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“You’ll always be that.”
It was crazy that I wanted it too, and that I was beginning to accept my fucked up feelings for him. He was both my hero and my villain who’d gotten rid of the man I’d feared most to replace him with a man I should fear a whole lot more.
Whatever. Dressed to the nines while feeling and looking a million bucks, I was at least armored to face my enemies tonight. It might even be interesting to see how Valentino reacted if anyone threatened me.
It’d be a test of his character and his true feelings toward me.
Taking hold of his proffered arm, we left the master bedroom and the upper level behind as we descended the stairs then entered the garage. He pulled open the passenger door for me before taking the driver’s seat for himself, the automated roller door ascending. He reversed out, and I admired the glass and steel exterior of his home with its minimalistic gardens and incredible ocean views, then we were headed back down the road, toward the distant mansions.
The drive went quickly, the clear coastal air soon becoming a smog-filled haze with traffic a constant stream while old and new buildings soared higher and higher.
It wasn’t until he flicked on the indicator and pulled into a private, underground garage that I saw the signage of an Italian restaurant that was on the ground level above us. I glanced back at him as a pair of gates parted for us to enter. “We’re having dinner at a restaurant?”
He drove forward, then parked near an elevator. “Not exactly. Serafino—one of Ethan’s brothers and caporegimes—owns the restaurant and the floor above it. We’ll be dining in his home, though no doubt he’ll make use of his restaurant to feed us all.”
He killed the engine, then turned to me and added, “I also have no doubt you’ll have the whole family in your pocket in no time.”
I blinked at him. “I don’t know why we’re even doing this. I don’t need them to like me.”
He unclipped his seatbelt. “But I need them to accept you into our circle.”
I felt faint suddenly as a rush of awareness blasted through me. There was only one reason Valentino could possibly want the mobster family to accept me. He wanted to keep me around long-term. He’d dropped a few hints, but I’d been too blind to accept the possibility that he truly wasn’t going to snuff me out like a flame.
He alighted from the driver’s seat and stalked around to my side of the vehicle to open my door. I accepted his proffered hand, the shiver of yearning inside me becoming a full blown tremble.
He really did want me, I was certain of it now. He pressed the elevator’s button, then looked at me. “Are you all right?”
The doors pinged and opened. We stepped inside, the elevator doors closing behind us with a swish before I answered. “I’m not sure.” We ascended when I added, “I just wish you’d told me your feelings earlier.”
He cocked a brow. “You didn’t guess?”
“All that has ever filled my head is how long I had before you decided to end my life.”
His eyes darkened, then glowed. “I’d kill anyone who tried to hurt you.”
Something shifted inside my chest, my entire body tingling with an effervescent joy I couldn’t contain. Death no longer blotted my soul, not when it was my life Valentino now defended. My joy faded a little. He might protect me and be possessive but he’d never love me. I doubted people like him knew how to love.
The elevator stopped and pinged, the doors opening before we stepped into an expansive foyer with dark marbling flooring. Ahead a staircase with black hand-railings gleamed under a huge central chandelier, floor to ceiling windows at one end showcasing city views, where a church spire rose high into the sky next to a glass and steel building.
A painting caught my eye, a black-and-white nude of a woman who was all curves as she lay on her side with a provocative glint in her stare.
The large gray and chrome kitchen and adjoining dining room with its huge glass-topped table and the modern gray velvet seats were empty. I sighed softly, my spine relaxing.
“Everyone will be out on the balcony enjoying some pre-dinner drinks.”
My back snapped taut, but I smiled serenely up at him as I floated by his side toward the tinted glass bifold doors, one side of which had been left open.
A svelte, platinum-blonde woman in a dark gold dress saw us first, her big silver-gray eyes widening before she squealed. She flounced toward us, dragging a tall, dark-suited man behind her as though he wasn’t some powerful, authoritative figure. His dark, unreadable eyes made him seem scarier somehow, colder. The blonde smiled openly at me. “You must be Chantilly?”
“I am.”
“I love your dress!” She winked. “I can see why Valentino is so smitten.” Clearing her throat, she added, “I’m Sabrina by the way.” She pointed to the dark-haired man beside her. “And this is my husband, Ethan.”
My bladder loosened, my skin suddenly clammy. So this was the man who’d ordered Valentino to kill me.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed a touch before turning somber. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” He grimaced. “I’m only sorry it wasn’t under better circumstances.”
Sabrina frowned. “What do you mean?”
