Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
“What?”
“Take your man home,” Pops said. “Those assholes aren’t worth your time. Let your brother do away with them.” I looked at my father in shock. “I’ve seen the way you watch him. It’s the same way Val watches Liam. You two are as stubborn as I’ve ever been, and it’s useless to try to stop you. You’re always telling me you get what you want when you try hard enough, so go give it a shot.”
“You’re really telling me to go after Zeke?”
“Yes. Tell him how you feel about him.”
Was this really my father? “I’m not sure he’s ready to hear that.”
“Some people are never going to be ready. Some people are never going to be able to say it either.”
I looked at him. Was he trying to tell me he cared about me but didn’t know how to say it? He’d always just done things for me. He didn’t express himself in words very often. I hadn’t thought I needed that, but maybe I did.
“Thanks, Pops.” I leaned over to hug him, but he held up his hands.
“Don’t go too far.”
I just smiled. “Yes, sir.”
20
ZEKE
When I saw Vito pull up in his SUV, I slipped out the door and quickly got into the vehicle before anyone noticed me. The last thing I wanted was to be swamped by fans in an area where security wasn’t there to fend them off.
Vito grabbed my arm and pulled me across the console, knocking off the neatly folded jersey he’d worn in the arena. The one with my name on it. The one that made me feel like I had claimed him instead of the other way around. He kissed me hard, forcing my lips open. I struggled for a moment, knowing this wasn’t the best place to start making out with him, but I couldn’t help but give in to the pressure of his mouth, the thrust of his tongue, the way his hand clamped the back of my head, keeping me where he wanted me. After all that hard work to win the game, it was nice to just surrender against him and let myself feel pleasure racing through my body instead of exhaustion and pain.
When he finally pulled back from the kiss he was smiling, showing me such genuine happiness.
“You were amazing out there. Watching you score was so fucking hot.”
I grinned. “It felt pretty damn good.”
“Not as good as I’m going to make you feel when I get you home.” I glanced around, trying to see if anyone had noticed us here. “We’re fine,” Vito said. “We’ve got eyes on our enemy.”
“Did you learn something?”
“Some of Benito’s goons were here casing the place and watching the game. I don’t know for sure what their plans were, but Val and some of our guards took them down and took them to a private location where they were able to question them.”
My heart sped up as imagined how that would go. “Are they dead now?”
“Not yet. Val is saving them for me. I can question them or kill them or do whatever the hell I want.”
The smile on his face disturbed me. “That’s not funny.”
“You’re damn right it’s not. These men are a threat to you.”
“You can’t kill everyone who threatens me.”
“The fuck I can’t. You’re mine, baby. No one is going to hurt you.”
“There are a lot of crazy people out there, and they say stuff they’re not going to follow through on.”
He snarled. “They’ll learn not to.”
“Vito.”
“We’ll worry about that later. Val got them talking and learned some things.”
“Did he torture them?”
“Not much. They squealed really quick, and he got enough information out of them that we can plan our next move.”
I shuddered, not wanting to think about how Val had accomplished that. “What does that mean exactly?”
“It means we’ll make a strike on Benito and his allies so we can eliminate them. They’re a threat to the family’s authority here.”
“And then what happens to me?”
Vito squeezed my hand as he held my gaze. “We’ll will make it clear you’re under the Marchesis’ protection. Most likely the men in Vegas will forget you ever borrowed money.”
I’d meant about me and Vito, not my debt, but I didn’t say that. If Vito walked away when this was over, I would be crushed, but I wasn’t going to fuck up the chance to have this night to celebrate together. “Vito?”
“Yes, baby?”
“Can we go home now, or do you have to go interrogate those assholes?”
“We’re going home. You’re more important. There are other people who can handle them.”
“Then let’s get going.”
He grinned. “Eager, are you?”
“After last night—”
“Yeah, it’s all I’ve been able to think about too. If you hadn’t needed your sleep for the game, I would’ve woken you when I slipped into bed last night.”
“How fast can you drive?”
“So fast, baby, but we’ve got all night. You’re sure you don’t want to go out with the team?”