ROM
I hadn’t been sure she’d show up tonight. When I saw her friend’s Instagram story earlier about them going to the Hamptons, I knew it was a long shot. But when it came to the work I did, finding the right opportunity to corner a target unexpectedly could be make or break.
Mia had probably thought the last time she’d see me would be at our meeting next week.
She was wrong.
I wasn’t ready to be done with her—not even close. She was still my best shot at getting something useful about Morales. Even if she seemed far too innocent to be involved in whatever plan he might be scheming, she was close to him. Close enough to pick up on things she might not even realize were valuable.
I wasn’t giving up that easily.
So I cancelled my plans for the day and moved fast.
It took me five minutes to find a mutual connection with Zo in the list of people she followed. Another ten to hear back from him. After I’d laid the bait, I sped down here in my car despite the fact that the weather forecast said it might rain. And I waited.
Hours of waiting.
The last thing Zo had posted was a shot of them lounging by the pool, cocktails in hand, the sun glinting off their sunglasses. That was this afternoon. Since then—nothing. No updates. No way to know if they’d actually show up at this party.
By the time I spotted them walking through the doors, my patience was running thin.
I watched and planned my next move as they made their way through the crowd. And then Mia took off that sweater, and I nearly choked on my drink.
What the fuck was she wearing?
A pulse of something sharp and territorial ran through me.
That tiny slip of a dress was practically falling off her body. Those slits sliced high up her thighs. And all that soft, brown skin was on display.
A muscle in my jaw twitched. I forced myself to take a slow, even breath.
Why did I even care? Mia Morales wasn’t mine. She was just a target.
But that knowledge didn’t stop me from seeing red.
“You want in on some of this?” Johnny, the host, asked from where he sat, pulling my gaze to the line of coke he was casually cutting on the glass table.
It was our product. Best in the state, courtesy of our Colombian suppliers. They knew it too, which was why they were playing hardball in this year’s contract renegotiations. I was more than happy to let Cosimo deal with that headache.
“I’m good,” I said. The last time I’d touched the stuff, I was eighteen and stupid, desperate for an escape. I grew out of it fast when I saw what happened to the men who didn’t.
Johnny snorted the line and tipped his head back with a blissed-out sigh.
I turned back toward the dance floor. Fuck. He’d distracted me, and now Mia was gone. Her friends were still there, but she’d run off somewhere.
Hiding from me?
Good luck. The house was big, but not big enough.
Nina’s sharp glare was fixed on me. She shook her head in warning.
I just smirked.
She didn’t like Mia getting entangled with me? Too fucking bad. I still needed to have a word with my cousin about that fucking horoscope she put together, but that could wait.
Pushing off the wall, I went in search of my little stylist.
I knew my way around here. Johnny was a regular at Black Silk, and I always got invites to his Labor Day parties, along with the others he threw during summers. By day, he designed software. By night, he liked to pretend he had an edge.
He was the kind of guy who had missed out on partying in his twenties and was now desperately making up for lost time at thirty-five.
But he wasn’t stupid.
If photos of him getting sloppy surfaced online, there’d be hell to pay. His PR team had probably begged him to enforce that no-camera rule. Everyone generally obeyed.
Everyone except me. I didn’t play by the fucking rules.
Something Mia was about to find out.
I checked behind a few of the doors—empty bedrooms. Halfway down the hall, I stopped.
A familiar scent lingered in the air. Lily of the valley.
My gaze flicked to the door on my right. A bathroom. She was in there.
I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms. I could wait. What was another minute or two when she’d made me wait hours?
The lock turned. The door slid open.
And there she was.
In that fucking dress.
The little metallic thing clung to her curves like a second skin. Did she have any idea? Was she aware that every man in this house probably salivated when she walked past?
Her wide brown eyes locked onto mine.
‘We need to talk,’ I ground out.
‘No thanks.” She tried to brush past me, like she actually thought I’d let her go. She even had the nerve to look surprised when my arm shot out and blocked her path.
I leaned down, bringing my lips close to her ear. Her whole body stiffened. “It’s about The Golden Circle party.”
She swallowed. “What about it?”
‘Too loud here. Can’t hear a word you’re saying.’
I grabbed her hand and pulled her into one of the empty bedrooms I’d just checked.
Once we were shut inside, I took my time looking at her.
From the bottom of her high heels to the top of her head. She was covered in glitter, and her hair was fixed in two buns on her head. I didn’t know what to call that fucking hairstyle, but it was sexy—just like the rest of her—and it made my dick twitch. “Nice outfit.”
Her cheeks flushed pink. Her arms folded protectively around her waist, like she wasn’t quite comfortable in the dress.
Her friends must have talked her into wearing it. Figures.
‘Did you really want to talk about the project?’
‘Sure.’ Of course the fuck not. But I’d been right about this being an opportunity, and it was about to pay off.
I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo of her.
Her eyes widened. ‘Hey! What are you doing? You’re not supposed to take pictures in here. That’s the rule!”
‘Fuck the rules.”
She dropped the tiny purse that was slung over her shoulder onto the ground and lunged for my phone.
I dodged her easily, holding it over my head, far out of her reach.
A frustrated sound escaped her throat. ‘Romolo, delete it!’
‘Like hell.’ I’d decided when I saw her just now that I was done playing nice. Why waste time trying to coax the information out of her when she made blackmail so damn easy? The quicker I got what I wanted, the quicker I could be done with her. I didn’t feel like myself in her vicinity, and I didn’t fucking like it.
She tried again, hopping on her heels, her fingers wrapping around nothing but air.
I backed away from her grasping hands until my calves hit something hard.
A sofa.
I dropped onto it, still holding the phone high above my head, pressing it against the wall behind me. Mia—so desperate to get it—didn’t think twice before crawling onto my lap.
Her soft, bare thighs straddled me. They were warm against my legs, and my pulse fucking jumped.
‘Romolo,’ she huffed, stretching for the phone, her body flush with mine. ‘Just give it to me.’
“No.” My jaw clenched as her breasts pressed against my cheek. I had to bite back a groan.
‘Romolo, please,’ she begged.
Did she realize what she was doing?
Or was she doing it on purpose to distract me?
I had to admit—it was working. She was everywhere. That soft, floral lily of the valley scent clung to her skin, filling my lungs with every inhale. I clenched the back of her barely there dress with my fist and thought hard about whether I wanted to pull her away from me or tug her even closer.
Her hand slid up my arm, the other one pushing against my shoulder as she braced herself. Then, using the leverage of her knees against my thighs, she stretched just enough to snatch the phone from my hand.
She sank back onto my lap, victorious and so fucking absorbed with the phone she didn’t seem to realize I was as hard as a damn rock.
The phone was locked.
She turned it toward me, trying to activate Face ID.
“It’s not enabled,” I said, my voice tight. “You’ll need my passcode.’
‘What is it?’ she demanded, eyes snapping back to mine.
She shifted, and I could tell the exact moment she felt my erection.
Her eyes widened. Pupils dilated. Throat bobbed.
‘What do you think the news outlets will say when they see how the next mayor’s daughter dresses when she’s off duty?’ I squeezed my fist into her dress, pulling the fabric taut around her waist. She had the kind of body that turned heads. My muscles strained from the effort it took not to grind against her. “Kind of goes against all those wholesome family values your dad loves to preach about, doesn’t it?’
Whatever hint of arousal might have been there in her expression moments earlier disappeared in a flash. “You’re an asshole.’ Betrayal ran through her eyes, and it fascinated me.
Because it implied some part of her had trusted me.
Even if just a little.
Jesus Christ.
How the fuck was she still alive and walking around with that kind of naïveté?
My gaze licked over her collarbones, then down to the low neckline of her dress. That fucking glitter. It made her look like some kind of mythical creature—a being not meant for a place like this.
Not meant for a man like me.
At some point, my other hand had settled on her waist.
I didn’t even remember doing it.
Her fingers tightened around my phone.
‘What do you want?’ Her voice shook.
I glanced back up. She was trying not to cry.
The words I needed to say bounced around my head. I want you to tell me everything you know about who’s giving money to your father.
I didn’t know if the photo would be enough leverage, but there was a good chance it was.
I should have been pleased. Should have been thrilled that I had her right where I wanted her.
Instead, something twisted in my chest.
All I could think about was how she’d look at me when she heard the words. Whatever fragile illusions she still had about me would shatter.
It was ridiculous.
I’d trapped my prey, had her exactly where I needed her. And yet, something held me back from delivering the final blow.
Maybe it was because there was something else I wanted from her. Something I wanted more.
My teeth ground together. Which is it going to be?
She was watching me, her breath shallow, her fingers gripping my phone.
‘Romolo, please,’ she whispered, clutching the phone to her chest.
I should’ve said it.
I should’ve told her I’d delete the picture in exchange for her father’s secrets.
But instead, my mouth—completely disconnected from my better judgment—said, “I want you to kiss me. And not just some fucking peck. I want you to kiss me and mean it.”
A beat passed. Her big, brown eyes flickered with something I couldn’t name. I wished I could read her thoughts.
“Why?”
“I want to know something.” I dragged my thumb over her bottom lip. “Do these taste like berries?”
The way she looked at me told me she thought I was insane.
If I was, it was her fault.
Her lip gloss sat inside my pocket. Had she noticed it had gone missing? I wondered if she’d realized I’d taken it, and what she thought it meant.
Maybe she could enlighten me, because fuck if I knew.
Her tongue darted out to swipe over her bottom lip. “If I kiss you, you’ll give me the code?”
“It’s a deal.” I was so fucking angry with myself for giving into this irrational urge I wanted to punch a wall.
She thought about it for another few moments.
“Hurry up,” I snapped. “The offer won’t be there forever.”
Her gaze narrowed. “There’s something wrong with you.”
“Now you’re getting it.”
“Fine.” Her palm curled around the back of my neck. “One kiss.”
“Make it count.”
She leaned in. “Stop talking.”
I groaned when she slid an inch forward, pressing down onto my cock.
A shiver ran through her. She was close enough that I could see each individual speck of glitter dusted across her cheekbones.
Her lips parted—
REEEE! REEE! REEE!
I jolted. “What the fuck is that?”
Mia let out a startled breath and practically leapt off me. “It’s my stepmom calling.” She scrambled for her purse.
I dragged my palm over my face. One more minute was all I’d needed.
She picked up. “Hello?” Her voice was tight. “Is everything okay?”
I sat up, adjusting myself. She was finally far enough from me for my mind to clear. I hadn’t been thinking with my head—not the right one, at least.
“What do you mean? How bad is it?”
My brows furrowed. Something was wrong.
Mia chewed on her fingernail, nodding along to whatever was being said. “Jenny’s not picking up?” A breath of frustration. “Crap. Okay. I’ll head back.”
Head back?
At this fucking hour?
I got to my feet. The moment between us was gone, disintegrated like it had never happened.
“I’m at least two hours away. Please call 911 if it gets worse. No—Aris.” She paced. “Don’t be stubborn. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Okay, I’m on my way.”
Her fingers shook as she ended the call. Before I could say anything, she was already moving for the door.
“Mia—”
She didn’t look at me. Didn’t even hesitate.
And then she was gone.
Fuck.
Whatever was going on with her stepmom was clearly more important than the photo I still had on my phone.
I followed after her. I wasn’t worried. Of course not. This was about unfinished business. Now that my brain was working again, I’d make her a different deal—the one I should have made in the first place.
She weaved through the crowd toward her friends, unaware that I was right behind her.
The girls all looked surprised when they saw me, but they quickly focused on Mia, who was explaining the situation.
“My stepmom’s not well. She’s having chest pains, and there’s no one else around. I’ve got to go home.”
Nina shook her head. “We’ve all been drinking. Fabi’s car is back at her mom’s house.”
“I’m calling a rideshare,” Mia said, already scrolling through the app.
My jaw clenched. She was actually going to call an Uber and sit in the back of some random guy’s car for two hours in the middle of the night?
“She can’t ask a friend to come over?” I asked.
Mia ignored me.
“We’ll go with you,” Fabi said.
“There’s no point ruining your weekend.” Her phone screen blinked No drivers available.
“Shit.” She tried again. Same result.
“Probably because of the storm,” Nina pointed out. “Forecast says it’s starting tonight. I doubt there are many drivers wanting to go that far right now.”
I glanced out the window. It was too dark to see anything, but the glass wasn’t wet. Yet.
I hated driving in the rain. Especially in this fucking place. I rolled my shoulders, the tension already setting in. But two hours in the car with her when she was agitated and still a bit buzzed… It was the perfect chance to get what I wanted.
Screw it. I could handle it. It was worth the risk.
“I’ll drive you,” I said.
The girls all turned my way.
“No way,” Nina said. “You’ve been drinking too.”
“One drink. I’m fine.”
Mia barely looked up from her phone. She was still searching. Still finding nothing.
“I was going to head back tonight anyway,” I lied. “You can either get in my car now, or you can still be standing here twenty minutes from now, with no driver, wishing you’d come with me.”
That got her attention. Her head jerked up.
I could see the war happening inside her. Her eyes told me she wanted nothing to do with me right now, but she didn’t have a better choice. And she knew it.
Her throat worked around a swallow. Apprehension flickered across her face.
Finally, she nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”
