear it from your lips.”

“Gio…” her eyelashes flickered against her cheeks nervously as she parted her lips, finding words. “I can’t…”

And that was it. My heart soared as I watched her face break out into a smile. “I can’t say that. I can’t,” she repeated as she interlaced her fingers through mine.