ged on the wall. Tina sighed, running a hand through her hair as she picked up a toy truck. Three years old, and Mia was a tornado with

u crash into something," Tina c

mmy!" Mia roared,

ince the truth slipped out before Mia was born. Mafia boss. Head of the DeSantis family. It wasn't like he hid it anymore-the late nights, the scars, the way people flinched when

cooling on the stove, and the knot in her stomach tightened. Lately, he'd been a ghost in their home, drifting in after midnight wit

n, and Mia bolted

p laugh filling the house. "

se, a shadow of stubble on his jaw. A new tattoo peeked out from his rolled-up sleeve, some jagged design she d

forcing a smile.

babe." He set Mia down and kissed Tina's forehead, quick and casual. She c

tched him, her fork hovering over her plate. He was distracted, his mind somewhere else. She missed him-m

t lingerie last week, black lace with a plunging neckline, the kind that screamed take me now. She changed in the bathroom, checking herself

were bunched around his waist, his chest bare. Tina's pulse raced. She le

he purred, her voi

r her, and for a heartbeat, she thought she had him. Then he rubbed his fac

kiss his neck, her hands sliding under the sheets. He was warm, solid, and she found him-half-hard al

d. He caught her wrist, pulling her hand away.

at back, the lace suddenly

Don't look at me like that. I want to, I swear.

in her throat, nodding

draping over her waist, but it felt like pity. She stared at the wall, the sting

ady for another day of "work." She dragged herself out of bed, the lingerie tangled in the sh

She'd tried-really tried-and he'd brushed her off like it was nothing. Maybe it was her. Maybe she w

e driveway, like he'd been in a hurry last night. She frowned. He'd smelled like whiskey, hadn't he? And there'd been tha

his hips. Water glistened on his chest, and Tina's traitoro

him a mug, trying to s

offee, leaning beside her

tired. Someone kept me up

n for a kiss. "I'll keep i

finished dressing-suit, tie, the whole mafia king look-

e muttered, watchi

in the bedroom, folding Mia's tiny clothes, when his phone buzzed on the nightstand. She glanced at it-Unknown Caller. It ran

up, hitting an

the line, smooth and sweet.

eath catching. "Wh