She said nothing. I couldn’t blame her. I hadn’t been all that kind to her. “Tell me when you’re ready. You’re here because of me, which may turn out to be a good thing.” I leaned forward, elbows to knees. “I’m giving you my word that I’ll protect you.”
Summer weaved her fingers together and squeezed until the color leached from the tips. “I don’t know you well enough to trust that your word means anything.”
“Fair enough. All I ask is that you listen to your gut when it comes to me. You’ll get to know me more over the next few weeks while we work together and live under the same roof. You’re not alone. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The wariness never left her eyes, and a part of me was slain over it because it was my fault. I’d been wrong about her, clouded by rage over someone stealing from me and potentially plotting against all I’d built. “We still have some time before dinner, and I don’t think I’ll have to do anything more with the other bosses, in light of the new information we learned. Let’s get some work done over dinner in here. Things will look better in the morning.”
At her nod, I felt like I’d won a significant battle. She didn’t know it yet, but many of our days would be like that one. We’d work in the morning, split up for the afternoons, then reconvene in the evening, sleep, then repeat. Oddly enough, I was looking forward to the time we would have together.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
SUMMER
Two weeks later…
Things between Luc and I had been going great. We’d fallen into a routine of working together in the morning and having lunch before he went off with the guys to do whatever Mafia things they did.
Then there were the quiet moments, when I was too alone with my thoughts.
It was after lunch, and I’d borrowed a coat and hat from Nicole. It was my first snowfall, and I stood on the back patio while fat snowflakes swirled around me. Everything was so bright but freezing at the same time. The snow had been falling for a few hours, and a blanket of white coated the grounds and clung to the pines that lined one side of the property. It was beautiful, untouched, and like a fresh start—similar to the change I’d noticed between Luc and I.
I shivered, wrapping the coat tighter around me as I thought about how much had changed between us. It’d started once he realized I wasn’t to blame for his money or any company sabotage. He’d made the decision to trust me—he had to if I was going to work with his clients’ financial portfolios.
Luc had one foot in the corporate world and the other in the Mafia. He and I had continued to work well together before and after he trained and learned about the inner workings of the Brambilla family that he would take over. I looked forward to the mornings when we were alone, when his thigh would press against mine or our hands would touch. He hadn’t tried to kiss me again since that one night, but I wanted him to, and I was sure he did as well. The tension between us was high. I knew it was only a matter of time before he made his move.
I couldn’t help but wonder if that was why my stomach was a jumble of nerves lately. I’d only been able to eat a little, pushing the rest of my food around to make it look like I’d eaten more.Is it nerves, or are we on the cusp of taking things further?
This morning was the same, and I struggled with knowing what I wanted and what was best for me in the long run. There were too many unknown variables, but I couldn’t cut my losses and run without the five hundred thousand Luc had promised to give me at the end of four weeks. And the place was a virtual fortress. Also, I liked working with Luc. We were growing. And he showed me in little ways he would take care of me, like when he’d stopped the other bosses from questioning me when I was uncomfortable, gotten me out of the room, and made sure I knew I was safe with him.
I believed him. Unease settled low in my stomach. I wasn’t being honest with him, and I worried about the fallout when the truth came out, because secrets always did. But I was almost twenty-one. In fact, my birthday was in February, and it was December already.
That was another issue—it was December, and nothing had happened with Ben. There hadn’t been any word from the Amato crime family after the first time they contacted Max. I doubted they would let the matter go—they knew what I had. No doubt Lauralee had tried to save her ass—and rightly so—and told them about the evidence she’d left with her roommate. Even if she’d said she hid it somewhere, the most likely place to look was with me.
The first time I’d met Ben Amato, I’d thought he was a pig. I never understood how Lauralee put up with him, regardless of the money he spent on her. It wasn’t worth it. But that was where we were different.
Power was attractive to me, as well, but not at the expense of being at someone else’s mercy. Never that.
I was on edge. Something had to give.
“Hey, Summer.” The door slammed behind Lil as she stepped outside and joined me on the porch.
The white-and-gray faux-fur hood of her down jacket surrounded her face and lent a sophisticated and sexy air to her already put-together vibe.
“Hi, Lil.” I glanced over the backyard again, marveling at the difference in seasons from what I grew up with in Georgia. “It’s beautiful.”
“The snow?”
I nodded.
“It is. But I bet you won’t think that after a month of it. Or when the windchill makes it seem more suited to a winter day in Alaska.”
I laughed because she was correct. I wouldn’t like that. “I’m sure I’ll be gone by then. I’ve already been here for two weeks, and I’m not even sure how the time has flown by so fast. I probably only have two more until Luc has less risky people in place to help him out.”
Lil’s glove-covered hand rested on my arm, and I turned toward her.
“I know you and Luc had a rough start, but there’s something there between you. I see it in how he watches you when you aren’t looking. In the way he makes sure all the guys know that you’re his.” She held up a hand to stop me from interrupting. “He and I have been getting closer, and I asked about you. Please don’t be mad, but I wanted to know what was going on. He told me that he had feelings for you but that the way you first met wasn’t who you were, that you made that clear to him, and that he’s trying to respect that by taking things slow.”
“I’m not sure what to do with that information.”Is it getting warmer outside?I squirmed in my overly warm jacket.