Page 11 of Ruined Vows (Borrelli Mafia #5)

I see the glint in David’s eye as it clicks. “Ingenious,” he mutters.

“I thought so. I mean, she likes fashion. High-end. Runway. I’ve commissioned a full line of custom-made products. Gowns. Heels and fabrics she can’t walk away from. I want to watch her try to pretend she doesn’t like fashion. And, I want her to impress me with what she wears.”

David whistles low. “Alright, that’s terrifying. What else?”

“She likes to volunteer. Like— a lot. Children, animals. Hell, she’s probably ridden on a whaler to save the whales.

I’ll surprise her at the animal shelter.

She has an adoption day event coming up.

I will make a noteworthy and anonymous donation in her name.

” I say quietly. “She loves to help others. It’s like she’s on a mission to share her light with the world.

I’ve already doubled the funding for the children’s center she loves. ”

David’s brows rise. “You’re an evil genius. That’s… sentimental. ”

“That’s warfare, ” I smirk.

I take a long drink of water, thinking of her soft lips on mine, and how her green eyes light up when she smiles. I doubt anyone has noticed how her voice dips when she’s trying not to show she’s flustered when caught off guard.

Touching her sent a jolt through me, like a meteor that hit without a warning. It knocked the air out of my lungs. I kissed her to make her want me.

And she did, but I ended up with lust and desire I didn’t expect. And I walked away with a painful lesson. And that is that I’m on a slippery slope.

I’ll blow the entire plan if I lose control.

He whistles again. “Next?”

“I’m not sure—perhaps a charity event where she won’t see me coming. I’ll watch her from across the room. Women appreciate men who can express emotion and take a stand, y’know? I want to make her feel seen without touching her. I’m going to let her chase me .”

David laughs. “Playing hard to get now?”

“No. I’m playing her.”

He grins. “Sounds good. What else?”

“Nothing’s final yet,” I say, setting the bottle down. “I have to roll with the punches. But I’m thinking of an extravagant extended weekend in a foreign country. I’m not sure where just yet. It’ll be whatever breaks her.”

He snickers. “Breaks her into you? You mean?”

I look at him. My great eyes are hard as steel. “No. Breaks her open . So there’s no going back. I want her wet for me, and flustered. I want her to think of me all the time. I’ll be close but out of reach. Nothing frustrates a woman more than an interested man who still hasn’t capitulated.”

David lets that hang in the air. Then he claps a hand to my shoulder.

“You’re not even pretending this is about strategy anymore.”

I give him a slow, cold smile. And that’s when I have an epiphany.

“It never was.”

David tidies up the work station and heads toward the door.

“If you need anything, call me,” he says. “And try not to get your heart broken. You’re a lot of things, Vukan—but emotionally stable isn’t one of them.”

“Fuck off.”

He grins. “You’d miss me.”

“I wouldn’t.”

He leaves anyway.

And just like that, the silence in the training room swells like high tide. No footsteps. No movement. Just me, the slow tick of a clock two rooms over, and her kiss still burning on my mouth.

I don’t sit. I pace. Because standing still means overthinking. And when I overthink, it’s not about war, traitors, or my next deal. It’s about her .

She wore the gym like a weapon—it clung to her like an invitation whenever she moved.

I didn’t even touch her face in the ring. I just pinned her against the ropes, and let her hit me, let her think she was winning—and then I leaned in like I was going to whisper something cruel. But I was quiet. When I pulled away, she was perplexed. I threw her off her game.

And when I kissed her?

I tasted her .

At first, her lips were soft and defiant, and when they parted, it was as if she was about to protest. But she never got the chance. She didn’t pull away. No, she submitted. Her sweetness, her surrender. And it was the sweetest victory I’ve ever experienced. And it’s only the beginning.

She only pulled away when her breathing hitched and her fingers curled against my shirt like she wanted to claw her way inside.

And now? Now I can’t think about anything else.

I swear I still smell her on my face—ripe apples and something warmer, richer like summer and sin mixed in an elixir. I’d happily drink it, but I’d rather bury my head between her legs and drink her essence.

I’m excited at the thought of her, and how it will feel to have her warm body against mine again.

I can’t think of anything I should do because Bianca consumes me. She has my undivided attention.

Not Radovan.

Not the death of my brother, Milo?.

Not the way my entire house of men is barely standing.

Just her .

Her eyes.

Her mouth.

Her body.

And the way she’d look with nothing but Lycra worn like a second skin on her hips and my name on her tongue.

I close my eyes, lean on the table’s edge, and inhale deeply. I’m so hard I can’t walk. I can barely stand.

Bianca Borrelli will be the end of me.

And if that’s how it’s going to be, I’ll go willingly.