Page 123 of Brutal Heir
Jimmy shifts forward, expression hardening. “And,capo… if he gets close, we’ll have six guns on him before he’s within breathing distance of Rory.”
I draw in a breath at the venom in the Gemini enforcer’s voice but most of all at the fury carved into Alessandro’s expression as he says the words. There’s no doubt in my mind Ale would reduce all of Manhattan to ash if it meant taking Conall down and keeping me safe. But how much of himself would he burn away in the process?
“Good,” Ale snaps, calling my attention. “Now, get out there. I want all eyes and ears on the street.” He stands, along with the four other men in the room, two I don’t recognize. “Matty, you hang back a minute. I need to talk to you.”
“Sure, Ale, whatever you want.”
The three men brush by me in a whirl of black and overpowering cologne, nodding their heads as they pass. I’ll say one thing, when I was engaged to Conall, his men treated me like I was no more than old gum stuck on the bottom of their shoes. But with Alessandro, his men treat me like royalty. Any time Ienter a room, their heads immediately bow, eyes casting down to the floor as they mutter pleasantries.
It's weird. But also kind of nice.
“Come in here, Rory. You may as well hear this too.” His expression softens as he holds his hand out for me.
Abandoning my dark corner, I march into his office and wrap my fingers around his. He pulls me into his body, pressing my back against his front, and releases a soft sigh once I’m tight against him. As if his body needed mine to feel normal.
“Merda, you guys are cute.” Matteo smirks, wagging a finger at us. “Italmostmakes me want one of you, Rory.”
“One of me? What am I, a feckin’ Playstation?”
Alessandro shoots his cousin a sharp glare.
Matteo laughs, long and hard, the warm sound similar to Alessandro’s but more exaggerated. When he finally catches his breath, those deep green eyes lance into me. “Nah, you know what I mean. Someone to fall in love with, like the real deal.” There’s a flash of something unreadable in those typically playful eyes. Sadness? Regret? It’s gone before I can put my finger on it.
So, I tip my head back to find Alessandro’s weighty gaze steady on me. “Am I the real deal, McFecker?”
Another snort from Matteo.
“You better be, or I’m getting myself into a hell of a lot of trouble for a quick fuck.” His smirk is damned wicked as he makes a move toward my lips.
I jab my elbow into his side before he makes contact, earning a satisfying grunt.
He wraps his arms around me, spinning me around before I can get away. Not that I want to. His hand dives into my hair, fingers cradling the back of my neck so I’m helpless to do anything but meet that unwavering stare.
“You’re more than the real deal, you know that, right? You, Rory Delaney, are everything to me.”
My breath catches, the sincerity in his voice hitting harder than any bullet ever could. The weight of his words settles over me, molten and heavy, curling around the cracks inside my chest and sealing them shut.
“I hope you know what you’re saying,” I whisper, my voice barely holding steady. “Because everything to you means you’re stuck with me. Through the madness. The past. Whatever hell comes next.”
He leans in, his forehead brushing mine, his nose skimming my cheek like he needs to breathe me in to remember why he's still standing. “I know exactly what I’m going to do, how I’m going to fix this. I don’t care if the world burns, Red. As long as you’re beside me, I’ll walk through the flames.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” I reply, the corner of my mouth twitching with a ghost of a smile.
“I’m counting on it.” His lips ghost over mine, not quite a kiss, just a promise.
Behind us, Matteo clears his throat. “Alright, alright, before you two start humping each other on your desk, I’m going to grab a drink. Maybe two. I’ll be waiting in the kitchen.”
I flip him the bird without looking away from Ale, and he chuckles as he saunters out.
When the door clicks shut behind him, it’s just us. Quiet. Steady. Solid.
A groan rumbles Alessandro’s chest, the sound vibrating through my own as he presses his forehead to mine. “He’s right. If I don’t back away now, Iwillbend you over my desk and sink my cock so deep inside you, neither of us will be walking right for days.”
“That sounds like a challenge…” I lift a teasing brow.
“Don’t tempt me, little leprechaun.”
My eyes meet his, and a flutter blossoms behind my ribs. My fingernails bite into my palm as a storm of guilt and gratitude laced with desire overtakes me.
