Page 104 of The Enforcer

Paco actually blushed. It was blatant as he gestured to Carina. “She has great tetas. And her ass—”

“I’m going back to bed too,” Tino decided as he grabbed his cup of coffee off the counter. Then he stopped and announced to the room. “No one’s allowed to touch her tits.” He went back down the hall, but then stopped and turned back. “Or her ass.”

* * * *

Brianna had a tiny headache. The bunk bed was uncomfortable with a thin mattress that allowed her to feel the bars underneath, but her body still felt very fluid, melty, and warm, like she’d had one of those massages she used to get in physical therapy after the nasty lumbar sprain last year.

For a long while she didn’t open her eyes; she just lay there, feeling the golden glow left over from the night before. She didn’t want to wake up and be totally horrified about begging Tino to kiss her.

To say nothing of what happened afterward.

Brianna had been ready and willing to strip down for him. To go all the way without thought, and she wasn’t totally certain it was the drugs. She might have agreed without them.

God.

Her face heated when reality showed up without her permission.

She cupped her cheeks and squeezed her eyes shut tighter.

“Morning.”

Brianna groaned and rolled over.

Tino laughed at her.

She grabbed the pillow and covered her face with it. “I want to die now.”

“Why?” Some of the humor slipped out of his voice, and he was quiet for a second before he got dark without warning. “’Cause you let a drug dealer touch you? You feel dirty?”

“What?” She tilted her head and peeked at him from beneath the pillow. “Get over yourself, Tino.” She dropped the pillow back to her face. “Like that’s the nastiest thing you could be guilty of in your Borgata.”

“Yeah, it could be worse,” Tino agreed, but he still sounded dark and cynical, more like Nova than himself. “You could’ve let a male prostitute touch you. One who specializes in being filthy.”

“I guess,” she agreed with a frown. “Are there male prostitutes in Cosa Nostra?”

“Not in the Moretti Borgata. They’re super special. They don’t deal in skin.”

“Then we’re good.” She rolled over and dropped the pillow behind her. “All I have to worry about is my dignity being completely destroyed when I asked you to kiss me like your brother was kissing his girlfriends on the train.”

Tino arched an eyebrow at her. “You think that’s the worst thing that could happen to your dignity?”

“I’m pretty sure it is.” She rested on her side and tucked her hands under her cheek. “I’m mortified, Tino.”

“Madonn’.” He stretched out next to her. “What’s it like to be you? I have no idea, but it sounds awesome.”

“You think I’m spoiled?” she asked, feeling her cheeks heat again. “You think I’m a princess.”

“I know you’re a princess,” he said without hesitating and then turned his head and gave her a smile. “But I like it.”

“Stop trying to make me feel better.” She hit him with her pillow. “I know it’s your obligation as my friend to try and make me feel better for throwing myself at you.”

“Yeah, it was a real hardship for me,” Tino whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. “Last night was the nicest thing that’s happened to me in a long time, Bri. You make me want to hide from my life. To just spend my time taking care of you instead.” He reached beneath the blanket she was sleeping under and found her thigh, caressing it. “I could give you your dignity back. You want it?”

The last time Tino asked her that, Brianna ended up sweating and moaning under him until the sun came up.

She gave a slight nod to hide the way her breath caught. Then she confessed, “I want it.”

This time when he slid his hand past the fringe of her cutoffs, Brianna let her thighs fall open for him without the nudge, which made Tino groan noticeably. The invitation was blatant, and Brianna knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t seem to help it.