Dante: A Mafia Bad Boy Romance (Sinsations Book 2) (2 page)

Movement at the bottom of the stairs drew my attention and I sucked in a sharp breath. She was here. Why? Her shift didn’t start until nine. I thought about retreating into the office but she looked up as she climbed the stairs and saw me. She froze for half a second, and then continued, a small smile playing across her sexy lips.

“Someone’s up early… or maybe staying up late?” she asked, a sparkle in her brown eyes as she reached the top of the stairs.

I smiled back. Her eyes had always fascinated me. The color of milk chocolate, they always seemed to glint with mischief when she smiled, her nose crinkling in a way that could only be described as cute.

“Look who’s talking,” I replied. “What are you doing here so early?”

She shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.” She glanced towards the office and her cheeks flushed slightly. She licked her lips and my cock twitched. “Would it be okay to make coffee? I think it’s going to be one of those days.”

My eyes were still fixated on her lips, hoping for another glimpse of her tongue. She cleared her throat, the blush deepening on her cheeks.

I ran a hand through my hair. “Sure. Definitely.” I nodded towards her desk. “You go ahead and do whatever you need to do. I’ll make the coffee.”

She frowned, eyeing me curiously. “No offense but that’s usually my job. Luc is a great guy… and a great boss… but he makes lousy coffee.”

I laughed, nodding my head. “Yeah, he does… but you haven’t had my coffee.”

She stared at me for a few more seconds, and then finally nodded. “Okay, let’s see what you got.” She smiled sweetly, but her eyes held a challenge, as if she was already sure she wouldn’t like it.

“You’re humoring me, aren’t you?”

She chuckled softly as she sat down behind her desk. “Maybe a little.”

“What do I get if you like it?”

Her smile slipped just a little bit, her eyes widening. She licked her lips and swallowed, making my cock twitch again. “What do you want?”

Good lord! What did I want? What didn’t I want from her? “A kiss.”

Her eyes widened even more, the blush that had faded rising in her cheeks again. “A kiss?” She licked her lips nervously again. If she didn’t quit doing that, I was going to lose my mind. “Okay,” she said softly.

I nodded, grinning at her as I walked towards the office. “You better prepare yourself. I’m going to make you a cup of coffee that will blow your socks off.”

“I’m not wearing socks.” She extended a leg out from behind the desk as if to prove she was telling the truth.

I probably stared a little longer than I should have, my eyes following her bare skin up to the hem of her dress. “Well… I’ll make you a cup of coffee that will blow your panties off.” I tilted my head, grinning at her. “You are wearing panties, aren’t you?”

She stared like a deer caught in headlights. Slowly nodded.

I nodded back. “Good. Prepare to be amazed,” and with that, I disappeared into the office, closing the door behind me. Blow her panties off? I groaned. New rule – no alcohol before work, especially when I had to interact with Olivia.

You are wearing panties, aren’t you?

Those words still bounced around in my head. Yes, I was wearing panties… and they were soaked. Dammit.

I stared at my desk. The computer sat, staring back, the screen dark. For just a second, I couldn’t figure out why the screen didn’t seem to be working, and then I mentally slapped myself, reaching out and pressing the power button. The familiar whir and beep of the computer powering up was comforting in a strange way, a sense of normalcy in a morning that had, so far, been anything but normal. That was probably the longest conversation I’d ever had with Dante… and did he really ask if I was wearing panties?

My cheeks grew warm at the memory and a tiny part of my brain griped at me, curious as to how he would have reacted if I had told him that no, I wasn’t. It was a nice fantasy but I’d die of embarrassment before the words could even leave my mouth. This was Dante, after all. I didn’t know a whole lot about his past but what I knew was impressive… and intimidating. I knew he and Luc had served in the military together overseas, and I knew he sometimes got involved in things that weren’t entirely legal.

I knew Lucifer had been involved with the mob before he came to Vegas. Okay, I didn’t
know
but I wasn’t stupid. His father was a big-time crime boss. That didn’t mean Luc followed in his footsteps, especially since he was here and not Chicago. But troublemakers had a habit of disappearing. Like Krista’s ex-boyfriend. One minute he was here, and then he was gone, just like that. Dante was involved in that somehow.

But none of that mattered because I had seen a little girl fall down while wandering the casino. She had gotten separated from her parents out on the sidewalk and had come into Sinsations looking for safety. I had glanced down onto the main floor just in time to see her running by the blackjack tables, and then she tripped and fell, hitting the floor hard. I had started to get up when Dante appeared.

I hadn’t been working for Luc very long at the time but I had seen Dante around. It wasn’t exactly easy to miss that walking wall of muscle. He had approached the little girl and gently helped her to her feet, and then he scooped her up and carried her upstairs so she’d be safe until we could find her parents, disappearing for a few minutes and then returning with ice cream. He had sat down on the floor next to her, the little girl and the gentle giant, eating ice cream together, until her parents finally arrived. I had fallen in lust with Dante the first time I laid eyes on him, but that moment was when I had fallen in love with him. He was handsome and sexy and strong and gentle and kind… and I was just me.

The door to Luc’s office opened suddenly, startling me. Dante grinned, holding a steaming cup towards me. I took it gratefully, my brain in desperate need of a caffeine boost, even if it didn’t taste good. I took a cautious sip, preparing myself for something similar to the muck that Luc made. I blinked, surprised, took another, longer sip. “Mmm. This is good.”

“You like it?”

I nodded, looking up at him. “It’s delicious.”

He leaned over quickly and before I could react, his lips met mine, his hand sliding behind my head, holding me in place. I gasped, shocked, and his tongue entered my mouth. My eyes fluttered shut and I moaned into his mouth, unable to help myself. He held me tight against his mouth, his hand warm against my head after holding the hot coffee cup. My nipples tightened into hard little buds. I squeezed my thighs together tightly, feeling heat and wetness between my legs. I reached for him, wanting this kiss – this moment – to last forever.

Someone cleared their throat. Someone close.

Dante pulled back immediately, rising up to his full height, his eyes shooting daggers at the intruder. I looked up at him, desire and need coursing through my veins, and then looked towards the top of the stairs, ready to unleash every swear word I knew at the person with the world’s worst timing. Instead, when I saw who it was, I gasped, momentarily speechless. I glanced at Dante, only to see the same look of surprise on his face.

A young man – probably around twenty-five if my math was right – stood at the top of the stairs, leaning against the handrail, thumbs tucked into the front pockets of his beige slacks, mischief in his hazel eyes, a devilish smile on his lips. Aside from his eyes being hazel instead of green, he was almost a perfect copy of his older brother, Lucifer.

His traveled from Dante to me and then back to Dante, his grin growing wider. “I waited a couple of minutes… but it looked like things might get a little serious up here and I have no desire to see any part of you,” he nodded his head towards Dante, “without clothes.” His eyes fell back on me. “You on the other hand…”

“Damian!”

The sharp edge in Dante’s voice pulled the younger man’s attention away from me. “In the office.” He strode swiftly through the door. “Now!”

Damian glanced at me, winked, and followed Dante. I sat back, trying to catch my breath, resisting the urge to fan myself because I didn’t want Dante looking through the office window and seeing the effect he had on me. “Santo infierno,” I whispered under my breath.
Holy hell
.

I glared at Damian as he walked by, closing the door as gently as possible, resisting the urge to slam it with all my might. Damn Damian to Hell. If anyone other than Luc’s brother had interrupted us, I would’ve probably thrown them down the stairs.

He looked at me and flashed that same damn shit-eating grin I’d seen a thousand times on Luc’s face. “I’d ask how it’s hanging… but something tells me that nothing is hanging right now.”

I growled at him as I walked by, taking a seat behind the desk. “What are you doing here, Damian?” I shook my head, held up a finger. “No, that’s not right. That’s later.” I leaned forward and glared at him hard, easing up only after he swallowed heavily, the grin vanishing from his face. I pointed towards the window. “The woman out there. Her name is Olivia. Hands off.”

He opened his mouth, that spark of mischief flaring to life in his eyes again. The kid had always been a smart-ass. It would probably get him killed one of these days. That day might be today. Luckily, he came to his senses and closed his mouth without saying a word. He nodded.

I leaned back in the plush leather chair. “Okay, now, what are you doing here?”

He walked to the couch against the far wall, sat down, and leaned back, stretching his arms across the back on either side. “I need a job.”

I blinked, sure I’d misheard him. I shifted in the chair, my cock hard and uncomfortable after that soul-scorching kiss. Damian was right. If he hadn’t interrupted us, I would’ve taken Olivia right on top of her desk, and to Hell with anyone who saw us. It’s not like they could report us to anyone. “Chicago to Vegas is a hell of a commute.”

He ran his hands through his long black hair, exhaling loudly. “I’m moving here. Saying goodbye to the family.”

I chuckled. “You don’t just say goodbye to family, Damian, especially when it’s the family we’re talking about.”

“Lucifer did it.”

“That was different.”

Damian huffed loudly. “Why? Because he killed people? Big damn deal. I’ve killed people.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose between forefinger and thumb, squeezing my eyes shut against the headache that was trying to start. I looked at him and shook my head. “Here’s the deal, kid. Feel free to hang out here at Sinsations if you want to – no charge on the room – but whatever this is has to be taken up with your brother.” I shrugged. “After all, he’s the boss.”

Damian nodded. “I still can’t believe he got married.”

I shrugged. “He found the one.”

“The one?” Damian chuckled. “Damn! Can you imagine going through life only having sex with one woman?”

My eyes flicked towards the window, imagining the curvy woman with olive skin sitting on the other side of the glass. I looked back at Damian and nodded. “When you find the right one, one is all you need.”

Damian shook his head, that grin flashing back into place. “Then I hope I never find
the one
because life is too short for that kind of nonsense.”

I chuckled softly. “Better be careful. I might make you eat those words one of these days.”

He shook his head. “Footloose and fancy-free forever.”

I tilted my head, narrowing my eyes. “Speaking of the one, weren’t you supposed to get married since Luc wasn’t available for that deal?”

Damian’s cheeks turned red and he dropped his eyes to the floor. “Yeah. About that.” He looked up at me and I knew. He had that same damn look in his eyes that Luc would get every time he pissed on the rules, usually pissing someone off in the process.

“The family doesn’t know you’re here, do they?”

Damian shook his head. “And I’d appreciate it if we could keep it that way.”

I slammed my hand down on the desk, frustration surging through me. “Goddamn it, Damian. You get us sucked into a mob war and Lucifer will kill you himself.”

He held up his hands. “Relax. I’m not stupid. I didn’t come straight here. After I left, I gave the first tail the slip, and let the second tail think I didn’t know about them.” He shrugged. “I ditched them later, after making them think I was headed to Cozumel. Nobody knows I’m here.”

I nodded. “We keep it that way as long as possible.”

Damian nodded. I hoped Luc was enjoying his honeymoon. He wasn’t going to be happy when he got back and this mess got dumped in his lap. I glanced back towards the window and felt a tightening in my chest, the memory of Olivia’s lips against mine forever burned into my memory. Life had been so much simpler – and more pleasurable – just a few moments ago. Maybe I should’ve thrown Damian down the stairs after all.

The rest of the day was a blur, with me handling almost everything on automatic pilot, my brain still locked into those few moments of the morning. I know I had promised Dante a kiss if I liked his coffee, but I never expected him to collect, and I never expected to want more as badly as I did. The chance to pursue the matter probably wouldn’t come up again for a while, though, because Dante had spent the rest of the day showing Damian around. He had visited once before, when Sinsations had first opened, and the place had changed considerably since then.

I was just getting ready to shut down the computer when my phone rang. I sucked in a sharp breath when I saw a name from my past on the screen. She had absolutely no reason to call me, and I couldn’t figure out why she’d even try. Curiosity alone made me take the call. “Hello, Linda.”

“Hi.”

That one word, filled with anxiety and fear, and then silence. I waited, wondering what she had to say, but she didn’t seem eager to talk. “What’s up, Puta?
Whore
. Wondering if I have a fiancé you can fuck behind my back?”

“That’s not fair.”

“Ha! You want to know what’s not fair? You pretending to be my best friend while you fuck the man I’m engaged to.”

“I wasn’t pretending to be your friend, Olivia. You know that. We were friends years before Pete entered the picture.”