Page 14 of His Nephew's Ex
Relief floods her features, so pure and grateful that it makes my chest tight. When was the last time someone looked at me like I was their salvation instead of their potential doom?
“Thank you.” She takes another step forward, close enough that I can feel the heat radiating from her skin. “I know this probably seems like a small problem to someone like you, but—”
“Nothing about you seems small to me, Loriana.”
The use of her first name makes her breath catch. We’re standing so close now that I can see the tiny scar above her left eyebrow, can count her eyelashes if I wanted to, can smell the faint scent of her shampoo beneath the jasmine perfume.
“How can you say that when you don’t even know me?”
“I know enough.” My voice drops to a whisper that somehow carries more weight than shouting. “I know you own a bar called Crimson. I know you live alone above it. I know you’re stronger than you look and braver than you should be.”
“How do you—”
“I know everything that happens in my territory,stellina.”
The endearment makes her eyes widen, but she doesn’t pull away. If anything, she seems drawn closer, like a moth to a flame that will consume her.
“Well, it seems the men in your family enjoy using endearments.”
“What did Flavio call you?”
“Bambina. Like I was a kid.” She shakes her head, disgust clear in her expression. “I should have known it was a red flag.”
The rage that’s been simmering in my chest since she walked in finally boils over. The thought of Flavio using force to claim ownership over this magnificent woman makes me want to paint the walls with his blood.
“He had no right to try to force you into getting back with him.”
“No,” she agrees. “He doesn’t.
“Why did you end it?”
The question slips out before I can stop it, raw and needy in a way that reveals too much. She stares at me for a long moment, as if trying to decide whether to answer.
“I caught him with my best friend. In my bed. On his birthday.”
Each word is clipped, precise, and designed to cut. “Turns out he’d been fucking her for months while I was saving myself for someone special.”
The realization hits me like a punch. She’s sexually innocent and untouched. Everything about her suddenly clicks, the way she carries herself, the mix of innocence and passion. No wonder Flavio is so eager to have her.
“Bastardo.”
“Yeah, well. Live and learn.” She drains the rest of her whiskey in one burning gulp. “The point is, I’m done with him, and I need him to be done with me.”
“He will be.”
“Just like that?” She studies my face, looking for lies or false promises. “You say the word and he backs off?”
“I say the word and he’ll disappear completely.” The threat is quiet, matter-of-fact, carrying the weight of twenty years of absolute authority. “The question is whether you can live with the consequences of asking me to say it.”
Something in my tone makes her take a step back, and I see the moment she truly understands who she’s dealing with. Not just a powerful man who can solve her problems, but a killer who solves all his problems the same way.
“What consequences?”
“Once I handle Flavio, you become my responsibility. No man will want to play around you. You will become my territory to protect.” I move forward as she retreats, a slow dance that ends with her back pressed against my mahogany desk. “That’s how this world works,stellina. Nothing comes free.”
“Don’t.” But the word lacks conviction, and I can see her pulse jumping in her throat as I cage her between my arms and the desk.
“Don’t what? Don’t protect you? Don’t eliminate the threat to your safety?” I lean closer, until my breath ghosts across her lips. “Or don’t call you little star?”
