I was taking my own advice. I just hoped she was too.
CHAPTER 13
AIDA
Warmth covered my entire back, a hand on my stomach, and for the briefest of moments, I forgot where I was. I forgot who I was lying next to. Forgot what had happened last night. But as I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the gray walls, it all came flooding back.
Lorenzo eating pizza with me and Vida on the sofa, ordering her the latest Disney movie to watch and then settling in with us. He’d made himself a fixture in our evening, and however much I wanted to deny it, I liked it. I liked that he made an effort with her. I liked that he didn’t blink twice at watching a princess movie.
But none of that compared to him apologizing. Out of everything that had happened last night, that was the most shocking. Even more so was the fact that I believed him. Every word he said had so much conviction behind it that it couldn’t be anything but the truth.
He groaned from behind me, his hand tensing on my stomach for a second before he pulled me closer to him. My back met his front, my body fusing with his, and it took me right back to that night—the night I’d given him a piece of me, and he’d taken it without a second thought.
What had changed between then and now? What had made him apologize?
“You said I was a mistake,” I whispered, feeling all the hope in me tumble to the ground. Had I been a fool to come into his room with him last night? Had I let the way he’d treated Vida impact my decision-making?
“When did I say that?” his deep, groggy voice asked.
I jumped, not expecting him to be awake. “I…” I pulled in a breath, regretting saying anything when I’d only just opened my eyes. But I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t keep everything locked up inside, not now I was here. Not when he was this close to me.
“The day we were in here,” I started, staring at a picture on the wall and using it to center me. “You said you’d made a mistake.”
He stilled, and I started to regret saying anything. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. “Wait…” He gripped me harder, then rolled me so that I was facing him. “That’s not what I said.”
My stare met his. “You did. You said you didn’t wear a condom and that what we did was a mistake.”
“No.” He frowned down at me. “I said I’d made a mistake by not wearing a condom.” He glanced away, his throat bobbing as he stared behind me. “I always use protection. Always.” He looked back down at me. “But with you…I forgot.” He pressed closer, his bare chest meeting my front and his legs intertwining with mine. “You made me forget. You make me forget a lot of things.”
I pulled in a breath, my hand making its way to his arm and gripping it. “But…”
“But what?”
“The other woman?”
“Is done with. I don’t make promises, Aida. I never commit to something I know I won’t see through, so the second you agreed to give me a chance, I was all in.” He blinked. “All in with you.”
I bit down on my bottom lip, trying to process everything he was saying. In some ways, it sounded too good to be true. Only time would tell, but I knew I couldn’t go forward, not until I’d said, “Change your desk.” His brow rose at my words, but it only took him a second to register what I was saying.
“Done.” His gaze drifted behind me again. “The sofa too.”
“The sofa?” I asked, turning so I could see it on the wall beside the door. “Why the sofa?”
“That’s where I fucked all the women I brought in here.” I turned back to face him, realizing that if we were going to give this a real chance, we needed to be brutally honest with each other. And it looked like Lorenzo was on the same wavelength. “Never in my bed, though.” He pulled me so close our lips were only a hairsbreadth away from each other. “Only you in my bed.”
“Only me.”
“Only you.”
I smiled, the first real smile I’d ever given him, and dipped forward, placing my lips against his, sealing our deal with a kiss. He yanked me closer, his half-naked body covering mine as he slipped his tongue inside my mouth.
I got lost in the moment, lost in him, until a small knock sounded at his door.
“Auntie Aida? Are you in there?” My eyes widened, and I pushed at Lorenzo’s chest with such force he groaned.
“I’m coming, V!” I leaped out of bed, cursing myself. She was in a new house, and I’d left her in the bed all alone, not even thinking about what she would think when she opened her little eyes and saw that I wasn’t there with her.
I pulled open the door, spotting her standing there still half asleep in her purple Dora the Explorer pj’s. “I woke up, and you were gone,” she said, dipping her head back to look up at me.
“I’m sorry.” I scooped her up and held her to my chest. “I was just checking on Uncle Lorenzo.” I spun us around so she could see him.
“Morning, Uncle Lorenzo,” she said softly, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Morning, princess.” He sat up and pulled the covers over his lap. “Did you come for morning cuddles from Auntie Aida?”
“Mmm-hmm,” she whispered, and I had no doubt she was falling back to sleep on me.
“Come on, then.” Lorenzo pulled the covers back, and I didn’t hesitate to get back into bed with him. I placed Vida between us and hugged her just like I used to back home, but within minutes she was back asleep, snoring her little head off. “She’s all pooped out,” Lorenzo said, staring down at her. He grasped my hand and brought it to his lips. “I’ve got to get to a meeting.” His gaze locked with mine. “Stay in here with her. Go back to sleep.” He pulled up a little and planted a second kiss on my lips. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
I sighed happily. “I’ll see you at dinner,” I replied, watching as he got out of bed and headed toward one of the doors in his bedroom. I heard the shower click on, and I closed my eyes for just a second, but that was all I needed to fall back to sleep, cuddling Vida and feeling like I was finally in the place I was meant to be.
LORENZO
“How many crates a week?” he asked, shuffling on the spot. He was nervous, the first sign that he wasn’t the right person to make a deal with.
“How many crates can you load?” Christian asked the question he knew I was thinking. I wasn’t going to talk, not when we were this new into a deal. I didn’t know this guy from Adam, and my gut was already telling me he was undercover. I’d seen many undercover FBI agents try to infiltrate our ranks unsuccessfully, although one of them had been close a couple of years ago. Dad had made a deal with him, and just as they were about to exchange money, I caught him out, spotting the listening device he’d placed in a button on his shirt.
It wasn’t like in the movies where they’d have a wire taped to their chest that you could feel when you patted them down. These days, all it took was a click on a link someone sent you, and they could get into your cell whenever they wanted, gaining all the information they’d ever need. They were high tech, but I was onto them.
“As many as you need,” the guy said, pulling his confidence back, but it was too late. My gut had told me what I needed to know.
Christian glanced over at me, a question in his eyes, and with only a small shake of my head, he knew my answer. “We’ll be in touch,” he said, leaning back in his seat.
Neither of us moved as he exited. I never left a meeting first, especially one with a new contact. I flicked my wrist in the air as I ground out, “Follow him. See where he goes.” I may not have been going into business with him, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to find out exactly who he was. I was always suspicious when someone new flashed on my radar, especially when my gut told me something wasn’t right.
I pushed forward in my seat, planting my arms on my thighs and trying to make sense of it. I’d been boss for two months now, and I knew it would cause people to come out of the woodwork and try to take us down. But they’d made a mistake. I wasn’t some fresh-faced guy who didn’
t know what he was doing. I’d been part of this business for two decades, learning the ins and outs and watching from afar. My dad always said being able to read people was a skill and a necessity in our way of life. Which was why I turned to Dante, narrowing my eyes on him. “What do you think?”
“He’s undercover.” His gaze met mine, not a single doubt displayed. “He was too fidgety. And he was recording us.”
My lips quirked on one side, just enough to show him I knew it too. “Good.” I stood, glancing down at my watch. “I’m taking Aida to the new bar.” I turned to face Mateo. “Let’s go.”
No one said a word as Mateo and I left the building we’d used for this meeting. In fact, no one had said anything about the fact there was no tension between Aida and me—there hadn’t been for five days, not since we took Vida home together. They knew better than to comment on my private life.
Mateo opened the back door for me, and I slipped into the SUV. I couldn’t deny that I missed driving my sports cars, but I knew when I was driving, I wasn’t protected, not in the way I needed to be. And there was no way in hell that I’d put Aida at risk by taking her in one, not when I could feel something brewing. Call it instinct, call it a gut feeling, but the tide was turning, promising a dark storm coming my way.
I was stuck inside my own head, trying to make sense of everything and analyzing every movement the suspected undercover agent had made. I’d watched him closely, but that didn’t mean I caught everything he did.
“Did you record the meeting?” I asked Mateo as we pulled up outside the college.
“I did.” He pulled his cell out. “Want me to send it to you?”
“Yeah. On the encrypted cell.”
A couple of seconds went by, and then he announced, “Done.”
I nodded, not saying another word as I turned to face the college, spotting Aida pushing through the doors. She kept her head down, her focus on something in her hands. She looked like every other student on campus wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but there was something else about her. It was the way she carried herself. The way she’d push her hair behind her ear, the way she smiled at strangers walking by.
My hand reached for the handle just as she halted in the middle of the pathway. I frowned, wondering why she’d stopped, then ground my teeth together as I saw the guy she’d kissed walk closer to her.
“Boss?” Mateo asked, but I didn’t respond to him. All I could think about was the way he’d looked at her, the way he’d touched her, and I knew if he laid his hands on her just one more time, I’d not only chop them off, but I’d put a bullet in his head to boot. Maybe it was extreme, but when it came to Aida, I was irrational—I knew that, which was why I told myself to stay in the SUV and wait.
Aida said something to him, her gaze flicking to the SUV. I narrowed my eyes as she put her hand behind her back and held three fingers up. “What is she doing?”
I didn’t expect Mateo to answer, so when he said, “She’s giving a signal,” I pulled on the door handle. I had no idea what the signal meant, but she wouldn’t have done it if she didn’t need help.
I cracked my neck from side to side as I got out of the SUV, and without thinking, I headed straight toward her, my attention on the college asshole who thought he could touch what was mine. I was two feet away when Aida turned to look at me. Her eyes widened, flicking behind me where I had no doubt Mateo was waiting at the SUV.
“Lorenzo?” Her voice was small, the shock evident, but so was the relief. “What are you doing here?” She sidestepped the college guy and moved toward me, her hand going straight to my chest.
“I thought I’d come pick you up,” I said, staring down at her but hyperaware of our surroundings. “It’s not a crime to pick my wife up, is it?”
“Wife?” the asshole asked. “You’re his wife?”
I wrapped my arm around Aida’s waist, bringing her close to me, then turned to face him. “She is.” I held my hand out to him. “Name’s Lorenzo.” He took my hand, frowning as he did. “Lorenzo Beretta.”
“B-b-beretta?” he stammered, his face paling. I didn’t let go of his hand, squeezing it just enough for him to know that what he was thinking was true. My name preceded me, even with college assholes who came here from out of town.
“That’s me.” I smiled at him, the kind of smile that said, if you touch what’s mine again, I will end you. His eyes flashed, understanding the silent warning I was giving him, and then I let go, turning back to Aida and pretending like he wasn’t there any longer. “Let’s go. I have something to show you.”
“You do?” she asked, her light-brown eyes focusing on me. She lifted up onto her tiptoes, and I instinctively bent at my knees to meet her halfway. Our lips connected for the briefest of moments, but that was all I needed to know that it wasn’t the college asshat she wanted. No, it was me.
“I do,” I said, grinning down at her. “Come on.”
I didn’t take my arm from around her waist as I maneuvered us toward the SUV. Mateo stood at the open door, his eyes narrowed on something behind us. “He’s watching you,” he ground out.
Aida went to turn around, but I stopped her. “Don’t.” I snapped my attention down at her. “Ignore him.”
“But…” She bit down on her bottom lip.
“But what?” I tilted my head toward the SUV as she stayed silent. “Get in. I really do have something to show you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
I gritted my teeth at her move, still getting used to her defiance, but I couldn’t deny that I enjoyed it. I liked the fact that she wasn’t willing to take my shit, but it made me want to piss her off all the more.
I slid in beside her, turning back to face the pathway at the last second and lifting two fingers in a salute at the college asshole. He may have thought he knew who he was messing with, but he had no idea the lengths I would go to. And if I were honest, neither did I. This was all new territory for me with Aida, but I knew I would kill for her without blinking an eye.
Mateo pulled away from the college, revving the engine, a sure sign that he was pissed off too. But there was no need—I’d handle the situation if it got out of hand. Until then, I was going to forget all about him. He may have kissed her one time, but there wouldn’t be a second. I’d make sure of that.
“So, you have a secret signal, huh?” I raised a brow, meeting Mateo’s stare in the rearview mirror, then turned to face Aida.
She shrugged, placing her bag on the floor between her feet. “Mateo said we needed one just in case.” She raised her brows. “I never thought I’d actually have to use it.”
“Why did you need to use it?” What I really wanted to ask her was what the hell did he want.
Her lashes fluttered as she blinked at me. “He wanted to know when we were going on a second date.”
I nodded, already thinking about all the ways to let—
“What’s his name?”
“Brad.”
“Right.”
—I was thinking about all the ways I could let Brad know that Aida was mine.
“Why?” Aida asked, her eyes widening. “Lorenzo.” She pushed closer to me. “I can see your brain working overtime.” She placed her hand on my cheek, her fingertips pushing through the scruff covering my jaw. “You don’t need to worry about him.”
I wasn’t worried about him, not when it came to Aida. She was mine whether she liked it or not.
“Lorenzo.” She pulled my face closer to hers, making me look directly in her eyes. “I said I was giving this a chance, didn’t I?”
I covered her hand with mine and gripped it. “You did.”
“Exactly.” She smiled. “You have nothing to worry about. I promise.” It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her I wasn’t worried, but instead of saying that, I simply planted my lips against hers, needing to feel her against me.
We’d slept in the same bed together every night since Vida had stayed over, and although I didn’t want to push too qui
ckly, my body begged to be as close to her as possible.
The SUV pulled to a stop, and we both moved with it, our lips separating at the impact. “Fuck.” I leaned my head back and growled in frustration at how hard my cock was. Never in my life had I gotten this hard just from a kiss.
“We’re here,” Mateo announced like a goddamn tour guide.
“Where is here?” Aida asked, and when I lifted my head, I saw her staring out of the window, her face practically smushed against the glass.
“Here is the surprise.” I pressed my hand against her back and leaned around her to open her door, then slid out behind her. She stared up at the front of the bar, but I’d already had the sign taken down. The new one wasn’t being put in for another week, but I couldn’t wait that long to show her. I needed her to see that I listened when she spoke but that I also heard what she did when she said nothing at all.
I grasped her hand and led her toward the bar, not saying a single word until we were inside. Construction was underway to refit it exactly how I wanted it, but there was something already finished, waiting for me to show her.
“What is this place?” she asked, her gaze roving around the space. On one side was a new bar top being put in, and in the middle, a new floor was being fitted, but just beyond that was the finished stage. A stage that held a grand piano.
“Holy fuck.”
I grinned at her cursing.
“Is that a…” She spun to face me, then turned back, not waiting for me to answer as she darted across the floor and up onto the stage. “It’s so beautiful,” she murmured, trailing her hand over the shiny black surface.
“It’s yours,” I told her, halting at the edge of the stage.
“It’s…what?” She frowned, causing two lines to etch into the skin between her eyes. “What do you mean it’s mine?”
I shrugged, trying to act like this was an everyday occurrence, but in reality, I was nervous that she wouldn’t like it. The guy who I’d bought the piano from said it was one of the best, but what if she didn’t like it? What if she hated it? “Ma said you’re doing music at college.” She stared at me, her mouth hanging open. “So, I called your dad and asked what kind of music.”
Lorenzo Beretta Page 14
