Page 132 of Mila: The Godfather

He smiles and is about to say something when his eyes flicker to something over my shoulder, and I see his eyes narrow.

What?” I ask, looking behind me. I move so fast that I bump my tight against the table, causing his drink to spill.

“Sorry,” I quickly spring into action and pat the table with a napkin.

He glances at me, takes the napkin from me, and then winks.

“What did you see?” I ask as I once again look behind me.

Thought I saw someone staring at you. But when I glanced to get a better look, they were gone.” He shrugs, still looking alert. “You were laughing. They were probably caught in the beauty of your smile.” He takes a sip of his drink while leaning back on the booth.

I look down at my drink, playing with the straw while trying hard not to blush but failing.

This man and his compliments. I’m sure could make a grumpy man blush.

It’s come to a point where I can feel the compliments in my soul.

“That’s sweet,” I whisper. “But I think that you’re blind or something. My smile is nothing special. It’s like everyone else’s.” It is.

I’ve seen myself smile. It’s nothing special. It’s just a smile but then I think of how his smiles light up a room and give me butterflies.

Is it the same for him?

“Butterfly, don’t hide your eyes from me.” Riagan reaches forward, grabs my chin, and lifts my face to see me better. “It’s special alright. Your smile always has the power to stop me in my tracks, and your laugh?” He shakes his head with a soft look on his face. “That fucking laugh of yours, I feel down to my bones. It’s my favorite sound, sweetheart, so yeah it’s fucking special.”

The things he says, the way he says them, and the way he looks at me make me feel like I matter.

“But you’re you… you like me, so you have to feel that way.” I scrunch up my nose. “But I’m sure that normal people don’t feel that way. When I was little, my father got mad when I laughed.”

His eyes turn dark, and there’s a grim line on his face. “Fuck them and fuck your bitch of a father.” He rasps while I notice him holding onto his drink so hard that I believe he will break it any minute now. “You should see yourself the way I do. The way every man in my clan does,” he points out. “It’s not just your pretty smile and sweet laugh. It’s every fucking thing. You have all that golden curly hair and that ass. All those fucking curves that drive me insane with the need to trace every dip and turn of your body.” I can’t seem to look away from him as he leans closer, as if he’s whispering a secret. Maybe he is. Maybe he is finally telling me the things he thinks I’m too innocent and afraid to hear. “You’re beautiful, and fuck me, you’re a dream. Every single part of you makes me feel like an addict craving his next fix, from your sweet heart to those plump pink lips.” He gestures with his finger to my mouth. My breath hitches when I feel his touch on my lips, and I feel a burning sensation between my legs. A sensation I only fear when I’m this close to him.

Arousal.

I know that much.

I become aroused when he touches me.

Hell, even when he looks at me the way he is now, I feel my skin become hot and tingly.

His eyes heat more, and he taps my nose before saying, “Don’t do that shit with me, yeah? Don’t talk about yourself as if you’re anything less than perfect. I won’t have it.” His eyes trained on me, the blue seeming a little more intense than they were before.

“You make me feel that way.” I nervously tap the table three times, in sync with the beat of my heart. It’s not going fast but it’s not slow, either. It’s strong and steady. “Feel perfect, I mean.” I wait for him to say something, but when he doesn’t and just stares at me, I blabber away. “I’ve never been the ideal daughter, let alone the perfect girl. I made my leave with being plain and ordinary Mila, but then you showed up and made me believe I am more than just my disability or my quirks. That I’m more than just Kadra and Arianna’s weakness. I’m not my father’s greatest failure.” I keep my eyes locked in his for a long moment, proud that every day I’m able to meet his stare for far longer than the times before. His eyes tonight seem bluer than when the lights hit them, and I realize that his shade of blue is my favorite one.

Riagan’s sky blue is now my favorite color.

The color that makes my heart sing.

“You, Mila Areya Parisi, are not their weakness and their failures.” My heart slows when he leans closer, so close that I can feel his hot breath on my face. “But you’re certainly my biggest blessing. The one I never saw coming, but I’m sure-as-fuck beyond grateful.”

Thud.

Thud.

My chest feels like it’s about to explode right here and now because of his declaration. Never did I dare dream this would be my life, and never did I think a man like him could be in the cards for me. Yet, here he is. Stealing the breath out of my lungs and making my heart a slave for him.

Reading someone’s expression has always been a bit of a challenge for me, but not totally impossible. It takes me longer than most people but eventually, I get there. Right now, when he’s not speaking, I try to read his expression, not wanting to misinterpret anything, but then I notice the look on his face, so intense, fearful, and so much like the one he had back at the beach when I exposed myself to him.

Need.

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