Page 33 of With This Kiss
And I knew he loved Caine, too, even if he was less affectionate with my brother.
So I tried to make it home to see him once a week, even though I was still angry with him from that day in his office.
When I entered the house, everything was quiet except for the subtle sound coming from the kitchen as the cook prepared dinner.
I didn’t go there. I went straight to Dad’s office, hoping to see him.
I found Tito, my cousin, instead. He was just on his way out of the office before I could enter, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw me.
“Jamie. What are you doing here?”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Tito, what are you doing in my father’s office? Is he in there?”
I tried to look around him and into the office, but he had the door closed before I could.
“Nothing. I was just leaving some documents for your dad. Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”
He took a step forward, forcing me to take a step back, and another one, and another one, and before I knew it, we were away from the office and out in the living area of the house.
His eyes hardened as he stared down at me. “You should learn how to mind your own business, Jamie, especially when it comes to things involving the family. I would hate to see you get hurt.”
He said it softly enough, and if I didn’t know any better, I might have thought he was truly concerned about me. But his words and the way he looked…
It sounded a hell of a lot like a threat.
I hardened my eyes. “Anything that has to do with the family is my business, or have you forgotten my last name is Caparelli?”
I knew I hit a nerve when a tic moved along the side of his eye.
Tito was my cousin on my mother’s side. And as much as he liked to think of himself as a Caparelli, a name vicious enough to invoke fear in men across New York, he wasn’t one, and he never would be.
I tilted my head back and kept my eyes locked on his dark-brown ones. He wasn’t the tallest man around, nowhere near Reign’s height, but he was taller than me. And what he lacked in height, he more than made up for in bulk. Add to the fact that he had his black hair shaved down to a buzz cut and more tattooed skin than bare, and I could admit he was fucking intimidating as hell on a good day.
It was a good thing I wasn’t easily intimidated, especially not in my family’s home.
Movement came from my left, and I turned to see Dad walking in. Tito tensed at the sight of him. I shot him another look before moving away.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, sweetheart. Are you here to have dinner with your old man?”
I nodded and watched as his eyes softened a little. He raised his hand, and I held still, bracing myself for the touch. I knew it was coming, but I still didn’t like the feeling of his hand on my head as he gently patted me.
“Good. You should come home more often.”
“You should think about taking your own advice,” I said. It had been years since I had left home, but I could still remember how often it was, how normal it was for me to go days without seeing him.
He shrugged, his eyes moving over to where Tito was standing.
“Are you staying for dinner too?”
Tito nodded and stepped forward. His eyes moved over to me briefly before he said, “I brought over the documents you asked for, sir, and left them on your desk.”
So he wasn’t lying about doing that, but still…
I couldn’t shake the feeling that he had done more than just drop off documents. Something didn’t feel right. I just didn’t know what it was, but I knew I couldn’t just outright accuse him of anything. Whether he had the last name Caparelli or not wasn’t relevant. He was still a made man, and I… wasn’t.
Dad nodded absently. “Let’s go eat. I’m hungry.”
