“I’m not a picky eater when I’m starving.”
He grimaced and swallowed the last bite. “That came out wrong. Your food is delicious.”
I shrugged. “Don’t worry. I’ve heard every possible insult about vegan food you can think of. I don’t think you can say worse.”
“Living in the Falcone household as a vegan must be hard.”
I knew he meant it in a teasing way but there was underlying tension in his tone and I felt protective. “I like being a Falcone.”
“I’d prefer you as a Vitiello.”
We both fell silent. I scraped my fork over the plate and speared a single kale piece then brought it to my mouth, biding time.
“Ignore what I said,” he gritted out. He leaned back and angled his body toward me, his eyes taking me in.
“Do you want to go to bed?” I asked.
He rubbed a palm over his eyes, exhaustion taking over. “Yeah. It’s been a very long day, especially with the time difference.”
“I’ll wash the dishes. You can go ahead and get ready for bed,” I said as I got up. Amo touched my waist and pulled me against him. With him sitting and me standing we were on eyelevel. “I’ll help you.”
I smiled. “That would be lovely.”
He rose to his feet and together we moved to the sink. I began to wash the dishes and Amo dried them. “You don’t usually do housework right?”
He gave me an ironic smile. “No.”
“Spoiled.”
He picked me up without a warning, causing me to gasp and almost drop the glass I’d been washing. I put it down quickly then wrapped my arms around his neck. The way he held me, I could look down on him.
“Why does it feel as if we’ve known each other forever?” he asked quietly.
I shook my head. I didn’t know the answer to his question. It felt like we knew each other longer than we did, and on a deeper level than should be possible after only a few encounters.
I put my face against his throat. This kind of deep connection, it was something I had never considered possible to anyone but my closest family, and what Amo and I had, it went beyond that in many regards.
I blinked tiredly. I had woken at five o’clock because I’d wanted to head over to the sanctuary early. Now I could feel tiredness settle deep in my bones. And Amo’s warmth and his scent only made me more relaxed. I ran my fingers through the hair at his neck, and drew in his scent deeply.
“I love your scent,” I murmured, then yawned. “And the way your body feels against mine. And your smile. Love’s such a curious thing. No logic, no reason.” I drifted off, my words coming out garbled to my own ears. “How do you know if you love someone?”
How do you know if you love someone?
My heart throbbed hearing Greta’s words. I didn’t have an answer to her question, not one I was able to put into words. What I felt for Greta…I didn’t dwell on the thought. Greta’s body softened against me and her breathing evened out. Feeling strangely touched because she’d fallen asleep in my arms like that, I carried her over to the bedroom. I carefully put her down on her bed then turned to grab my bag from the living room. Bear stood right behind me, his body stiff and his eyes set on me.
“Come on, don’t make me hurt you,” I said firmly. He didn’t back off. Momo and another tiny dog dashed past him and hopped on the bed, then Dotty limped past Bear, made a beeline around me and stretched out in the comfy dog bed. With a glance at Dotty, Bear followed her and curled around her smaller body. I smiled wryly. I wasn’t the only one who was led around by the balls by a female. I got ready in the small bathroom, then shut off all the lights before I headed into the bedroom. Greta hadn’t moved an inch, her expression angelic as she slept soundly. This strange place in the middle of nowhere felt more like a home already than the fancy townhouse in my city—all because of the woman in my bed.
I stretched out beside her and brushed my knuckles over her cheekbone, then pulled her against my body. She curled into me with a small sigh. Her hair tickled my nose and I brushed it away then kissed her forehead.
I knew this was wrong. Greta deserved better. But this felt too good to let it go. I wondered if Greta regretted saying no to me, but given her family situation she probably didn’t have much of a choice. I definitely regretted not having the balls to cancel my wedding to Cressida, but I wanted to become Capo. I’d been willing to make a deal with the devil for it.
When I woke, Greta wasn’t in bed. Neighing and mewing as well as the sound of an engine drifted in from outside. I swung my legs out and got up then grabbed my gun from the nightstand then froze as I spotted my wedding ring beside sitting on top of a note from Greta.