Page 29 of Auctioned To Her Dad's Mafia Enemies

“To eat,” Antonio replies simply, lifting thetray of food in his hands before placing it on the counter as if I’m an idiotfor asking.

“She’s not a guest,” I remind him. “She’s a—”

“Captive virgin?” Aemelia tips her head, herdark eyes sharp with challenge.

“Maybe,” I say, my gaze sliding to my brother.“Or maybe not.”

Antonio straightens. “Aemelia, go to yourroom,” he orders. “I’ll bring the food.”

She opens her mouth to object, but at hisraised brow and insistent glare, she reconsiders. Without another word, sheturns and disappears down the hall, her clingy lounge suit hugging every curvelike a second skin—amasterpiece, stillunsigned.

When her door clicks shut, I approach mybrother and lean in to speak in a hushed tone.

“I leave you for half a day.”

“What?”

I inhale, catching the scent clinging tohim—floral and sweet. Not his usual cologne. Aemelia’s scent. My jaw ticks. “Yousmell like a whore’s closet.”

Antonio holds up his hands, his expressionblank. “She wouldn’t shower.”

“So you took one with her?”

Alexis lets out a low whistle, shaking hishead. “So I get the piss, and you get the shower. Nice.”

I don’t bother entertaining his jokes. “Youfucked her?”

Antonio plants his scarred hands on thecounter. “No.”

I study him with my instincts tuned to everyflicker of deception. He’s telling the truth, but something isn’t sittingright. “So, what? You washed her?”

He doesn’t answer right away, his gaze fixedon the tray, the chicken and potatoes in the pan resting in bed together likehusband and wife. “Yeah.”

“And?”

His shoulders rise and fall, the movementtight. “Andshe tastes sweet.”

Alexis whistles as the hair rises on the backof my neck. “You went down on her?”

Antonio scrubs a hand down his face, exhalinghard. “I lost my head.”

“Damn right, you did. And what about you? Whatdid you make her do for you?”

“I didn’t make her do anything. Fuck. She wascrying, and then she wanted me to. And I handled myself.”

Alexis folds his arms over his chest, eyesgleaming. “An unselfish lover. Good for you, Tonio. I didn’t think there was aman in our world who would give pleasure to a woman without taking somethingfor himself.”

Antonio’s nostrils flare. “It was a mistake.”

I scoff, shaking my head. “The only mistakewas letting yourself get attached.”

Antonio turns his back on us, gripping theedge of the counter. “She’s different.”

I exchange a look with Alexis, and for once,my younger brother is as serious as I am. This is dangerous. Antonio never letshimself feel—not like this. He’s a soldier, built for this life, trained to becold and efficient. But now? Now he’s looking at the girl like she’s more thanleverage.

Before I can say more, my phone buzzes. Iglance at the screen and curse under my breath.

“What?” Alexis asks, already reading myexpression instantly.

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