Negotiation: A Mafia Love Story (Triple Threat Book 1) (7 page)

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His anomalous behavior continued after the party, when he directed the driver to take them back to his place. The sex was almost vanilla compared to the earlier dose of kinky, but it was still amazing and satisfying. Afterward, she lay beside him for a few moments, waiting for him to get out of bed or give another obvious sign that it was time for her to leave.

Instead, he started snoring a few minutes later. She waited another moment before starting to slide from the bed. Sarah barely made it an inch before his arms tightened around her, and he clamped her against his sleeping form. He mumbled something into her hair. She couldn’t really make out what he said, but it sounded like, “Stay.” Since she wanted to, she allowed herself to accept that translation of his sleep-garbled word and curled against him. She soon followed him into a deep sleep, her body wrapped around his in the dark. It was easier to be vulnerable with him then, and perhaps he felt the same way.

She woke alone the next morning. A glance at the clock revealed it was still early, and she slid out of bed and looked around for something to wear. Someone, presumably Roman, had hung the red dress on a hook near the bathroom door, but the idea of climbing into the formal gown again this early was unappealing. Since it was a weekend, and she thought she remembered Roman saying once in passing that he gave his staff weekends off, she padded to his closet and chose a white button-down shirt.

She was of average height, but he was tall enough that his tailored shirt fell past mid-thigh on her, with the last button closing a few inches below her bare pussy. It was too much bother to search out her underwear, and she walked from his bedroom and padded on bare feet down the hallway, curling her toes in the luxuriously thick carpet as she took each step forward.

She could smell coffee brewing, and that led her in the general direction of the kitchen, which she found after a couple of wrong turns in the labyrinthine hallway. She swung open the kitchen door, her eyebrow creeping toward her hairline when she saw Roman facing the refrigerator, which stood open, and already wearing a suit jacket and trousers. Did he ever take a day off? It was Saturday, and it seemed ridiculous to her to be up and dressed for a full day of mobster-ing at seven-thirty in the morning.

A naughty idea occurred to her, and she wondered if she could subvert his plan to work today, at least for a few hours. With that thought in mind, she tiptoed up behind him and put her arms around his waist. She nuzzled her face against his back, and then frowned slightly. He was wearing a different cologne today, and its scent seemed wrong to her. She started to pull back even as he turned around, shoving her less than gently away from him.

“Don’t touch me.” He glared down at her, his expression lacking any of its usual warmth.

She looked up at him uncertainly, realizing when she had convinced herself he’d asked her to stay that it couldn’t have been what he’d actually said. Maybe he’d been telling her to leave, and she’d allowed herself to hear what she wanted. He was clearly angered by her presence. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t just touch someone without permission.”

The back door opened suddenly, and Roman stepped inside, his face red and sweaty from exertion, and his soaked T-shirt and jogging pants making it obvious he had been out for a run. He took one look at the two of them and scowled, turning his gaze on one of his brothers. “What did you do to Sarah, Dominic?”

A wave of relief swept through Sarah as she realized she had inadvertently hugged one of her lover’s brothers instead of him. The cold reception made a lot more sense, and she found a genuine smile for Dominic. “I’m sorry about that. I thought you were Roman.”

Roman’s brow arched, and he turned to look at her with interest. “Oh, maybe I should be asking what you did to Dominic?” He asked the question in a lighthearted way, but there was definitely jealousy visible in his expression.

She couldn’t deny the thought gave her pleasure, though she would never deliberately flirt with any man to make Roman jealous, and especially not his brothers. She half-shrugged her shoulder. “I thought it was you, so I hugged him.”

Dominic’s expression still looked annoyed, but he no longer seemed so cold. “No harm done,” he said gruffly. He gave her an appraising look. “So you’re Hastings’s sister, huh? I sort of see why Roman made the decision he did then.” With that, he closed the refrigerator and turned to face his brother. “I stopped to remind you Benas Vydūnas requests a meeting.”

Roman scowled. “There’s no reason to have a meeting, and like I’ve already said, I’m not meeting with him or Audra. She’s lucky all I took were a couple of her fingers and not her miserable excuse for a life.”

Dominic shrugged, looking unconcerned. “I agree, but meeting with them might prevent a turf war.”

Roman made a scoffing sound as he went to the kitchen sink, stripping off his sweaty T-shirt in the process. Sarah couldn’t help appreciating the way his muscles bunched under his tanned skin when he put the shirt on the kitchen island before sticking his head into the deep think and allowing cold water to flow over his face and hair.

He was a breathtaking sight when he lifted his head a moment later, his dark locks slicked back from water, and droplets trailing down his face and onto his chest. Her mouth watered at the idea of licking them away, and she almost forgot his brother was there. Almost.

“I already told you I’m not meeting with them, Dominic. If she hadn’t been a woman, I would have killed her when I caught her with the shipment.”

Dominic shrugged again. “As you say. We certainly have the numbers to quell any urge to retaliate.”

Roman nodded. “Any turf war would be short-lived, brother. I won’t lower myself to meet with them. I know her cousin is going to demand some kind of compensation for the loss of her fingers, and we all know the dirty thief is lucky that’s all she got.”

Dominic nodded, and the motion was almost exactly identical to Roman’s from a moment earlier. It was uncanny, but as she looked closer, she just instinctively knew she would recognize Roman beside Dominic anytime—except maybe when he was facing away from her, and she hugged his back. She almost giggled at the thought, remembering Dominic’s outraged reaction, but reined in the impulse. They seemed to have almost forgotten she was there, and she wasn’t anxious to remind them of her presence as they discussed mob business, especially since she was certain it was related to the mess Robbie had gotten himself tangled in as well. Hadn’t Roman said Audra was his Lithuanian girlfriend?

“I’ll relay your regrets.”

Roman snorted. “Yeah, you do that.” As Dominic walked past him, he clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Thanks though.”

Dominic’s frosty expression thawed slightly, and he smiled just a little at his brother. “I can only advise you about the wise thing to do, but I’ll freely admit I would take the same stance as you, brother. I wouldn’t meet with them either, and I can’t be certain I would have been as merciful as you were with Audra.”

After that, Dominic left, and Sarah moved closer to Roman, who was using his T-shirt to wipe his face and chest. She didn’t bother to ask about the exchange, having already gleaned enough information for herself to piece together what they had discussed. Had that been how Roman had dealt with Audra? Had he taken two fingers in retribution for her stealing from him? A small shiver went down her spine, and she was thankful again that Robbie was safely far away from the influence of Audra and the wrath of Roman.

“I’m going to take a shower, and then we could go out for breakfast, if you’d like?”

She made a noncommittal sound and watched him walk from the kitchen before making herself at home. She spent a moment acquainting herself with the layout and learning where he kept his supplies, and then set about making a quick breakfast that would surprise him.

By the time he returned fifteen minutes later, she had two plates waiting for them at the table, bearing eggs Benedict made with smoked salmon and a béarnaise caper sauce instead of hollandaise and fresh fruit. She used the Keurig to brew coffees for them, and she handed one to him as he stepped into the kitchen, appreciating his casual attire of khaki slacks and a yellow polo shirt. He looked ready to golf, or go out for breakfast, and she was still wearing just a shirt. His shirt. She wasn’t certain whether to feel disheveled or sexy as hell.

He looked at the table, his expression revealing surprise before he sipped his coffee, which she had prepared with cream and sugar, just as he liked it. “I was going to take you out, but this is much better.”

She nodded, giving him a slightly shy smile as she realized the scene was disquietingly domestic. It was something new for both of them, and she wondered if he was as nervous as she was as they sat at the table to enjoy a casual Saturday breakfast, just like millions of other couples across the world. It felt so normal and natural that it seemed positively unnatural in light of their pre-existing relationship.

Her hands trembled for a minute, and she had to grip the fork tightly before lifting the knife in a white-knuckled grasp as she forced away the wave of anxiety. It was silly to feel so anxious about sharing a meal with him, since they had eaten together before. That first night, his housekeeper had served them a gourmet meal, after all, but this felt…different. More intimate and meaningful, and not simply because she had cooked for him. Perhaps it was because she had made breakfast for him after spending the entire night in his bed.

“This is delicious. Where did you learn to cook?”

She took a bite, chewing and swallowing before answering. “It was kind of a necessity thing. My aunt wasn’t involved with us, as I’ve mentioned, and if we wanted to eat something besides Hamburger Helper and Ramen noodles, we had to make it ourselves. I used her scant selection of cookbooks to learn a few things, and then I started checking out books from the library. It took me about a year to learn how to teach myself how to cook pretty well, and then once I got really good, she made me do all the cooking.”

She flashed him a bright smile to hide the flicker of resentment that shot through her as she remembered that injustice. “I guess it’s never a good idea to do something well when people take advantage of it.”

He nodded, his gaze sympathetic, and he took a moment to squeeze her hand before he resumed eating. They chatted amicably over breakfast, and then he surprised her with an invitation to go sailing around the harbor. They spent most of the day indulging in the early summer weather before returning to her home in the afternoon.

She absolutely had to have something to wear out for dinner, having made do with a pair of his drawstring shorts and a T-shirt to go sailing. Once on board his small yacht, she hadn’t remained dressed for long, so it hadn’t been a big deal. Now, she dashed into the shower and prepared herself for dinner out with him while he went home to do the same.

When she emerged from the bathroom a little while later, wrapped in a towel, she let out a squeak of surprise when she saw him standing in her bedroom. “I thought you were going to get ready and then come back for me,” she said after catching her breath. “I didn’t expect to see you already.”

“I never left,” he said, looking slightly tense.

She glanced around him, surprised to see her luggage spread on the bed. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t like this neighborhood, so I’m taking you home with me. Take just the necessities tonight, and I’ll send someone to gather your things later.”

She walked toward him, frowning as she tucked her towel more firmly against her body. “There’s nothing wrong with this apartment.” It was a safe spot in a safe area of the city, and though it didn’t have a doorman, it required visitors to be buzzed in by a resident before they could gain entry.

“You’ll be safer at my place.” He spoke like it was his final decision.

She reached for the nearest suitcase, removing a stack of her frilly underclothes, and put them back in the dresser. “I’m fine where I am, thanks.” There was a marked lack of gratitude in her tone. There were a lot of things she liked about Roman, but his highhandedness was definitely not one of them.

“I’ve decided you’ll live with me, and our agreement allows me to make that decision.” He reached past her to scoop up the frilly things she had just returned to the dresser, this time dropping them into her suitcase with careless disregard that would ensure they all ended up wrinkled.

She reached past him to scoop them up again, uncaring if they got wrinkled in the process. At the moment, she was angry enough that she was certain he’d never see them again anyway, at least not on her. She started to reach for the dresser, but he grabbed the other side of the handful of lingerie and tugged. They engaged in a brief tug-of-war before the rending of silk filled the air.

She looked down, horrified at the sight of a pair of beige underwear split right down the middle. It was ludicrous, and she couldn’t help giggling even though she was still angry. “What the hell are we doing here?”

“Behaving like children,” said Roman with a hint of a grin. “Maybe I did this the wrong way. The truth is, Sarah, I liked waking up with you in my bed this morning, and I enjoyed holding you all night. I liked having breakfast with you and spending the day together. I’d like more of that, so I decided to move you in with me.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but she was in a prickly position. Technically, there was no mention of living arrangements in their agreement, but she had conceded to do what he requested when he requested, though in a strictly sexual context. Still, it could be interpreted to cover demanding she lived with him. Couldn’t it?

Realizing she was hopefully looking for a way to latch onto the idea, she closed her mouth and bit back her protests. It was insanity, but she realized she wanted to move in with him. They were undoubtedly moving far too quickly, and surely their affair would last even less time now from extended proximity, but she couldn’t pretend that she didn’t want the same thing he did. With a small sigh, she dropped the handful of lingerie back into the suitcase, minus the split pair of briefs. It was a clear sign of her surrender, and he recognized it as such.

“I like it when you cooperate,” he said with a slight growl in his voice as he dropped to his knees. “It’s almost as nice as when you try to fight me every step of the way. I like both sides of you.” He paused to peel off her towel before pressing his lips to her abdomen. “Of course, I like all parts of you.” He kissed a line down her belly, pausing at her mound. “It would be difficult to pick a favorite part, but I think it’s this part right here.” His hand slipped between her thighs, parting the folds of her pussy so his lips could venture lower, his tongue stroking the sensitive flesh between her labia.