* * *
Ilaughed as Marco finished telling me a story about him and his brother from when they were children. “I can’t believe that you threw him in a bog,” I said, giggling over my glass of wine.
We’d been at the restaurant for two hours. It was a steakhouse with the most delicious food that I’d ever tasted.
Marco shrugged. “He deserved it. Dom’s got a way of being a dick about things, and even when we were kids, I wasn’t going to put up with his shit.”
His words made me shake my head in amusement once more. “Your brother isn’t exactly warm and fuzzy.” Calling Dom high-handed was an understatement. We’d only had one interaction, but he was a huge dick. It was hard for me to understand how someone as sweet as Sasha loved him.
“We weren’t raised to be warm,” his tone changed slightly. He’d gone from being light-hearted to being serious. “Being personable is a great way to get yourself killed.”
His words made the blood in my veins turn cold, and I shivered slightly. “That’s no way to raise children.” I couldn’t stopped the words from leaving me, and I knew from the look on Marco’s face that I said the wrong thing.
“My father gave me what he knew I needed to survive. He wanted me to live to be as old as he was.”
I swallowed heavily and nodded. “At least he was around.” Though I didn’t think much about the way Marco’s father raised him and Dom, my own parents were far from perfect. After all, my father hadn’t stuck around long enough to see me grow up.
“You close with your mother?” I knew that Marco was trying to save the subject, and I appreciated it. Unfortunately, my mother wasn’t much better of a subject.
“No,” I told him simply. “We aren’t close. If it weren’t for Mikey, we probably wouldn’t talk.” I hadn’t heard from my mother since I’d moved out. Sure, it had only been a day, but I’d texted with Mikey almost once an hour.
Marco’s dark eyes were making me squirm in my seat. It made me feel as though he could see right through me. “Have you talked to Mikey?”
I smiled. “I did. He wanted to see a picture of the dress.”
“Does he like his nurse?” Marco asked.
This made me laugh. “Did you do that on purpose?” I asked.
Marco’s dark eyes twinkled, and I had my answer. “Do what?” He was playing coy.
“She looks like a freaking Victoria Secret model,” I whispered leaning in close. “Where the hell did you find her?”
Marco laughed loudly. I decided that I liked the sound of it. It reminded me of chocolate. Warm and rich. I wished that he would laugh more. He was already heartbreakingly handsome, but when he smiled, he was extraordinary. “I figured that he would be more likely to accept her if she was hot.”
I groaned. “He’s ten!”
“I was noticing women at that age,” he said with a shrug.
I wanted to be angry at him, but I wasn’t. My leaving the house was hard enough. I was glad that Marco had found a way to make it easier. Mikey deserved some happiness in life. The last few years had been full of nothing but sadness.
A warm hand cupped my cheek, and Marco turned my head slightly. “Where did you go?” he asked. His eyes were concerned, which took me aback.
“Just thinking about Mikey,” I answered honestly. “I’m going to have to go and see him in the next day or two. He started his treatment this week.”
I expected Marco to argue with me. With the cops sniffing around, and the Russians not far behind, I figured that he wasn’t going to want me out of the house, but once more, he surprised me. “We’ll have him over after his treatment. He can come see the house.”
“You don’t mind?”
Marco shook his head. “It’ll give us a chance to get to know one another. After all, he’s going to be my brother too.”
Marco’s words struck me. “Thank you,” I said. I meant it sincerely.
For a moment, Marco and I connected. Our eyes locked, and I felt as though he were seeing into my soul. My mouth went dry, and I had no idea what to say.
Marco’s hand, which was still cupping my face, pressed his fingertips against my lips, and he leaned in close. I was sure that he was going to kiss me. We’d already fucked, multiple times, but him kissing me right now felt much more intimate.
His eyes looked past me, and I saw an immediate change in his demeanor. “Get down!” he yelled. He shoved me to the side just as the window we were sitting next to shattered.