Chapter 8

8

Olivia

"I'm here to pick you up and take you to the boutique," he rumbles.

Oh, my goodness, that sinfully deep, caramel custard voice which I never thought I'd hear again. What is he doing here? How did he find me?

"You're taking us to the boutique?" I burst out. "Why would you do that?"

"I'm Luca's brother," he replies.

"You're Luca Sovrano's brother?"

"Massimo Sovrano, at your service." He holds out his hand.

I ignore it. "If you're Luca's brother, then—" I stiffen. "You're part of the Cosa Nostra, " I state flatly.

"My brothers and I are the Cosa Nostra ."

"Do the two of you know each other?" Penny glances between us.

"No," I say at the same time he says, "Yes."

Her gaze bounces between us.

"So, you don't know each other?" Her forehead crinkles.

"Not strictly, no," Massimo says slowly. "What did you say your name was?" he asks.

"I didn't." I brush past him, then walk to the open door of the car and slide into the back seat. I shut the door behind me, and Massimo opens the front door of the car for Penny.

She gives him an apologetic look. "Olivia's not always this rude," Penny explains.

"Olivia, huh?" He glances at me, and his eyes are hot and smoldering.

Had I really thought his eyes were colorless? Silver sparks flicker in their depths, like motes of dust caught in beams of sunlight. My breath catches, and my cheeks heat as I recall... The slide of his skin on mine. Him peering deep into my eyes as he'd taken me, pushed into me inch by agonizing inch. As he'd placed his mouth over mine and shared my breath. As he'd pushed me onto my front and covered my body with his. Moisture laces my core. My thighs clench.

One side of his lips kicks up as if he's remembering the same things as me. Jerk.

I glance away, and he shuts the car door behind Penny, then takes his seat behind the wheel. He pulls away from the curb, and I can't take my gaze off of his hands. Broad, thick fingers topped with blunt fingernails that he crammed inside the most forbidden part of me. Sensations well up my spine. I wriggle around in my seat, trying to make myself more comfortable.

"So, you and Luca must be close if you agreed to ferry us around..." Penny prompts.

Massimo snorts. "More like, he realized he had no choice but to depend on someone to help him out."

Penny laughs. "Are you surprised he and Jeanne are getting married so quickly after they met?"

He flips on his indicator and turns the car. The silence stretches a beat, then another.

Finally, he shakes his head. "When you find the person you know you're meant to spend the rest of your life with, you move fast." He raises his gaze to capture mine in the rearview mirror. "When you know, you know."

What the—what does he mean by that? Does he mean for me to guess the hidden meaning in what he said? Is he implying? No, surely not. I lock my fingers together, and turn to glance out the window.

"Oh, how romantic." Penny turns to glance at me. "Did you hear what Massimo said, Olivia?"

I raise a shoulder. "I don't believe in such nonsense. Personally, I think Luca and Jeanne need to think it over before they rush into a marriage, but hey, if it suits them, who am I to stand in their path?"

"I take it you don't believe in falling in love?" Massimo drawls.

"I believe in planning your life out, and going after what you want."

"And what is it you want?"

"To be the best in my chosen field," I retort.

"Olivia's going to play the lead in Beauty and the Beast, which will be showing in Palermo, starting tomorrow," Penny chirps.

"Ah, so an actress then?" His lips curve.

He's remembering the fact he guessed correctly I'm in a profession that's physically demanding.

I huff. "I prefer to be called an artiste, actually."

His grin widens. I scowl back at him. Penny glances between us again. "You sure the two of you haven't met before?"

"Positive." I turn to stare out the window, and this time, make sure I keep my gaze averted until we reach our destination. Massimo parks in front of a shop with the most amazing dresses in the window. I slide out of the car and join Penny as we gape at the creations. One of the dresses seems to be made of a sheer black lace with red trim that shimmers in the evening sun. It should look outlandish, but the way the panels have been sewn together, it looks ethereal. The kind of dress a rock star would wear to her wedding. The other dress has a sweetheart neckline, a slim silhouette, and the most amazing, intricate embroidery on it. There is a small discreet sign next to the door that says: Karma's Creations.

"Umm, I don't think we can afford whatever this shop is selling," I mutter.

"Luca insists that Jeanne will be very happy if the two of you accept the bridesmaids' dresses chosen for you."

"But—" I begin to speak, but Penny nudges me sharply in my side. "Ow!" I yelp. "What are you?—"

She scowls at me. "It's Jeanne's wedding. Imagine how happy she'll be when we turn up as her bridesmaids."

"But the dress?—"

"—Is very important. It's part of the memory we're helping her make." She holds my gaze, trying to convey that I should shut up now and go with the flow.

I blow out a breath. "Fine, fine. I'll do it for Jeanne."

Massimo holds the door open and I follow Penny inside. That very male scent of spice and citrus and wood smoke seems to wrap itself around me as I walk past him. His fingers around my neck, his chest flattened to my back, every striated pec of his imprinted on my skin as he'd bent me over and thrust into me... Stop it, just stop. He's part of the Mafia. Part of the life I swore to leave behind. I want nothing to do with his kind.

Mafioso come across as macho and charismatic. You can't resist their sheer maleness. But I've seen how they treat their women. How they cloister them and refuse to allow them to make up their own minds. How they treat them like possessions and deprive them of choice.

My father was an outlier when it came to his daughters. But with his wife, he was as traditional as the rest of the Mafia men. She was an actress, until she met him. She sacrificed her career for him and her children. Grew bitter because of it. Yet, she was so firmly transformed that she wanted the very same for her daughters—security, marriage, staying in the community. Not me, though. I broke down that wall and escaped, and I'm not going to be dragged back into it again.

Something brushes against my ankle. I glance down to see a beautiful Savannah brush up against me. "Hey you," I bend down and rub the cat's head. "Where did you come from?"

"Andy found you, eh?" A dark-haired woman walks over to greet us.

"Karma." Massimo closes the distance to her and kisses her cheek.

"Hey, you!" She smiles up at him, her eyes sparkling.

Something heavy crashes into my chest. It presses down on my lungs, and I can't breathe. I tuck my elbows into my sides and try to regain my composure. Who is she? Wife? Girlfriend? Mistress?

"How's the little guy, or is it a girl, doing?" Massimo touches her stomach. His movements have a familiarity to them that hint he knows her well.

That heaviness intensifies until it feels like my very body is being dragged to the floor. Is it his? Is she pregnant with his child? And the asshole slept with me? I curl my fingers into fists.

"It's too early to tell," she laughs, her skin positively glowing.

He takes her hand between both of his, then turns to face us. "Meet Karma, my sister-in-law, and the designer of your bridesmaids' dresses."

"Your sister-in-law?" I blink.

He smirks. "What did you think?" he murmurs, watching me closely.

"I didn't. I mean, I thought... I mean—" I toss my hair over my shoulder and turn to Karma. "Are those your creations in the window."

"They are; you like?"

"Very much." I laugh.

Andy mewls and Karma narrows her gaze on him. "You've already had your snack. Nothing more until dinnertime. You're putting on too much weight."

He walks over to Massimo, who scoops him by the scruff of his neck and places him on his shoulder. He nods at Karma. "Why don't you take them inside and show them the dresses?"