Page 39 of The Bonventi War

Shit, what the hell did we just do?

Now that it's over, a ton of mixed thoughts enter my mind.

Here I thought I hated this guy, so why was that the best sex I’ve ever had? And why do I want more of it?

"Fuck," I say because, yeah.

Gio looks at me. "Uh, yeah, some would call what we just did that."

I sit up and look at him. "Ha, ha. Funny."

Gio sits up as well and shrugs. "Well, you said it."

I shake my head. "No. Yes, I mean—dammit," I say and cover my face with my hands. Gio reaches over and pulls them down.

"What's wrong?"

I motion between us. "This. I don't know. All of this."

"What about this?"

"Really? You're going to act like this doesn't complicate things?"

Gio laughs. "You wanted it just as bad as I did. I don't know how we got here—I sure as hell didn't plan on it—but we're here. It is what it is. You're mine, Raven," he says, his voice firm. "There's no going back now."

And as I look into his eyes, I know he's right.

There's no going back.

But where the hell do we go from here?

More importantly, where do I go from here?

Ugh, I'm so screwed.

19

RAVEN

My heart pounds as I slip out of Gio's bed. I pause, holding my breath as he shifts in his sleep, but thankfully, he doesn't wake. Grabbing the bag of clothes, I sneak out and dart across the hallway to my own apartment, wearing only Gio's oversized shirt.

My hands shake as I quickly unlock my door and jump inside before anyone can see me. Once inside, I lean against the door for a second, calming myself. After a few breaths, I stumble to my bedroom and sink onto the edge of my mattress.

My throat tightens as everything crashes over me at once—the dead men, the sex, my father's betrayal.

What the fuck did I just do?

I can still taste Gio on my lips. Between my legs, a deep soreness lingers—a reminder of what we did.

"Dammit." I squeeze my eyes shut. I should hate him. He killed my brother. He threatened me, stalked me, controlled me. But when he touches me—God, when he touches me—I don't care. Iforget the danger, forget my own name. My body doesn't listen to logic.

My fingers find the small raven tattoo on my wrist, tracing the delicate lines. "What should I do, Mom?" I whisper into the darkness. "I'm so lost. Dad basically sold me out to the Russians. And Gio... he's everything you warned me about. But when I'm with him..."

Silence. I close my eyes, trying to imagine what she'd say. She'd probably tell me to follow my heart, but my heart is pulling me in a thousand different directions.

I stand and pace the room, Gio's shirt brushing against my thighs. His scent clings to the fabric, intoxicating, pulling me under.

"This is insane," I mutter, trying desperately to talk myself out of it. "He's a killer. A criminal. I can't possibly have feelings for him."