Page 21 of Sinful Bargains

“Nah, don’t rush him, Paul.” Marco laughed. “He’s still recovering from that look she gave him. I swear, if her eyes burned any hotter, we’d be sweeping up ashes off the floor right now.”

“You’re both idiots, you know that?” I said, though a hint of a grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. Who was I kidding? Adriana’s piercing, dark brown eyes had captivated me since thefirst night I saw her on the Staten Island ferry. And I knew they’d continue to do so for the rest of my life.

“Explains why you looked like a cat that caught the canary when it was over,” Pauly remarked, arching his eyebrow as a smug grin danced on his face.

“Adriana’s got you wrapped around her finger, brother. Admit it,” Marco teased, nudging my arm with a playful grin.

“Admit it?” I asked, leaning back against the leather booth, a smirk now visible on my lips. “The only thing I’ll admit is that you two are idiots who don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

“You’re just a goner. But, hey! Don’t worry! It happens to the best of us!” Paul exclaimed, holding up his ring finger.

“Exactly. Deny all you want, Joey. But trust me, the whole room could see it. You’ve got it bad,” Marco teased. “You’re confirming the gossip being passed around.”

I took a long sip of my drink, trying to hide my smirk. “If I’ve got it bad, then what’s your excuse for still sitting here single and running your mouth?”

“Ouch.” Paul snickered, and the three of us burst into howling laughter.

“So, what’s the plan for the rest of the night?” I asked, my gaze flickering to Adriana sitting beside Lucy at the bar. She looked different tonight—dressed to the nines, radiating happiness, and carrying an ease I wasn’t used to seeing from her. I liked this version of her, the one that felt untouchable by fear or worry. I’d do anything to protect her, to keep that light sparkling in her eyes.

Paul noticed my eyes on Adriana as he sat back, sipping his whiskey. “You sure you don’t want to go back over there?” he teased me. “We can take care of things tonight.”

Marco grinned knowingly. “Go ask her for a second dance. I could use some entertainment in here before I have to get back to a hard night's work.”

I forced my gaze off Adriana. But only for a second.

Paul arched his eyebrow. “She’s begging you to come over with that look she keeps giving you. And every man can see it. We got everything taken care of tonight. Don’t worry.”

Marco chuckled, elbowing me. “Come on! Do me a favor and go back over there. One of us deserves to get laid.”

I shifted my weight, trying to tear my eyes away from Adriana in that navy dress that clung to her curves like it was made just for her. But it was damn near impossible. Paul wasn’t wrong—every man in the room seemed to have noticed her. They always had. She was beautiful, and anyone with a pair of eyes knew it. She caught my gaze more than once, each time offering a soft, sweet smile that sent a pulse of heat through me. If it weren’t for all the obstacles standing between us—Renee, Vincent—I’d already have made my move. But no matter how much I wanted to, I knew this wasn’t the time. Our time would come, I knew that. But it wasn’t tonight.

“If I don’t know nothing, I know one damn thing—and that’s this is going beyond helping her out,” Paul smirked, eyebrows rose high, creasing his forehead.

“He ain’t thinking about the dance anymore, Pauly. He's already one step ahead in his head.” Marco grinned before nudging me. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

I fought to keep the smirk off my face because Marco wasn’t wrong. Hell, all I could think about was the way she smelled, her eyes looking into mine, and that navy dress pooling around her ankles. I could almost feel it—our bodies so close there’d be no room for air between us. “What the hell does it matter? Not like I can do anything about it tonight. She’s beautiful, but I ain’t no fool. If Vincent didn’t take me out, Renee would poison me.”

“Hmph,” Marco grunted, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he finished off his whiskey. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Renee’sbeenpoisoning you. Just hasn’t given youenough to notice yet,” he said, making a slow motion across his neck with his hand, followed by a sharp clicking sound.

Paul leaned forward. “Marco and I will cover for you. You know that.”

“Got your back, brother,” Marco said, draping his arm across my shoulders and pulling me playfully.

The offer hung in the air, but so did the consequences. One thing was clear: after tonight, nothing would ever make me look at Adriana the same way again. But the last thing I could do was drag her into my mess. She’d already been through enough. I was stuck with Renee. I had no way out without starting a war in the family. I had put in the time, and I was too close to let it slip through my fingers.

“I know what I’m doing,” I said, breaking my gaze from Adriana. As much as I didn’t want to. I couldn’t get swept up in her beauty.

“Sure, you do. Keep telling yourself that, Joey.” Paul laughed.

“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” Marco challenged me.

Saying goodbye to Adriana was torture. Her gaze lingered on me, and mine stayed glued to hers, unwilling to look away. What the hell was happening to me? I couldn’t make sense of it. I’d never loved a woman a day in my life—not even my own mother. I tried, but she’d never let me in. She’d tainted me with a scar so deep, I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel love for another human. The closest I’d ever come to it was with Paul and Marco. My brothers. Not by blood, but by choice. That’s the only kind of love I knew. The kind you kill for. The kind you die for.

So why the hell did Adriana make my heart beat faster? She was beautiful, no doubt—damn near impossible to ignore that fact—but this? Thishadto be lust. It couldn’t be anything else. Lust was one thing. I could control that. But if it was love…

If it was love?I didn’t know what would happen then.

I needed to get out of here. “Nah, we have work to dotonight.” I took one last glance at Adriana before vacating my seat, Paul and Marco following me. Once I’d crossed the threshold ofThe Wise Guyand hit the streets of Staten Island, I was no longer Joey. That guy was gone. I wasThe Shark. And I smelled lies. Fear. Andbetrayal.

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