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Yeah, she’d done that.
She’d made me want her so bad that I’d forgotten my role in this, my purpose, all I’d felt was her, all I’d seen was the fire in her eyes, and selfishly all I’d wanted was to capture it for myself.
“Little problem?” She tilted her head.
“Large problem.” I shook out my jacket and wrapped it closer around me, then pushed her in front of me. “Walk.”
“Must be painful.”
“Don’t make me strangle you.”
“You’d like it.”
I held in my groan, just barely. Was I that horrible of a person that she didn’t even expect me to grieve Junior? Talk about what happened? She hadn’t even asked for an explanation. She just assumed I was the villain in this scenario, her a victim. Hadn’t she learned how webs of lies were woven yet? Of deceit?
She laughed. “I bet you like rope too.”
“Shit.” It was seriously getting hard to walk.
“And I bet if I bent over right now.”
I spun her toward me and kissed her again, this time pressing her against the nearest tree while people watched. My hands were everywhere. I wasn’t acting.
I was losing control.
I was supposed to tonight.
And I knew after tonight, I would never touch her again. Was my kiss punishing? Maybe.
But it was punishing to both of us, she would just never know because I’d never tell her. Our kiss felt like my grave, I would either survive this, or I would die while the dirt piled on to me.
That was, after all, the price I would have to pay, the one that was asked of me, the one that was trained into me.
And part of me knew this was the last time I’d be able to convince everyone—and as per my oath to her father, the last time I’d get to actually touch her without losing every ounce of honor I had left.
It was all I had at this point. That one word and the belief that it still existed in my soul, no matter how many people thought otherwise.
Her mouth was swollen when we pulled apart. My men were already near the abandoned warehouse where all the parties on campus were held, and lo-and-behold, the rest of the cousins, the ones who were either at university with us or in grad programs were standing there looking shocked as hell.
Lydia, Sergio’s daughter, who was a total riot, slow clapped. “Wow, the killer has a heart, or maybe just a dick? Not sure.”
“Crass, Lydia, even for your mouth,” Anya, Andrei’s daughter, said. She was wicked smart, liked driving everyone around her crazy, she was also one of the top ballerinas in the nation. Everything about her screamed innocence and perfection, ask me how many times Andrei had actually threatened to lock her in her room and throw away the key. She was the epitome of a black widow in a nice, cute white dress with small heels and nude lipstick. Today she was wearing a short white dress and a white cardigan.
I shook my head, he’d trained her well, too well. She was twenty-three and could outsmart almost every guy she met, much to Andrei’s amusement.
And then there were Raven and Tempest, Dante’s twins. Both graduated from high school after testing out at the age of fourteen, then decided to triple major, so at just eighteen we still consider this their freshman year at Eagle Elite. Both were absolute headaches.
Raven was always smiling like she knew something you didn’t; it was extremely unnerving and like she knew everyone’s secrets, also unnerving. Her jet-black hair was cut to her chin, and she was currently leaning against the student union building wearing nothing but a short black halter top, low slung ripped jeans and flip-flops.
Clearly, everyone had come out to play the roles they had been given.
Tempest was on her phone wearing a baggy black sweatshirt with no pants, and combat boots showing Ariel, Chase’s youngest, something most likely extremely inappropriate.
I pulled Bella closer to my side. “You know your job.”
“United front,” she repeated under her breath with a forced smile while she bit down on her bottom lip.
I gripped her by the chin with my free hand. “The Abandonatos are in bed with the De Langes, literally, figuratively, and all the rest of your cousins are so thrilled. There is no power struggle, only balance, now do your job and do it well, little mafia princess.”
