Page 57 of The Mafia Enforcer's Temptation

“You’ll wear it and pretend you love it. A black diamond. I thought it’d be up your alley.”

“Pity I have nothing to wear it with.”

A soft groan rises in me along with my cock. “Now that’s tempting. You naked and wearing my rings. I’ll pencil you in for later tonight. Naked, Ava. Rings. Maybe some high heels.”

“I don’t have any.”

“Then I’ll buy you some.” I might have peeked at her sizing. From her feet up. “How about I get you an appropriate wardrobe?”

“I don’t want a wardrobe from you. I don’t want anything from you.”

“You prefer naked, then.”

She snatches her hand away. “I hate the ring, and I hate you.”

“Good,” I say. “The ring can reflect to the world your hatred of me.”

“It’s ugly.”

Ava won’t let that go, and I’ll admit the piece is on the wrong side of taste.

“Like the empty demon inside of you?” I throw open the door to the car and tap the roof with a hand. “Can you get the fuck in?”

“I want…”

“I don’t care what you want,” I snap. “I have things to do today and you’ve got a room to sit and sulk in. We’ll see your lawyer soon. Happy fucking days.”

“I’m not your prisoner. I have a job. As a waitress.”

“Maybe you should have made better life choices. And no fake wife of mine, whom I can’t fucking stand by the way, is working as a waitress.”

“Snob.”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with honest work. I just don’t trust you skulking off somewhere. Or is waitress code for lover?”

“Do you care?”

The thing is, I do. She’s just lucky I don’t think she has one. Or else she’d be hating me more for his impending nasty, messy demise. “No. But since someone threatened you by breaking into your apartment, and you got caught in that little murder spree in the park which I’m pretty sure you were targeted in, you no longer have a job.”

“So, what? I hang out with you all the time?” She wrinkles her nose, horror seeping into her hard expression.

“Fuck no. You stay home. I do have work, and I really don’t want to spend more time with you dressed than necessary.” I want to work on my motorcycle, something I don’t get a chance to ride much. I want to just lose myself in something that isn’t her. “So you stay home, out of my way, and maybe I’ll have a room ready for you to spend your days in. Nights are mine. Naked and wearing only my rings.”

“You’re a fucking bastard. I think you’re jealous of Paddy.”

I take hold of her face. “And you’re walking on thin ice. This hate? It goes two ways. I can take you thinking I killed your dreams… sorry, your cousin. But I can’t deal with the fact you and Paddy…”

I shudder.

Her eyes flash pure ire. “He never touched me.”

“So you touched him,” I say, my voice deadly calm because it’s either that or lose my shit. “I don’t care about the details of your sex life with him.”

Once more, I do. Very much. The sensation in me is both hot and cold and it bites. It has claws and I just want to bring Paddy back so I can kill him again for touching her.

“Are you jealous?”

I laugh. “Of what?”