Page 82 of His Prize

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He raises a brow. “You think anyone would mention it to my face?”

“Maybe your mother.”

Settimo laughs. “Fair enough… But she’ll forgive me. This is her first grandchild.”

My smile falters some when I remember the rest of his family. “You think your brother will warm up to me?”

“I’m assuming you’re referring to Lorenzo?”

I nod and wait for his smile to fall with mine, but it widens. He shakes his head. “Lorenzo likes you, Alex. He thinks you’re strong and says you’re incredibly kind to strangers. He sent several people into the butcher shop just to see how you wereuncandid. Remember when Anthony said he heard a lot about you? He didn’t hear it from me.”

My jaw drops, and I shake my head, amused.

“Lorenzo’s worse than my mother about invading people’s privacy, but it comes in handy sometimes. Anyway though, he likes you.You’llwarm up tohim, I promise.”

“I’m sure,” I say, then bite my lip. “My dad won’t approve. Not with us waiting, at least. He’ll want me to be married before having the baby.”

Settimo cups my jaw and runs his thumb over my lips. I shiver and itch to fling myself into his arms. Quit the useless hypotheticals.

“All this time, I thought you wanted to make yourownchoices.”

I place my hand over his and close my eyes, inhaling him with a deep breath. “You know you’re everything I’ve ever wanted,” I say, opening my eyes.

His gaze dips to my lips, and he lowers his head, stopping just before we touch.

“Yes,” I say, my voice heady. “I’ll marry you.”

I lift onto my toes and meet him the rest of the way, crashing my lips to his. They’re hot and full, smooth against my tongue. I taste him, all of him, and a possessiveness comes over me. I nip his lip, leaving a mark on him like it’s my brand. A coppery taste touches my tongue.

I’m never gonna let him go. Never.

“Wow.”

Settimo and I stiffen at the same time. The voice doesn’t belong to either of us, but I recognize it. Settimo does too.

We break away from each other and turn to the doorway where Nikita props lazily against the frame, his arms crossed. “That was sweet. Heart wrenching, even.”

Settimo springs toward his ankle, but Nikita uncrosses his arms to reveal a gun, pointing it at us. “Uh uh uhhh,” he tsks and waves the gun. “Hands in front of you, big guy. I don’t want to have to blow the face off that pretty woman of yours. Funny, for some reason I thought she was taken.”

“Let her go,” Settimo says, stepping in front of me with his hands up. “She’s innocent, Nikita. You can have me, but let her leave.”

Nikita tilts his head and narrows his eyes. “Do you think I’m a fuckingmoron, Settimo? She’s not innocent. She’s fuckingyou. No one associated with you is innocent. You’re a virus.”

“Nikita, please.” Settimo’s voice sounds genuine, and fear courses into every part of me from hearing him like this.Pleading. Not for his life, but for mine.

I can’t lose him.

“You’re right,” I say, stepping around Settimo. He grabs my arm, and I shrug him off. “I was weak, and I betrayed you and the rest of the Bratva.”

I slowly start toward Nikita with my hands raised.

“Alex,” Settimo says, the worry so clear in his tone that I flinch.

“I’m not worthy.”

I make it to Nikita and hang my head. If I know him, andI do know him, men like him at least, then he’ll get off on this. The apology, the fear. He won’t be able to resist the temptation to bathe in it, grab my hair, bruise my jaw, wrap his hand around my throat. All I need is a momentary distraction. One ounce of lust to knock that gun out of his hand.

“You’re right,” Nikita says, brushing his knuckles against my cheek.


Tags: Nicole Cypher Crime