Page 4 of Alessio DeLuca

My breath catches in my throat as he draws closer, the heat of his body warming my back. He smells like expensive cologne and danger, a heady combination that makes my head spin.

“And if I refuse?” I manage to ask, my voice sounding strangled to my own ears.

DeLuca leans in, his breath hot against my ear. “Then you’ll regret the day you were born, little girl. I’ll make sure of it.”

Fear trickles down my spine like ice water, but there’s also something else… a traitorous curl of heat in my lower belly. I’ve never been this close to a man like him before, never felt the raw power emanating from every pore. It’s terrifying… and exciting.

“I want a setup like no one’s ever seen,” I blurt out, the words tumbling from my lips before I can stop them. “Top of the line everything. And I want autonomy. No babysitting.”

He chuckles darkly, the sound sending shivers across my skin. “Autonomy, hmm? You got big balls for a little girl.” He steps back, giving me room to breathe. “Fine. You’ll have your fancy setup and your precious autonomy. But you fucking to me, kid.”

I lower my chin in acquiescence.

He nods, something flashing through his eyes. “Good. Then let’s get started. Time to put that smart mind of yours to good use.”

As he turns away, barking orders at his men, I take a shaky breath and try to calm my racing heart. I know I’ve just made a deal with the devil, that I’m risking everything by agreeing to work for Alessio DeLuca. But I’m alive! He didn’t just shoot a bullet in my head.

And as I watch him move, all coiled power and lethal grace, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be consumed by a man like that.

It’s a dangerous thought, one that could get me killed if I’m not careful. But as I’m led out of the room, my mind already racing with the possibilities of what I could do with the DeLuca’s resources, I can’t bring myself to care.

Two

Five Years Later

Maty

“Aaand… done!” I sigh in relief as the last line of code falls into place. Another digital barrier built against potential intruders into the DeLuca family business. Not that they’d get far if they tried - I’ve spent the last five years ensuring we’re locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

I push my glasses up and glance at the clock. Shit, after midnight already? The office is empty, a ghost town lit only by the glow of my triple monitors. I should head home, try to get a few hours of sleep before the next crisis hit. Because in this business, there’s always a next crisis.

As I’m shutting down, a shadow falls across my desk. I freeze, my hand going instinctively to the weapon tucked away in my top drawer. You don’t get to be the top tech of a mafia empire without some well-honed survival instincts.

“Working late again?”

The deep, rumbling voice sends shivers down my spine. I don’t need to turn to know who it is. Alessio fucking DeLuca, Capo di tutti capi, king of this castle and the bane of my overworked, undersexed existence.

I paste on a professional smile before turning to face him. “Just wrapping up some routine maintenance, boss.”

He leans against the doorframe of my office, arms crossed over his broad chest. The sleeves of his crisp white button-up strain around his biceps, and his dark slacks hug his muscular thighs. Damn him. It should be illegal for a man to look that good, especially at this hour.

“You need to take better care of yourself, Maty.” His arctic blue eyes rake over me. “Go home. Get some rest,” he fucking orders.

I stiffen at his commanding tone even as a traitorous warmth blooms in my belly. I’m not some fucking damsel in distress to be bossed around- no matter how hot and scary he is.

“I’ll go home when my work is done,” I reply firmly, standing to shrug on my hoodie. At 5’4” I’m doll-sized next to his towering frame, but I square my shoulders and stare right back.

Something flashes in his eyes, there and gone too quickly to decipher. I’ll never understand what goes on in that beautiful, infuriating head of his.

“Careful, little one,” he warns in a dangerously soft tone. “That smart mouth of yours will get you in trouble one of these days.”

I suppress a shiver at the heat in his gaze. What I wouldn’t give for him to make good on that threat, to put my smart mouth to better use than sassing him. Not that he’d ever touch me. I’m not his type - too nerdy, too curvy now that I no longer live a life of starvation, too damn stubborn to be the kind of compliant arm candy he usually goes for.

I grab my bag and march towards the door, ignoring the way my body reacts to his nearness. Stupid fucking hormones. You’d think after five years I’d have built up some kind of immunity. But noooo, every rare interaction leaves me burning, my skin too tight and my thighs clenched against the ache.

“Goodnight, Mr. DeLuca,” I say pointedly as I brush past him. The spicy, woodsy scent of his cologne hits me like a drug.

“I told you to call me Alessio,” he murmurs, and I nearly stumble.

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