Page 80 of Between Us

He grabbed her waist with one hand, pulling her closer. “You're the only Italian I like.”

“Yeah? You like me?”

“You know what I'd like even more?”

“Hmm?”

“To fuck you in your father's house while he's out here celebrating.”

“Oh, my God.” She choked on a laugh, pushing against his chest. “That's very rude of you.”

“I'll show you rude if you show me where your old room is.”

Laughing quietly, she looked over his shoulder and her amusement faded. Roman turned around to follow her gaze and saw that Nero was watching them with a pleased expression. Beside him, Luca was fuming silently, his scowl visible from a mile away.

Roman smiled, drained the last of his whiskey, and let his hand drift from Alessandra's waist to her ass.

???

“Cigar?” Nero offered, holding out the wooden box. “Imported straight from Cuba.”

“No, thanks,” Roman refused, making himself comfortable in the leather chair.

Across the desk, Nero sat down and reached for the cigar cutter. He took his time preparing and then lighting his cigar. After blowing out a cloud of thick smoke, he regarded Roman for a long moment, his expression giving nothing away. “I hope you are pleased with my daughter.”

Roman didn’t know why he’d been summoned in here, but he decided to humor the man with an answer anyway. “I am.”

“She's young, but I made sure she was raised right. I believe she makes for a good asset, even more so for a future Pakhan.”

Roman raised his eyebrows, a hint of dry amusement coloring his voice. “Is there a point to this conversation?”

Nero smiled, although it looked cold. “Just wanted to make sure you two get along.”

“We get along just fine.”

“I'm going to be frank with you, Roman. I'm glad things turned out the way they did. My daughter shouldn't settle for anything less than the absolute best. Luca seemed to be the logical choice a few years ago. Now, looking back on it, I know I was wrong. You are much better suited to her needs.”

“How do you know I'm what she needs?”

Nero swirled the whiskey in his tumbler before taking a drink. “Because I know my own flesh and blood. She needs someone with a strong character—a man who is capable of leading a powerful organization like the Bratva.”

Roman smiled indulgently. “Are we still talking about Alessandra?”

“Alessandra, myself; what is the difference? Yourmarriage benefits all of us.”

“I see you're very invested in your daughter's happiness.”

“She is happy; I can see it on her face.” He paused as if to gather his thoughts. “What I want you to know, Roman, is that when your father decides to step down from his position, you will have all of my support in taking over.”

Ah, so there it was. The reason for this unsolicited tête-à-tête.

“Don't hold your breath for that to happen anytime soon.”

“Oh, you never know. He might decide that he needs a break from all the stress he has to deal with on a daily basis. Didn’t he have a heart attack a couple of years ago?”

The fucking bastard.

Despite being darkly entertained by his father-in-law's motivation for toeing a very delicate line, Roman kept up the disinterested act. “How do you know I'm going to take over his position? There are many capable men in the Bratva.”

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