Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“Why are you being so generous?”
“Because Molly cares about you guys, and I care about Molly. That’s how this works now.”
He leans back and studies me. “Why’d you want to marry her so badly? You didn’t have to.”
“No, I didn’t,” I agree.
“Then why?”
“Would you believe me if I said it’s because I’ve been craving a family?”
“No, not really.”
“I won’t say that then.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “Whatever the reason is, try to make sure she’s okay. My sister’s been working her ass off for a long time to give me a halfway decent chance at a normal life and I owe her everything.”
My eyebrows raise. I honestly wasn’t sure if he understood how much she’d sacrificed for him. “She doesn’t have to grind herself to the bone anymore.”
“Good.” He seems genuinely relieved. “If it would make Molly happy, I could use a PS5. The good one with the upgraded hard drive.”
I bark a laugh and he grins back at me. I bump his fist and squeeze his shoulder, and damn if I’m not going to buy him the fucking PlayStation, because why the hell not. I bet the kid’s never had one before.
Back home, I find Molly on the couch with her feet up, looking tired. She had a shift at the diner and only got home a half hour before me. I sit down next to her and pull her legs into my lap. I rub her feet, starting slow, and her eyebrows raise in surprise. But she doesn’t stop me.
“Just got back from your old place,” I tell her, avoiding her gaze. “Nana’s good. Jason’s good. Little prick had the audacity to shake me down for a PlayStation.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“No, don’t. We’re bonding. It’s fine.”
“You’re bonding? With my brother?”
“Might as well put in the effort.”
She looks mystified. “And yet here I am, still not sure who the hell your family is.”
I grimace slightly. “I know. That’s not ideal. But things are moving on that front.”
“Yeah? How?”
“The other night, we took one of the guys hostage. He finally coughed up some information that might lead to Finnian Lynch himself. If we can cut off the head of the snake, the Irish clan will fall to bickering and backstabbing, leaving only the Russians to deal with.”
She works her lower lip between her teeth. “Sounds dangerous.”
“I’ll be late again tonight. Please don’t wait up.”
“Who says I want to?”
“Good. Don’t.”
“Great. I won’t.” She hesitates then pulls her foot away and leans toward me. “But if I did, there might be an incentive for you to come home. You know, if you needed one.”
My eyebrows raise as my heart rate spikes. God, I’m half hard for this girl already. “Details, please.”
“Use that dirty little imagination of yours,” she says with a satisfied smile and puts her feet in my lap again. “Oh, feels like you already are.” Her toes stroke at my shaft.
“Don’t start something you don’t plan on finishing.”
“Ha, oh, god, don’t tell me you’re a feet guy.”
“No, I’m not, but right now I’m interested in fucking just about every inch of you, so be careful.”
“Duly noted. You want to fuck my feet. No kink-shaming here.”
I roll my eyes and go back to rubbing, but hell, I am rock hard already.
“Once this shit with the Lynch Clan is finished, you don’t have to be a secret anymore.”
“Is that why you seem extra motivated?”
“Something like that.” I think about Dante’s warning and what it means. “I won’t be able to hide you forever. And hell, I don’t want to.”
“You want me to meet your family?” she asks, teasing a bit.
“Yeah, I do. Is that a surprise?”
“Kind of. You don’t talk about them much.”
I stare at the far wall. She’s got a point about that. Molly talks about Nana and Jason all the time, but I can barely muster a few sentences about my brothers. “You’d get along with Stefania.”
“That’s your little sister?”
“She’s around your age, actually. A bit younger.”
“What’s she do?”
“Right now, not much of anything. I think she’s a little lost.” Like we all are. I can see it in Carlo and feel it in myself. This war really stirred up a lot of shit. “I think she’d be happy to have another girl around. There’s Maddie and Allegra, but she’s still outnumbered by the boys.”
“Well, then for her sake, I hope you kill that Finnian guy.”
I laugh and squeeze her foot. “Listen to you. Already turning into a bloodthirsty mob wife.”
She raises her nose primly. “I’m just saying. Finnian is a problem, and I wouldn’t be upset if someone solved him. With a gun. Or whatever.”
“You’re a strange beast.” I pull her toward me. She squeals in surprise as I drop to my knees and spread her legs. “And now I’m thinking I don’t want to wait for my incentive.”