Page 18 of Between Us

“Yes.”

She nodded, knowing it wasn’t her place to ask where he was going. Her hands stayed in her lap, fingers toying with the hem of her nightie. Roman’s eyes drifted across her chest, lingering there for a second before he took another drink of coffee. “You cook?”

Did he expect her to?

Alessandra not only did not cook; she hadn’t boiled a single egg in her entire life. Even though her mother was a decent cook, they had staff for that, and her parents had never expected her to learn that particular skill. She’d assumed it would be the same in her new home.

“Not really,” she admitted, watching his face for signs of displeasure. He gave none.

Roman nodded, as if expecting her answer. “Takeoutit is; at least until I figure something out. If you’re hungry, there’s yoghurt and other things in the fridge.”

“Okay.”

“Your clothes and personal items will arrive this afternoon. I won’t be home, but I already instructed Andrei to carry everything upstairs, so you don’t have to.”

“Andrei?”

“One of my men.”

“Right.”

Roman watched her closely. “What?”

“Nothing. I just thought my brother would deliver them.”

“No,” he said without inflection. “Your brother won’t step foot into Bratva territory unless he absolutely has to.”

She let out a soft sigh then got up and walked to the fridge to hide the disappointment on her face. She opened the door and peered inside, noticing it was well stocked. Grabbing a yoghurt and some strawberries, she set out to prepare a light breakfast. As she cut the fruit into a bowl, a question popped up in her mind, and she decided to address it now while Roman seemed in an amiable mood.

“What do you do for your father?”

She heard the cup being set down on the island, though she didn’t turn to face him.

“I’m a Brigadier. Kind of like your Caporegime.”

He pronounced the word with an atrocious accent, and she couldn’t fight a smile. “So, you’re in charge of other people?”

“Something like that. How much do you know about your father’s organization?”

“Not that much, but I know what a Capo is.”

“Interesting.”

At that, her hand stilled on the knife. She turned to look at him. “What’s interesting?”

“I’m surprised you know the hierarchy. I assumed he would have kept you completely in the dark.”

“He tried to, but sometimes the walls were thin in our house.”

Roman ran a hand over his mouth, and she thought that he was trying to hide his amusement. “Were you snooping around?”

“No. I just happened to hear some things. Papà talks loudly.”

The amusement dropped from his face a moment later. “You don’t speak of anything you may hear inside this house. Not to your friends, not to your brother, and definitely not to your parents. Is that clear?”

She swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat. He didn’t look so amiable when he demanded discretion, the hint of a warning coloring his voice. “Yes.”

“Good.” He stood, draining the last of his coffee and putting the empty cup in the sink. “I’m going to shower and change. Enjoy your breakfast.”

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