Page 30 of Claimed By the Possessive Mafia Prince
As I get changed into my swimsuit, I think about what she said: what she always says. But I can’t agree with her. I think about what happened all the time. I think about the future, Mom’s business, and making her happy.
I enter the water from the pier, enjoying the warmth of the waves. The current is gentle, but I keep close to shore anyway. Swimming is like meditation, allowing me to empty my mind.
Until I spot him.
Standing at the edge of the hotel pier a hundred feet away, a silhouette in the fading light. It’s definitely Dario. I know him by the shape of his body, his broad shoulders. Even the way he holds his phone to his ear is sexy, the way the muscles in his arm contract.
I don’t like how we left things earlier. Sure, I was right. It’s not fair for him to feel like he owns me after one kiss, but still, I don’t want to be on bad terms with him.
Swimming toward the pier, I decide to take a wide circuit. I’ll surprise him like he did on my first day here, when he was snorkeling. A smile touches my lips as I wonder if I’ll be able to make him jump.
As I get closer, I slow my pace, floating through the subtle waves. His voice travels to me across the water.
“You’re forgetting who the fuck you’re talking to,” he growls, his voice sounding different, darker. A pause. “That would be a verybad idea. Do you think I’ve left the countryforever? Do you want me to be in a bad mood when I come back?”
Another pause. I realize I’m holding my breath and let out a trembling sigh.
“You’re living in a dreamland if you ever think I’d let you get away with something like that. I’ll come down on you and your boys like a ton of goddamn bricks. I’ll break every bone in…”
He stops suddenly, peering down at the water.
“Who’s down there?” he says sternly.
I make a noise somewhere between a gasp and a croak.
Somehow, it’s enough for Dario to know it’s me. “Siena?”
“I was going to surprise you.”
Immediately he hangs up the phone. His voice changes, becoming softer…faker?
“Come up here.”
I swim around to the edge of the pier and find the ladder. When I climb up, Dario’s gaze flits up and down my body. It’s a one-piece swimsuit, not hugely revealing, but it’s like he can’t help himself.
“Who was that?” I demand.
“Just work.”
“Work? You said you were going to break every bone in their bodies! What is your work anyway?”
“Finance, broadly speaking.”
“That’s vague.”
“I’m sorry you had to hear that, but some people only respond to harsh language.”
When he approaches me, I take an instinctive step back.
“Damn, Siena. Do you think I’m going to hurt you or something?”
“It just sounded… I don’t know, like you were going to get violent.”
“The only violence I’m interested in is tearing off that swimsuit…”
He smirks as he approaches me. This time, something keeps me in place.
“Don’t be a douche,” I mutter.
