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“Kira? Are you—”
“No.” She sighs as if she already knows what I’m about to ask her. “Am I wishing he’d stop trying to be friends and bang me, though? Fuck yeah.”
I screech. “Kira!”
“What? Have you seen the man? He’s insanely hot.”
I stare at my friend like she’s suddenly sprouted horns. “Yes, I know Sal is attractive, but Kira, I’m shocked you can tell. You have not seen him.”
“Maybe not, but his voice is off the charts. Such a rich and layered texture to it. And he’s so fucking smart. Like you have no idea how much of a turn-on that is.”
She takes another quick sip of her drink. “Also, he also let me touch his face, so I got a good inkling what he looked like early on.” Kira’s voice drops to a whisper. “And, I, uh, I touched his hands too.”
I stare at Kira as heat creeps up her cheeks. “Kira. You’re blushing because you touched Sal’s hands? Not his body. His hands.”
She shifts in her chair and shrugs. “Well, Addy, if you don’t get it . . . ”
“Fucking forget it,” I complete Kira’s age-old mantra, laughing. It’s her classic response when she’s sick of explaining how she perceives something that she’s never seen before, and I’m failing to picture it.
“But gosh, it must be . . . interesting.” A part of me envies her heightened senses and her ability to feel so much more from physical touch and sounds.
“You have no idea, babes.” She giggles as if in on a private joke.
As our laughter mingles with the gentle splashing of the pool, I watch Sophie again, marveling at her strength and endurance. I’ve lost count of the number of her laps—she must be on the fiftieth or sixtieth by now.
“She’s so strong, isn’t she?” I murmur, more to myself than to Kira.
“Sophie, you mean?” Kira nods in agreement. “Yeah. Makes you wonder what you might be like in the next few months?”
I down the rest of my drink. “Well, I already walk like a duck. So it’s not hard to imagine what I’ll be like when I’m as big as a whale.”
Kira sputters into her drink then quickly wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “Trust me, Addy, you don’t walk like a duck. I’ve heard your footfalls, and . . . it’s sexy.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, right. I call bullshit on that, Kira.”
Kira’s shoulders shake with laughter. “Okay, fine. I’m blowing smoke. But I happen to know that Dante likes it.”
The sound of his name triggers a familiar rush of longing and heat blooming in my chest. “Dante told you he likes how I walk?”
Kira leans back in her chair, crossing her legs. “No. Dante doesn’t tell anyone anything. Sal does, though. He thinks Dante is obsessed with you. Like dark and twisted, I’ll burn the whole world to keep you safe, obsessed.” She pauses, her head tilting to the side. “Speaking of, how do you like it? Being here, I mean?”
I take in a deep breath, the scent of chlorine mingling with the fragrance of nearby orchids. I tilt my head back to watch the rays of the afternoon sun streaming through the skylights, casting a warm glow on the polished marble floors. My gaze then drifts to the glass walls that look out to the manicured gardens and to the gallery above the entrance that provides a breathtaking view of the poolside from the mansion’s second floor.
“It’s unbelievable,” I marvel. “The Vitellis sure know how to treat a girl to luxury.”
Kira nods, her dark hair catching the light. “Good. Because I don’t think your baby daddy will ever let you go, Addy. Just saying.” She adds with a note of finality.
I swallow the lump in my throat. Dante has made that fact crystal clear. I’m never going back. The thought of that triggers a panic inside me every time I think about it. “Speaking of daddies, has . . . has my dad been in touch?” I ask, keeping my voice carefully neutral.
Kira’s brow furrows, her fingers drumming against her glass. “Surprisingly, not yet.”
“You don’t think he knows we came to Chicago together, do you?”
Kira frowns in thought. “I don’t think so. Otherwise, he would have contacted me to find out what happened . . . for closure, you know?”
Or that he already knows I didn’t die. My heart lurches with hope that my father has realized that I’m alive, so the Mob won’t wage war against us . . . I catch myself immediately.
Us? Really? Since when did you become a member of the Outfit?
