Arin frowns. “But what?”
“Elio should have known better. He should have known the bar was located deep within Renato’s territory.”
“Do you think he’s in on it?” she asks, her tone unsure.
The thought never occurred to me. Elio might be a giant pain in my ass and a clown who rarely takes anything seriously, but he’s arguably one of my closest friends and trusted confidants. He’s been with me through thick and thin. We’ve had each other’s backs for as long as I can remember. But I’d argue the same about Lorenzo and me. Before Milo put the doubts in my head, I would have sacrificed myself for the man without hesitation.
Could it be that Elio made a fatal mistake? Or is there a chance Elio had plans of betraying me, too? The line between friend and foe is blurring. I don’t like it one bit. It’s clear loyalty means jack shit anymore. The only thing I know for certain is that I have to keep Arin and Felicia safe. No matter the cost.
“I’m going to move you and Felicia to a secure location out of state.”
Arin glances up at me, her bottom lip trembling. “What?”
“If I’m right, and I really hope I’m not, things are going to get worse. In order to keep you safe, I need you as far from New York as possible.”
“But what about you?”
“I need to stay. To end this one way or another.”
Arin shakes her head. “No, that’s… You can’t. What if something happens to you?”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me, I promise.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she insists. “You made such a big deal about us moving in with you, and now you’re pushing us away?”
“For your safety.”
“That’s bull and you know it,” she says, the fiery look in her eyes downright breathtaking. “We have to be smart about this, Dominic. If you send us away, there’s no telling how many people might come after Felicia and me. I’ve been lucky these last few fights, but I’m no fighter. I can’t defend us, and I don’t know which one of your men to trust. Staying here with you is our safest option.”
I turn her words over in my head. “You’re starting to sound a lot like a soldata.”
“No, I’m sounding like a concerned mother who’s had it up tohere.” She gestures with her hand, lifting her palm way above her head. “I’m not going to lie, Dom. I’m scared. Terrified.”
I lean forward and cut her off with a kiss, her words stirring in my chest. This poor woman. This poor, brilliant, unbelievably brave woman. I should have listened to the logical side of my brain and kept as far away from her as possible, but I just couldn’t stay away. Now she’s here in my care with our little girl, and that isn’t a responsibility I’ll ever take lightly. It was a mistake dragging her into my life, but one I won’t allow myself to regret.
Arin kisses me back, combing her fingers through my hair. It’s a tender kiss, one of comfort and longing. “Please don’t let anything happen to us,” she pleads against my lips. Her body trembles beneath my touch. “Please.”
It’s at this moment that something locks into place. It’s possessive, territorial, protective. It was fate meeting her all those years ago, and it was fate when she stumbled into my office. The powers that be have given me a second chance, and I’d be a fool to let it go to waste.
“You’re mine to protect, dolcezza,” I murmur against her mouth. “You and our little girl. I’ll keep you both safe.”
“Promise?”
“On my life, Arin. On my life.”
“Good, nowkissme.”
Our lips crash together in a frenzy, our hands urgently roaming each other’s bodies. It happens all at once and in a blur. I take her shirt off. She makes quick work of my belt. I take a seat on the couch and let her crawl onto my lap, straddling my thighs. She’s not wearing anything particularly fancy underneath, but I don’t care. It’s not the way it looks on her that I like so much, but the way she radiates confidence. There’s nothing sexier to me than a woman whoknowsshe’s got it going on and isn’t afraid to tease me senseless.
I reach around and unclasp her bra, moving in quickly to mouth out her breasts. Arin’s head falls back, exposing the pale skin of her neck. Renato’s man luckily didn’t leave any marks on her beautiful skin. If he had, I would have torn him in two with my bare hands.
Nobody hurts my woman. The only person who gets to be rough with her isme, and only because she asks so nicely.
“We have to be quiet,” she says around a breathy moan. “We can’t wake Felicia.”
“Youhave to be quiet,” I reply. “I’mgoing to do everything I can to make you scream.”
“Dom—”