28. Valentina

Chapter 28

Valentina

“ I don’t usually do business in bed,” Ronan says, stretched out and naked under the sheets.

I kiss his chest. “Me neither, but here we are.” I’m floating and happy post-orgasm with that incredible ache between my legs. “But we should go over what Rocco told me before I lose it all.”

“All right, fine, if you want to waste a perfectly good postcoital moment on work, be my guest.”

I pat his softening dick gently and kiss his cheek. “That’s my boy.”

“Oh, you better fucking not,” he says, grinning, and I squirm away before he can grab me.

“Matteo Ricci’s business model is pretty simple.” I pull on my clothes and enjoy the way Ronan watches me. He’s always looking at me, staring at me, like when I’m in the room he can’t take his eyes off my body. I love it, that attention. It’s intense and seductive, being wanted so badly. “He robs drug dealers.”

Ronan’s lips press together. “Like that guy from The Wire ?”

“Just like that, but Matteo works with a little crew. From what Rocco told me, there are eight to ten of them, depending on who’s in town, and they’ve got a bunch of safehouses scattered all over the South Side. They’ve been banging up dealers for about a year now and haven’t been caught yet, and from what I hear, they’ve got one hell of a stash at this point.”

“Cash?” Ronan asks, looking interested.

“Plus product. I can’t say exactly what, but I’m sure it’s whatever they could get their hands on. Weird part is they haven’t been selling.”

“Hard to move stolen product,” Ronan says, sounding thoughtful. “Could be they’re holding on until they’ve got enough to do one big deal.”

“Whatever their plan is, Rocco thinks he can point us in the right direction.” I sit at the end of the bed. Ronan stretches with a sigh. God, that man, he is one beautiful specimen. “They’re really nasty, but nobody would be upset if we knocked him over and took him down.”

“There’s a thought.” He smiles to himself and closes his eyes. “Italians killing Italians. That’s every Irishman’s dream.”

“You’re too hung up on the weird nationality stuff.”

“Nah, love, it’s all just part of the game.” He opens his eyes again. “All right, I think I can sell this to the boys, but it’s going to be dangerous.”

“Not if we’re smart about it, which I definitely am.” He leans forward and tries to pull me close to him again, but I resist and glare at him. “No trying to make him our friend. Do you understand me?”

“You don’t try to tame a rabid dog, love, you just put him down.”

“You think that’s what Matteo’s become?” I reluctantly crawl back into bed and curl up next to him. “I remember what he was like before the Famiglia fell apart. Smart guy, motivated, always at the center of stuff. One of the younger men to make Capo.”

“He’s been in the wild for a while now. Can’t really compare what he was like to now.”

I kiss Ronan’s neck and close my eyes, breathing deep and slow. “Rocco mentioned putting the Famiglia back together. He said I have the name for it.”

“What’d you think about that?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, not sure why I brought this up. Maybe it’s just bothering me too much and I need to get it out. “I don’t think that’s my thing, you know? I don’t know if I could rebuild what my father built. I’m not even his daughter.”

“You’re his daughter,” Ronan says firmly. “Just because you’re not blood doesn’t change it. He’d hate hearing you say that.”

“You’re right.” I squeeze my eyes shut tighter. “I’ve just been feeling off lately, you know? Cut adrift and stuff. Like I’m lost.”

“You don’t have to be lost.” He says it very softly. I wait for him to say more, but he doesn’t, and I tilt my chin up to kiss his neck.

“I hope you’re right.”

He doesn’t answer. I’m not sure what I want him to say. It’s not like I can have a place in his family, even if that was something I wanted. I’m not even sure what our relationship means or where it’s going. I’ve been too busy and too lost in my own issues to examine what we’ve been doing too closely, because I’m afraid the second I do, it’ll take away the magic we’ve built together.

Instead, I curl up tighter against him and breathe in his smell, and I let that be enough for a while.