Page 74 of Cursebound
Finally, he nods. “All right, message very much received and understood. Luca, please get my guests settled, and bring them to court in one hour’s time. You might also want to have a word with them about etiquette—you know how snippy Carlos can be.”
Luca dips his head in agreement and wraps his arms around my waist, ignoring me as I pummel him. He walks backward from the room, keeping me facing the Don as we retreat. When I see Matteo moving the same way, keeping the wheelchair facing forward, I realize that this is one of those etiquette things. You don’t turn your back on Vincenzo, apparently—which, now that I come to think of it, isn’t merely etiquette. It’s common sense.
Going slack, I let him half carry me out of the room. I could break free, but I should keep my powder dry for when I really need to fight.
Outside in the hallway again, Stefano raises his eyebrows and runs his gaze over me. “Did you really call Don Vincenzo’s honor horseshit?” he whispers so quietly I can barely hear him.
“Yeah, so what? I just called it like I saw it. Can I get my stakes back?”
If he’s surprised by my attitude, he doesn’t show it.
“You can. You can keep them with you in the compound for your own protection, but not in the Don’s presence. Clear?”
“Crystal,” I reply as we gather our weapons. Donna winks at him as we walk away, and I roll my eyes.
“What?” she huffs. “Why should you be the only one to be getting world-rocking vamp sex? I want to play with the shiny new toys too, Mommy!”
“Shut up!” Luca hisses, and her face crumples. She holds her hands up in apology, realizing too late that her smart mouth could have gotten us all into trouble. The only person who seems to have paid any attention is Stefano, and his sole response is a raised eyebrow and direct eye contact with Luca, who gives him a quick nod.
Luca steers us toward an elevator, and once we’re out of it, we clear two hallways and pass into what would have been a separate house. As soon as we’re inside with the door closed, he spins to face the rest of us. “These are my rooms. They’re soundproofed, but for fuck’s sake, you need to be more careful. This plan already has more holes than Swiss cheese, and if the wrong vamp overhears the wrong thing, it’s game over. Do not underestimate them, even the young ones. Do you understand me?”
He’s working hard to keep his rage under control, and it’s kind of hot. His hair is rumpled into furrows from running his fingers through it, his eyes are intense, and his black T-shirt is stretched so tight over his shoulders I can make out the lines and ridges of every muscle. As he stands and glares, he catches his full lower lip between his teeth, obviously needing to bite something.
He is magnificent, and part of me wonders why I would ever want to break a spell that binds me to this man.
“I see you watching me, Rosa,” he says, a smile starting to play on those lips. His eyes meet mine, and suddenly we are the only people in the room. “I see you watching me, and I know what you’re thinking. And you need to stop it, because then I’ll start thinking it as well, and nothing says ‘double cross’ like me standing in front of the Don with a massive hard-on.”
Laughing, I fly into his arms, unable to resist the draw of him for a moment longer. I kiss him so thoroughly I end up backing him against the door with a thud. His hands bury themselves in my hair and his tongue meets mine, possessive and thrilling. I groan, and he spreads his thighs so I can nestle closer. Yeah. He does indeed have a massive hard-on. I allow myself one little grind on him, and that tiny bit of friction sends shockwaves of pleasure right through my body.
I pull away and meet his gaze, keeping my hands on his shoulders. He looks surprised and waits for me to speak.
“I don’t know why I did that,” I tell him, going up on my tiptoes to drop one more kiss on his lips. “Don’t know if that was me, the blood spell, or that weird tension thing that happens in dangerous situations.”
“I don’t care why you did it, cara mia. I’m just glad you did.” He lifts my fingers to his mouth and kisses them one at a time. Fuck. Even that makes me squirm, and I find myself leaning into the outline of his cock again.
“Ahem!” Donatella cuts in. “Sorry to interrupt, and any other time I’d be more than happy to watch, but maybe we should be talking, not fucking? And I think Pietro might be about to vomit out his cyanide capsule.”
I turn around, not at all embarrassed. At least I have a blood spell to blame.
“It’s a Tic Tac,” Pietro says, grinning. “Never hurts to have fresh breath.”
Huh. That was resourceful of him. I shake my head and look around Luca’s living area. It’s as spartan as his secret house in Brooklyn. The only luxuries are books and, I see when I pop my head into the next room, an absolutely enormous bed. I remember him telling me this is where he brought his lovers and have a strong urge to shred his sheets and possibly stake him, just a tiny bit. Possibly go find an axe and chop that bed into tiny pieces.
Reminding myself it’s not real, I go back into the living space. Everyone is sitting down, and Luca is on his phone.
“I can’t get ahold of Minnie,” he says after a few moments, a frown marring his handsome features.
“Is that unusual?” I ask.
“It is today. She said she’d stay available.”
I shrug. “Maybe she’s just… I don’t know, taking a shower or whatever?”
“Maybe she is. Anyway, you guys want anything? Food, drink, blood?”
The last one is aimed at Matteo, who nods gratefully, and Donna sticks her hand in the air as well. He gets back on the phone and places an order.
“Did he just call Cosca HQ room service?” Pietro asks, glancing up from his laptop. He wasted no time pulling it out and getting back to work.
