Page 86 of Savage Ambition

His expression hardened. “I’m not for sale.”

I shook my head. “I’m not trying to buy you.” My thumb ran across his lower lip. “I want to save you.”

“Don’t bother. I can save myself.”

“As amazing as you are, you can’t do it alone, no matter how much you want to believe otherwise,” I pointed.

He snapped at me. “You don’t understand what you’re getting into.”

I held his gaze without flinching. “I’m well aware that Salvatore would kill us both if he discovered we were talking about this. The Gennaro family has tentacles that reach into every corrupt corner of this city. You’ve been planning his downfall for years, gathering intel, making connections, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.”

His eyes widened. “How could you possibly know that?”

“Because it’s what I would do. It’s what anyone with your intelligence and determination would do. You didn’t survive this long by being passive. You survived by playing the long game.”

A muscle worked in his jaw as he studied me. “And where do you fit into this long game of mine?”

“Wherever you need me.” I cradled his face in my hand, caressing his cheekbone. “As your ally. Your confidant. Your weapon against Salvatore.”

“And my lover?” Dante challenged, his tone making it clear he expected me to deny it.

I knew better than to agree. It was the fastest method to make Dante shut me out. “In every way you’ll allow.”

His hold on me tightened. “You’re asking for things I can’t give when he owns me.”

“I’m not asking for anything,” I corrected him. “I’m offering everything. There’s a difference.”

“Why?” The single word contained years of suspicion, of betrayal, of learning the hard way that nothing came without strings attached.

“Because from the moment I saw you, I knew you were worth fighting for. Worth dying for, if necessary.”

He flinched as if I’d struck him. “Don’t say that.”

“Does it scare you to think someone might value you more than their own life?”

“It’s fucking stupid,” he snarled. “No one is worth dying for.”

“Raphael is,” I countered. “You’d die for him in a heartbeat.”

The truth of it silenced him, although his expression was revealing. “That’s different. He’s family.”

“Is it? Or is it easier for you to understand sacrifice when you’re the one making it?”

His expression hardened. “Stop acting like you know.”

I pressed closer, my body flush against his. “I understand what it means to protect someone at any cost. To put their safety above your own. To sacrifice everything to keep them from harm.” I had done that for my younger brother Luciano every day of my life until I was banished from the Accardi family. It still tore me up inside that I had failed to protect him when he needed it the most. Now, Luciano’s gentle heart had been burned away to leave him as ruthless as the other members of our family. He had earned the nickname the Lucifer of Rome for a reason.

Something in my voice must have revealed more than I intended because his eyes narrowed with sudden interest. “Who did you protect?”

I smiled, the expression not reaching my eyes. “That’s a story for another time.”

“You expect me to trust you when you won’t trust me with your past?”

“I trust you with my life,” I corrected him. “My past is more complicated.”

“So is mine.”

“I know. And when you’re ready to share more of it, I’ll be here. I promise I’ll share mine when the time is right.”