Page 99 of Extradition (Mobsters + Billionaires 1)
RAND
Joe walksbackstage followed by thunderous applause, looking relieved and still a little shaken, with no clue about how much of a difference he just made.
I beeline to him, and he stiffens, looking around.
“Fuck that,” I growl under my breath, reaching him in full stride and pulling him into a hug before landing a deep, searching kiss.
After a few seconds, he pulls back from the kiss, breathless. “Hi.”
“Hi. You were fantastic up there. You had them eating out of your hands. Did you hear Weston cheering you on?”
“I think I got some cousins in Long Island who heard him,” he says, looking pleased.
I kiss him again, just because I can.
He pulls away, his eyes sweeping the space.
“I’m sorry,” I say, taken aback by his response. I thought he’d be proud of me for kissing him in semi-public.
His eyes snap back to mine and he holds up his hand. “Normally, I’d be all over you right now, but—”
Several members of the event staff make their way through the space, completely unconcerned with us. His eyes follow them all the way out of the space.
“Joe? What’s going on?”
He looks around the room then kisses me tenderly. “I’m sorry. I was approached by another don this evening. He asked for my help and then told me it was clear that you and I are an item, which might get noticed by the wrong people.”
My heart starts to race. “Was he threatening you?”
Joe shakes his head and seems confused. “He was, like, warning me. And he wanted me to introduce him to Ford.”
“For what purpose?” My mind immediately goes to several unsavory scenarios.
“Maybe get a job for his nephew. Maybe get him a date with Ford.”
“How’d that go?”
“Not in Luca’s favor, at least on the date front.”
“Ford rejected him?” I ask, incredulous as the terrible scenarios multiply.
“Yep. He took it surprisingly well. Said he never forces anyone to do something they don’t wanna do.”
My brows lift. “So…gay mobsters?”
He laughs, kissing me again. “Gay mobsters.” His eyes dart around the backstage area again, and he puts his forehead to mine.
“Is his warning the only reason you’re not kissing me right now?”
“Mostly. But I do worry about people finding out. They’ll think I’m a gold-digger or that this whole thing was a stunt.” His searching eyes land on me. “As soon as we figure out what this is, I want to get ahead of the story and say who we are.”
“You’re mine. Boom, figured it out.”
Joe laughs. “Did you just say, ‘Boom, figured it out?’”
I shrug. “Yeah. I know exactly how I feel about you.”
“Oh really? And how does the billionaire feel about the lowly dock worker tonight?”
