Page 7 of Bastard Prince
Everything about Enzo’s house was sleek and modern, from the front door that opened on an asymmetric pivot, to the low-backed furniture in the ridiculously over-sized sunken living room. The space would have been at home in any of the upscale casinos on the Strip.
Speaking of the Strip; from where I stood near the entrance, you could see out the floor to ceiling windows, across the pool, and straight back to the towering hotels we had just left behind. Beyond that, the craggy rust colored hills somehow looked both inviting and forbidding at the same time.
All in all, the place was fucking gorgeous, and I couldn’t wait to look around.
“The kitchen should be stocked,” Enzo said, the heels of his shoes loud against the poured concrete floors. “There’s a wine cellar, a game room, a media room, and of course, the pool.” He gestured to each area as he spoke, looking skittish as a wet cat as he guided the three of us into his private and personal space. “There are two guest rooms at the front here,” Enzo indicated for Tony and Vinnie to move toward them. “If there’s something you need, get it yourself. Francesca and I have the upstairs.”
With that, he snagged me by the elbow and began towing me toward the wide staircase to the left of the entryway, not stopping until we had climbed the stairs and entered the master suite.
And that was really the only word for it: suite. Because I had never seen a bedroom like it in my life. Taking up one entire side of the upper floor, from front to back, it included a closet bigger than most New York apartments, a bathroom that could easily accommodate a dozen people, a wet bar and coffee station, a sitting room, and of course, a massive bed surrounded by windows, allowing you to see all the way across the valley to the mountains from anywhere in the room.
But I didn’t have time to appreciate any of it, because the moment the door closed behind us, Enzo was on me. Reaching out, he clamped one hand possessively on the back of my neck, pulling me hard against his chest as he delivered a punishing kiss. With one hand wrapped around me and the other fisting low in my hair, he kissed me like it was the only thing he needed to survive. Once again, Enzo kissed me like he owned me, and for the first time, I was not at all bothered by that idea.
He backed me up slowly, moving us across the huge room until the backs of my knees brushed the bed, his kiss trying to tell me things that I knew he wasn’t ready to voice.
And I understood, because I was starting to feel the same way.
Finally breaking the kiss, Enzo cupped my face gently in both hands, his forehead pressed to mine as he stared at me, his stone-gray eyes filled with fire.
“Francesca,” he said, his breath sawing in and out of his chest. “Don’t ever fuckin’ do that to me again.”
“Do what?” I asked, blinking slowly, my own thoughts hazy.
“Disappear.” It came out as a growl, his fingers squeezing my cheeks lightly, the slight tremor in his hands giving me an indication of just how emotional he was at the moment. “I didn’t know where you were, what had happened. If something happened to you, I’d—” He cut himself off, closing his eyes and taking a slow breath before looking at me again. “You’re mine, Francesca Argenti.” His voice was low, and my heart thrilled at his words. “I have plans for us, and you getting killed isn’t one of them.” He pressed his lips to mine again, fast and hard, his hands moving from my face down to my waist and sliding under the hem of my sweater. His rough, calloused palms felt incredible against my skin, the delicious scraping sensation sending a tingling pulse right to my core, and I moaned into our kiss.
“And this right here?” Enzo said, one palm pressed against my chest, right over my heart. “This is gonna be mine, too.” I blinked, completely taken aback by his sudden declaration, but loving it all the same.
Our situation was so strange, having done everything so completely backwards. First the marriage, then the sex, now the getting to know each other. On one hand, it felt too early for him to be saying such things.
But on the other, I knew he was absolutely right.
We were inevitable, Enzo and me. Tied together in the most important way possible: choice.
I swallowed, ready to return his sentiments with flowery words of my own, but my chest squeezed like a vise, trapping the words before they could be voiced.
I wanted to say it, to ensure he knew that I felt the same way he did, but there was just one small thing holding me back: my lie.
Granted, it was a lie of omission, but not telling Enzo that the mysterious Frankie the Wolf he was busy hunting down was actually right here in his bedroom seemed like a big deal, all things considered.
I had to tell him, if for no other reason than the fact that in my last relationship, I was the one who had been kept in the dark, and it fucking sucked when the lights finally came on and you realized everyone knew the truth but you.
I opened my mouth, prepared to stop him, to sort it out right now and come clean, but then he was leaning close, pressing a hot kiss to my neck, and my breath caught in my throat as my knees went weak.
Enzo continued to draw his hands up, taking my sweater with him, and it was halfway off when the sound of his phone beeping caused us both to freeze.
For a moment, neither of us moved, just staring into each other’s eyes as we waited to see what would happen next, which one of us would make the next move.
The decision was made when the phone beeped again, twice in rapid succession.
Enzo stepped back, allowing my sweater to fall back over my body, taking his fiery warmth with him. Wanting to give him some privacy while he dealt with whatever was blowing up his phone, I walked over to the massive wall of windows, the view completely different from the downtown apartment, but somehow even more impressive.
Where the condo at the Veer Towers gave a stunning view of the Strip in all its classic glory, these windows—several huge panes of glass that spanned the two walls at the far end of the bedroom, meeting in a ninety-degree angle in the corner—showcased the entirety of the valley between us and the mountains on the other side of the city. The red dirt of the desert floor stretched for as far as I could see, with the shadows of the towering hotels barely standing out at all at this time of day. I imagined at night it would be a completely different story.
I was still staring, watching the heat waves dance across the desert and wondering how in the hell it was still so freaking hot in Nevada in early October, when Enzo moved up behind me, my body reminding me exactly where we had left off a moment ago as my nipples peaked under my suddenly too hot sweater.
Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, holding me close and pressing a kiss to the top of my head, Enzo, unfortunately, had other ideas.
“I gotta go, babe,” he mumbled, his words distorted with his lips still pressed against my hair. Spinning around, I saw the regret on his face as he slid his phone back into his pocket. “Rock has rallied the troops. I gotta go bring my crew up to speed and see where we’re at with all the fuckin’ balls we got in the air right now.”
