Page 252 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

“You still look pretty hot,” she says with a teasing smile, jolting me from the mind fuck they’ve assaulted me with. “Can I get you another drink?”

I force a tight smile. “Thanks, but I think I’m done for the night.”

She nods her head toward the table where Ray and Bobby have their heads bent together, whispering. “Yeah, I couldn’t help but notice your quick exit. Lemme guess, it’s a case of worst enemies?”

I let out a dry chuckle. “You have no idea. But please take good care of them anyway.”

“Always,” she says, a smile tugging at her lips.

Full. Glossy. Pouty.

God, I want to take a bite out of them so badly, and she has no idea.

“Have a good night,” she adds. “Joe.”

I wink at her, letting my eyes drink her in for one more long minute before turning away and grasping the brass door handle. “You too,Chella.”

For a second, I feel strange. Different.Normal.

Sharing snarky banter with a beautiful girl who doesn’t know who I am, what I do, or for that matter, what I’m about to do. It was easy, flirty, and…fun.

Shit. I can’t remember the last time I considered an encounter with a woman any of those things.

And I liked it. A lot, not that I can ever have it for longer than that fleeting moment.

Let’s face it, there’s nothing about my life that’s easy, flirty, or fun.

I can think of a lot of adjectives to describe it, but none of those come into play. Ever.

Much as I might want them to.

A whoosh of air blows against my face as I push open the door of the pub, and instead of walking over to the Range Rover waiting for me at the curb, I do an about-face and head back inside. I sweep a hand through my hair as my eyes scan the restaurant, not really thinking clearly with the head sitting on my shoulders. I’m being led exclusively by the one between my legs right now. I see Ray and Bobby huddled together at the corner table I just left, but Chella is nowhere to be seen.

I let out a defeated sigh and turn back to the door. It was stupid to come back in here when I have so much shit to deal with on the outside. Who knows? I might have my gun stuck down Salvatore’s throat in a couple of hours. My life isn’t exactly conducive to romance. Besides, what did I expect to happen between us anyway? I tell her who I am and then what? Our families are enemies. I’m sure she must hate me because it was my family who sent hers packing. Sure, I fantasized about getting her naked every chance I got, but it was a long time ago.

A fucking lifetime ago. A lot of water under a very long bridge.

And we just weren’t meant to be anything more than?—

“Hey, you forget something?”

My breath hitches as I find myself staring into her twinkling, blue-green eyes. They’re smiling just as big as she is and fuck, as much as I want to convince myself otherwise, I’m hooked.

Still, after all of these years.

“Maybe,” I say. “Depends on how you answer.”

She tilts her head to the side, dots of bright pink appearing in her cheeks. “Okay, so then there’s an actual question.”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“Well, ask away.” She nods over her shoulder toward the crowded dining room. “I’ve got a lot of tables.”

A quick look confirms that Ray and Bobby haven’t looked up once since I strolled back in here, which is a good thing…for a lot of reasons.

“What would happen if I came back here tonight after your shift was over?” I take a step closer to her just so I can breathe in her sweet citrusy scent as she considers her answer. “And asked if I could take you out for a drink?”

A flicker of shock mixed with excitement settles into her features, and her entire face lights up like the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. “So, like…a date?” A smile spreads across her face, and I swear I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life. “I’d say sure.”

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