“You know how you can’t sleep when I’m at work?”
She ran her hands down my chest, pressing through the thin fabric of my t-shirt so she could feel my abs. “Yes.”
“Well, I can’t do anything while you’re at work.”
“Well, that’s not good because I need to make money.”
“No, you don’t.” I continued to stand against her, not caring if a customer walked through the door. “You’re the richest woman in this country—because I’m the richest man in this city.”
The corner of her mouth rose in a smile. “Your money isn’t my money, Bosco. I’ve never wanted it, and I still don’t. I like my profits. It’s not a fortune by any means, but it’s mine. I can afford a nice apartment, a car payment, food, and I can pay back my father for opening my shop in the first place.”
“You’re paying him back?” I asked in surprise.
“He didn’t want me to, but I insisted. If this were Carter, he would expect to be reimbursed because it’s part of a life lesson. But since I’m a girl…he goes so easy on me. That’s not what I wanted. I pointed that out to him, reminded him it was sexist, so he caved. My father took care of me for eighteen years. He did his job. Now it’s my time to take care of myself.”
I admired her for her stubbornness. Most women wouldn’t have cared to pay him back, and I didn’t even want her to pay him back. But when she made that argument, I couldn’t help but respect her. “You’re so hot, you know that?” My fingers touched her neck under her curtain of hair.
“Hot?” she asked, being playful.
“You’ve got balls. I like that.”
She chuckled. “You should really think about what you just said…”
I pressed my forehead to hers and chuckled. “You know what I mean.”
Her hands rested in the crook of my arms, and she continued to show off her pretty smile. “As much as I’m enjoying you being here, I should get back to work. I don’t distract you at the casino.”
“That’s all you ever do,” I corrected.
She pulled away from me, keeping her hips away from my hard dick. “I’ll see you at home later.”
“Actually, I was headed to the cemetery. Wanted to buy some flowers for my mom.” She’d been gone for many years, but I made sure I didn’t forget her. She was too important to my life to fade away like an old memory.
Carmen looked at me, her face immediately hardening in pain. “Oh…of course. Let me make something special for her.” She moved to the counter and pulled on her gloves. She picked a few blue flowers, mixed them in with some white lilies, and added a few pink roses. “How about this?”
“Lovely.”
She wrapped them up for me.
I pulled the cash from my wallet.
She pushed my arm down. “A gift from me to her.”
Being the stubborn man that I was, I wanted to pay her. I made millions of dollars every single day. I didn’t want to take a penny from her. But her gesture was sweet, and I didn’t want to ruin that with my testosterone-fueled bullshit. “Thank you.” I put my wallet away and took the flowers. “I know you’re working right now, but it would mean a lot if you came with me.” I’d never taken someone to the cemetery with me. Even Ronan and I went at separate times.
If she had to stay at the shop, I wouldn’t be angry with her, but the request didn’t seem to disappoint her. “I would love to. Just let me lock up.”
“My mother is in Siena, so it’s a bit of a drive.”
“Then I’ll just close up for good.” She went behind the counter and put all her work tools away before she grabbed her things.
I kept a stoic expression, but the gesture pulled at my heartstrings. It didn’t seem like she was coming just because I asked. It seemed like she wanted to come. She wanted to be there for me.
I drove the Bugatti into the countryside, heading to Siena, which was a short distance away. My men followed behind at a distance, giving me the peace and quiet I craved during times like these.
“I’ve never seen you drive a car before.” She sat in the passenger seat with the flowers in her lap.
“I have at least a dozen of them in the garage.”
“Why do you have them if you never drive?”
I shrugged. “I guess they’re high-powered trophies.”
“My brother likes Bugattis. Says it’s the one competitor he actually respects.”
“I have a few of his cars in the garage, actually.” I liked the sleek design on the outside and the way he didn’t compromise on power while making his engines environmentally friendly.
“He’d be flattered.”
I entered the city then took the road to the cemetery. It was sunny but cool. The cemetery was deserted, and we seemed to be the only visitors that afternoon. I parked the car a distance away then killed the engine. “It’s her birthday today.”