Page 54 of Mafia Darling

The air left my lungs and I stopped, frozen. No, it couldn’t be. How . . . ?

Oh, my God.

“Oh, my God,” I repeated, out loud this time. “Are those . . . ? You brought my sisters here?”

Fausto’s hand swept down my back and settled on my hip. His mouth near my ear, he whispered, “Surprise, amore.”

Tears flooded my eyes before I could stop them, emotion swamping me. My sisters were here. In Siderno. I couldn’t believe it.

Without another word, I took off toward the patio. I sprinted, a huge smile on my face the whole time. Emma and Gia started forward, wearing matching grins, and we crashed together in an unholy mess of arms and tears. “Holy shit,” I breathed. “I can’t believe you’re both here.”

“Neither can we!” Emma said.

Gia added, “It was fucking wild, Frankie. One minute we’re in class, and the next minute we’re on a private plane to Italy.”

I eased back to see their faces. “I can’t believe Papà let you come.”

“Your boyfriend has some serious pull,” Gia said. “Whatever he said had everyone scrambling to do his bidding.”

Not sure boyfriend was the right word, but I would have to ask Fausto about this later. Right now I needed to wrap my head around the fact that my sisters were here. I held onto their hands, unwilling to let them go in case they disappeared. “I’m so happy to see you both. You have no idea.”

“Same,” Gia said. “Plus I’m missing a calculus quiz and an English Lit paper.”

“You’ll have to make those up when you get back,” Emma reminded her.

I heard footsteps on the gravel before I felt his presence at my back. He slipped a hand onto my hip and I suddenly craved the feel of his warm body next to mine. I shamelessly leaned into him, not caring if my sisters saw.

“Perhaps you’d care to show your sisters around the estate, dolcezza.” He pressed a kiss to the crown of my head, his masculine scent filling my nose. “I will see you at dinner.”

Releasing me, he strode toward the door that led inside, his broad shoulders stretching the fine fabric of his suit. My insides squeezed and I needed . . . I didn’t know what I needed but I had all this emotion inside me, and my only thought was to stop him. When he opened the door and went inside, I held a finger up to my sisters. “One second. I’ll be right back.”

I darted through the door and into the cool house. Grabbing the tails of his suit coat, I pulled him to a stop. His brows lowered in confusion as he glanced over his shoulder at me, but I didn’t speak. Instead, I pushed him toward the wall, uncaring of the guard that stood a few feet away.

Fausto’s back hit the stone and he gave a soft grunt. I lunged for him, throwing myself at his chest and capturing his lips with mine, and he let me lead for a few seconds. Then he took over with a hand on my nape, holding me, while his tongue licked its way into my mouth. My toes curled inside my shoes. He devoured me, and if I’d ever doubted how much this man wanted me, this kiss obliterated it. The way his muscles trembled, the press of his fingertips into my skin . . . It was like he wanted to consume me.

And I’d never wanted so badly to be consumed.

Finally, he pulled back and pressed our foreheads together. “You like your surprise?” he said softly through heavy breaths.

“I do. Very much. Thank you, Fausto.”

“I like to see you happy. ” He eased me back then slapped my ass, hard. “Go, enjoy them. I will see you at dinner.”

I gave him one last quick kiss and let him go, practically skipping as I went back outside. My sisters were sitting in the chairs and talking excitedly, finishing each other’s sentences as they often did. I lowered myself in an empty chair, hoping I didn’t appear like I’d been tongue-fucking Fausto a moment ago.

Gia smirked. “Your lips are swollen. You look like you’ve had a collagen treatment.”

“You look beautiful,” Emma said. “Being pregnant agrees with you.”

“Only in the last week or so. Before that, I looked like shit. I do not recommend pregnancy, you guys.”

“Noted,” Gia said. “But the getting pregnant part must’ve been fun.”

Yes, it had been. Too fun, in fact.

“You’ll have a little baby soon,” Emma said, her eyes growing soft. “Do you know what you’re having yet?”

I shook my head. “No, and I don’t want to know, either. There’s too much at stake, and thinking about this baby’s future is already doing my head in.”

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