Page 164 of The Enforcer

Desperately.

He was still staring at his phone, waiting for a call, for some asshole somewhere to threaten the Borgata and give Tino a real reason to reach for his boots.

Like God still heard his prayers, the doorknob to the other bedroom twisted quietly.

Tino turned off his phone and dropped it to his chest. Then he closed his eyes, trying to make his body relax, which was almost impossible. He was already on edge, and just hearing the soft-footed steps of Brianna sneaking out of her bedroom made his breath catch and his dick hard.

He was still turned on from the roof earlier, which was probably why he’d been missing blow and enforcer work. Seeing Brianna crawl out on that ladder with total trust in him, badass and fearless when most women would fall apart, really did it for Tino.

Big-time.

Brianna stopped her trek toward the kitchen, standing behind the couch, and Tino could feel her eyes on him. Now his skin was hot for a different reason, and there was a rush of need burning at the back of his neck that had absolutely nothing to do with blow.

All thoughts of cocaine flew right out of his mind when he realized she assumed he was sleeping and took the opportunity to stare at him. Shirtless. With his guns tossed on the coffee table and the blanket tangled around his feet. Still hard as a fucking rock, Tino wondered if she noticed and shifted his hips, arching them up in a way that made it blatant what he was thinking about.

She sucked in a quick breath.

He reached down and grabbed his dick through his jeans because it fucking hurt. Not like he had a lot of opportunity to jack off when he was babysitting the girls.

In a soft, breathy sigh, Brianna whispered, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”

The sound of her voice made every hair on Tino’s body stand on end. Everything in him wanted to grab her and give her what she was praying for, but Brianna was a good girl. It could never just be sex to her, and there was no part of Tino that believed he and Brianna could have one of those cute and fluffy college relationships like her friends did.

Tino was a hired killer.

A former prostitute.

With family ties bloody enough to make any woman with an ounce of self-preservation run the other way.

Not that Brianna’s self-preservation was all that great. It sucked balls if Tino was being honest. Her sensors were completely fucked-up thanks to the Morettis, but Tino cared about her enough to know touching her was a bad idea for both of them.

He needed her too badly, and enforcers weren’t supposed to have weaknesses like that.

Nova would freak the fuck out if Tino got tangled up with Brianna, considering the last time Tino got involved with her; the breakup sent him in a downward spiral that landed him in the Savios’ basement.

Still, he felt like he was going out of his fucking mind.

He wanted to see the look on her face. He wanted to catch her staring and see her cheeks go pink.

Her innocence was compelling to him, like forbidden fruit he wanted to bite into, and the tease had officially pushed him over the edge.

So he opened his eyes.

BRIANNA STEPPED BACK when she saw Tino staring at her.

Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

She glanced away from Tino still spread out on the couch, thighs apart, cock straining against his jeans, with his washboard abs, broad chest, and thick biceps all on display. His full lips were illuminated in the moonlight from the glass windows showing off the six-million-dollar Midtown view Moretti money afforded Carina.

He was a fantasy come to life, and she would have to be dead not to look, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t mortified to be caught. “Y-you were talking in your sleep,” she lied. “I was checking to see if you were okay.”

“I wasn’t sleeping.”

His voice had a rough edge to it that gave Brianna goose bumps. Still she avoided looking at him as she argued, “You made a sound. You were dreaming.”

Tino quirked an eyebrow at her. “I knew you were watching.”

“Oh.” She closed her eyes when she realized that low groan and the arch of his hips were for her benefit. “You wanted to embarrass me. You succeeded. So congratulations.” She didn’t know if she was angrier with Tino or herself. “I’m going back to bed.”