Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
I suck in a breath. I hate the way he says my name. Like there’s reverence in his tone. I don’t want his compliments.
But I also crave him worse than I ever dreamed.
He walks away before I can respond. I’m shaking with anger and discomfort, and I jump when someone touches my arm.
“You okay?” Sophia asks, laughing a little as she gives me the glass of wine I was waiting for. “Who were you just talking to?”
“Nobody. I mean, it was just Gian Rossi.”
Her eyebrows raise. “Really? I thought you two knew each other back in the day.”
“In college. I guess we had a class together.” That was how it started, anyway. But Sophia doesn’t know what happened next.
“Well, Saul’s looking for you. Says there are some people you should meet. Hey, tonight’s going great, right? I kind of thought there’d be at least one or two fights, but nobody’s gotten punched yet.”
“The night’s young and the bar’s still open.” I hesitate, sipping my wine. My mind’s racing so fast I can barely stand. If I go with her now, I’ll get sucked into a conversation with Saul, and who knows how long it’ll take before I can extract myself. But can I really do this? Can I ditch my own engagement party to go speak with the guy who broke my heart? The brother of the man I’m supposed to marry?
“Good point, there’s still plenty of time for the meatheads to throw down. I just hope my guy’s face doesn’t get too messed up.”
“Too messed up? There’s an acceptable level of messed up?”
“Come on, I love a crooked nose. Like Owen Wilson? It’s so sexy.”
“How about missing teeth? Are those sexy?”
“I mean, kind of, right?”
“No, not right, that’s completely unreasonable.”
“Veneers look great these days. Honestly, his teeth might suck. Knock them out and get an upgrade.”
“You’re insane.”
She throws an arm around my shoulders. “That’s why you keep me around. Now come on before your husband-to-be starts sending out the goons.”
I hesitate, glancing back at the bathroom. This could be my only chance to speak with Gian before he disappears, and even though I’ve hated him for all this time, I’m still curious. My body reacted to him, that lightning-and-fire feeling in my stomach still fresh like the first time he touched me, and I don’t know what it means.
But I know what I want.
“I have to use the bathroom first,” I say, extracting myself from her.
“I’ll come!” She pats her hair. “I could use a break.”
“No!” I say a little too quickly. “No, I mean, I really have to go. You know?”
She rolls her eyes. “You ate the shrimp, didn’t you? Babe, I told you, it’s been sitting out for hours.”
“You know I can’t resist a pink sea creature.”
“Just hurry up. I’ll stall the mafia squad while you take care of business.”
“Thanks. Love you!” I hurry off, away from the crowd, waving at a couple of people who try to greet me. I can’t believe I just used potential food poisoning as an excuse, but it’s only Sophia. I’m at the point where basically nothing embarrasses me with her anymore.
I head down the hall toward the bathroom then pause outside the unmarked door on the left.
I don’t know where it leads. But I know Gian’s going to be there soon. I’m not ready for this conversation, but if I ever want closure before he ghosts me and fucks off back to Vegas, this is probably my best shot.
I look back at the crowd. My future husband is in there somewhere. Saul, a decent enough guy. Not my dream. Far from ideal. But serviceable. The sort of match a girl like me is supposed to want. The total opposite of Gian.
I turn the knob and hurry down a dark hallway.
Chapter 6
Gian
This is beyond fucked. It’s my own brother’s engagement party, and I’m meeting with his fiancée in a dark, empty office, far from everyone else. I pace back and forth behind the desk, ignoring the photographs of a bald man and his average wife and their three boring-looking kids. Union Boss Dan Fanelli, a real piece of shit. Thanks for the office, Dan.
I don’t think she’ll show. If she was smart, she’d stay the fuck away, and I wouldn’t blame her. It’d even be a relief, not having to face her again, not having to look her in the eye and talk and keep my hands from pulling her against me the way I desperately want to.
I stopped that ten years ago for a reason, and I can’t start it again.
But I’m pretty sure this is going to break me.
The door rattles. I hesitate, afraid that it’s going to be Don Rinaldo, worried that instead of showing up, Allegra decided to tell her father what I wanted her to do.
And part of me hopes she did. That would put an end to this and I can start sleeping at night. I’ll leave Philly, fly back to Vegas, and try to bury these ghosts the best I can.