Page 98 of Of Vows and Betrayal

She blushes slightly and gives me a shy smile. “Thank you.”

I pull out her chair, and when she sits, I get a lungful of her mouthwatering scent. God, how I want to brush my lips on her soft skin.

We sit down to eat, the atmosphere warm and intimate, and it still feels like this date is just another dream.

“How was your trip?” she asks after taking a sip of wine.

“Long, busy, and tiring. I was anxious to come home.”

She nods. “Yes, I presume it takes a toll being away from home for so long.”

“It was not the home I missed. It was the woman in it.”

“Oh.” She looks down at her plate and blushes, and I hate myself right now. I told myself I had to go slow because she was still unsure, and I bulldozed in at the second sentence.

I sigh, needing to get the rest of the ugly out now before I lose the courage. “I don’t want any more secrets or lies between us. I make mistakes, but I also learn fast.” This is how I managed to move up so fast. Well, that and my taste for blood, but there’s no need to remind her of that.

She looks back up, and her green eyes shine almost eerily under the dim lights. “Yes, I would like that too.”

“Nothing I told you during our time together was a lie.”

“Javier, please don’t?—”

“No, wait. What I mean is all my acknowledgment of the person you are—my awe, my care, and finally, my desire and love. Nothing was fake. I tried to fight it so hard, knowing it would be a mess for you and me, but it seems that love doesn’t care about that.”

“No,” she replies softly. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t.”

It stings, even if I know it’s not her intention to hurt me. I know what she’s not saying. Part of her probably wished she could have not loved me and loved that stupid Romero instead.

“I never should have continued when I discovered who you were. I met a lot of Mafia princesses in the past few years—I needed an inwith your father and these women, they are—” I shake my head. That’s irrelevant.

“And you found me.” She purses her lips.

I reach across the table for the hand that’s holding her fork tightly, but as soon as my fingers brush the back of her hand, she moves it slowly out of the way.

Shit, I’m losing her. I need to go faster and cut through the crap.

“No, you were not my in. I already had one—Jeremy.”

Her eyes widen, startled, and the oven timer beeps at the same time, giving me a little reprieve.

“Be right back.” I grab our half-eaten plates of tomato and ricotta salad. Once I am out of view in the kitchen, I lean against the fridge and take a deep breath.

It’s going to be okay, Javi. You need to do it.

I put on the mitts and grab the two plates of lasagna from the oven. When I come back to the table, Ophelia is still looking at the flame of the candle, processing the bombshell I just dropped.

“Jeremy betrayed my dad?” she asks as soon as I put the plate in front of her. “Is this why he disappeared?”

“Yes and no. Your father and the Gambinos think they killed Jeremy, but we saved him. Don’t ask me where he is,” I add quickly. “I don’t know that. Only Derek does, as he helped him disappear, and we promised him we’d keep it a secret.”

She leans back in her chair, resting her hand on her chest in relief. I can’t help the wave of jealousy, especially knowing the feelings the man had for her.

“When I told you I didn’t need you to cause your fatherto fall, it was the truth. We saved Jeremy, and he told us everything we wanted to know in exchange for a new life and a promise to keep you safe.”

The small smile on her face aggravates me, but I smother the caveman in me quickly. It’s not warranted, especially not now.

“Is he okay?”

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