Nope, not thinking about him now. Not. At. All.
He’s an issue I’ll have to deal with later.
“There has been a lot of unrest amongst the Italian Mafia families over the last decade. Things have changed exponentially with technology, and quite a few people thought no one would notice if they took a little more money than they deserve. Some turned into moles or worked for someone else on the side. It’s gotten pretty messy, and as such, the heads of the biggest families decided to put together a group to clean house, so to speak.”
“You cleaned up every Italian family?” I pull back, astonished by this.
“Yes, all of them across the United States. Took us two years, and a lot of work, but it was worth it. There will always be a few black sheep in some of the families, but we took care of the ones who were damaging to the business.”
“All of them?”
“The ones we were able to uncover. A lot of them fled since they got wind of what we were doing. Others needed some more convincing to leave the family business.”
“Wow.”
His thumb brushes over mine. “I’m guessing your dad doesn’t talk business with you?”
“Never. Every time there was a single flicker of business talk going on, I had to leave the room. Not that we spent a lot of time together to begin with, but that destroyed any that was left.”
“That sounds like a princess being confined to her ivory tower.”
A heavy weight settles on my chest. “Pretty much. I had everything I could need in regard to food, clothes, books, school items, tutors, or whatever else I needed for hobbies, but friends or freedom definitely weren’t on the list. Which is why I’ve always thanked the universe for Ally. The fact that she’s family allows me to see her more than anyone.”
“But she didn’t tell you about Nikolai.”
Way to shove the knife deeper into my heart, Romeo. “She didn’t.”
“She was probably concerned about your safety. The moment more people get wind of their relationship, shit will hit the fan.”
I shudder at the thought of our family finding out about Ally and Nikolai, let alone other families. “It won’t end well.”
“No, it won’t.”
“Will you . . . do you have to . . . I mean—” My lungs constrict, and I suddenly feel like I can’t get enough air.
“Will I tell anyone about it?”
I nod then remember he can’t see me. “Yes.”
“I won’t. So far, it’s been working in my favor, more than anything else would have. If it becomes an issue, we’ll have to handle the situation one way or another.”
The implication that not everyone would get away unharmed if it came to a blowout hangs unspoken in the air. “That’s fair, I guess.”
We’re quiet after that for a few minutes until my eyes become too heavy to keep open, and I close them. Just for a second.
When I wake up again, I’m in Matteo’s arms, my cheek on his chest. I snuggle closer, feeling safe with him surrounding me, and go back to sleep.
The next time I wake up, it’s morning, and I’m alone.
Sunlight filters through the windows, and I blink against the intrusion.
I stretch my limbs, feeling a little sore between my legs.
Is that normal?
We didn’t even have sex.
But what we did was absolutely incredible.