Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
I flip her over again, staring into her eyes as we both let out shaky breaths of belonging as I pulse one final time.
I almost say I love you. She opens her mouth to say something, but she holds it back. Somehow, I know it was going to be the same thing. Don’t ask me how I know. It’s like her eyes are texting it directly into my soul. But then she turns away.
She can’t face it. There are still obstacles.
Her dad. My actions tonight might get me caught or, worse, killed.
I lie down and pull her into my arms, stroking my hand through her hair, savoring the warmth of her cheek against my chest. Tomorrow will bring complications. Life will never be straightforward for an uncle and his niece or a mafia man and his Snapshot.
Just because something is difficult, it doesn’t mean we’ll quit.
I try to make myself say it. It’s the truth. I can’t fight this natural feeling.
I love her. I think I fell for her the second I saw her standing in the street, gazing up in awe at the skyscrapers with a gorgeously curious look on her face.
Maybe she can sense something. She murmurs, “That was so perfect. Nothing could ruin this moment, could it? Nothing.”
I wonder if she’s giving me a message. Don’t ruin it with promises you can’t keep. Love means a future, and we can’t guarantee that.
CHAPTER 25
ARRIANA
When I awake, life is perfect for a few long moments. I am free to lie in my man’s arms without restriction. I don’t care that he’s my uncle. His actions are of no concern to me. I don’t care about what might happen. All that matters is his warmth and his strong arm wrapped around me.
Then I hear my phone buzz from the side table. The only person in the world I want to text me is sleeping next to me, but I still feel that itch to check it. I sit up, looking down at my man, my savior, before I pick up my cell.
For the first time I can remember, he looks completely peaceful. He’s got a slight smile on his lips. A very light layer of stubble covers his face, grown overnight. His body is even more tempting now that I know what he feels like. When he slid inside of me, it was heaven. There was no nervousness, no regret, no anxiety. There was nothing but us.
The text is from my aunt.
Lucy: Morning, Arria. I’m sorry to do this to you, but Sandy called and asked if you were with Nico. Apparently, she ran into Lilly’s mom, and Lilly knew nothing about a sleepover. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t lie to her. Anyway, your dad has demanded that we meet in the cafe across the street. I said I’d text you, but I think you’ll get phone calls soon.
Panic streaks through me. I gently prod Nico in the chest. His expression melts into pure joy when he sees me. I’m relieved he gets to experience those first beautiful moments, too. Then he fully wakes up.
“What’s wrong?” He asks, his voice rough with sleep.
I show him my phone.
“Crap,” he says.
“That’s just what I was thinking.”
He sighs. “We’ll have to go and face them together. No point trying to run away from this.”
“What are we going to tell Dad?”
He gently strokes his hand across my cheek. “That’s up to you, Angel.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, even though I know what he means. I think I need to hear the word said out loud.
“We could tell him we made a mistake, that we let ourselves get carried away with some silly texting, that it’s over now. Or we could tell him we’re determined to make this thing, us, as crazy as it is, work.”
“What do you want?” I ask.
“To make it work,” he says as if that’s obvious. “There’s nothing I want more. I can’t imagine letting you go, not after last night. I can’t imagine another man claiming you. It hurts just to think about it.”
“I want that too. I don’t want to think of you with anybody else. And definitely not me with anybody else.”
He kisses me, then presses his forehead against mine, staring deep into my eyes. “Let’s do this, then. Together.”
As soon as we walk into the cafe, I can tell which side everybody is on. Mom holds one of Dad’s hands with both of hers as if keeping him in place—like she’s worried he’ll jump to his feet and run right at us. Dad is seething, but do I see some softness there, just a little? Aunt Lucy sits off to the side, the mediator.
It’s difficult not to hold Nico’s hand as we walk toward the table. If the way he’s clenching and unclenching his fists is any way to judge, he feels the same.