in the hallway.
“Something smells good,” Franco said. “I take it your sister brought you over, then.”
“Yeah. You should have called me for this,” Cody replied.
“Why? He’s just checking out a few photos and looking at figures. There’s no business going down. You weren’t needed. Isn’t that right, Skip?”
“Just about.”
Those two words sent a mixture of panic and desire rushing through Kim like a flash flood. Months had passed since she heard that dark tenor—a little over three months, to be exact. His voice still had the same crazy effect on her insides as it did when she first heard him speak at the Blackjack table.
Like an instant burn to her nerves.
Giovanni Marcello .
Oh, God.
She was in so much trouble.
Kim’s hands on the countertop gripped so tight that her knuckles turned white from the pressure. There was no place for her to hide to keep him from seeing her. Her acting skills sucked the big one, so chances were, Franco was going to see something was off. Not to mention Cody had seen her speaking with Giovanni at the wedding.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Footsteps padded down the hallway further, turning faint until Kim couldn’t hear them at all.
“Why’s he call you Skip, Marcello?”
“ The Skip,” Giovanni corrected. “In New York, it’s a street term for capo. There might be many capos in a family, but there’s only one that rakes in the most, runs the biggest crew and whatever else. That’d be me and my brother. That and Franco’s trying out this new thing where he has to act like he wants me within five feet of him to save face for his father while we work out this business deal. Respect, you know.”
“Ah,” Cody drawled.
This was bad . Kim had been so sure they wouldn’t meet up again after their one-time encounter. She lived in Las Vegas and he was situated in New York for Christ’s sake. What were the odds?
“Food ready?”
Kim’s head jerked up at Franco’s question, knocking her out of her stupor. When had he come back down the hall? At least her brother and Giovanni were still talking in hushed murmurs where they couldn’t see her. She reached over and turned the music off on her laptop.
“Uh …”
“Well?” Franco asked again.
“Almost.”
“There enough to feed seven including you?”
Kim shot him a look. “Yes, Franco. I made lots.”
“Just asking. Set the table, Kimberlynn.”
Kim was frozen in place as Franco disappeared back out the entranceway. She couldn’t even force herself to think let alone grab the dinnerware out of the cupboards.
“Stay for dinner, Skip,” she heard Franco say.
“Nah, I’ve got things to catch up on,” Giovanni replied.
For a brief moment, Kim felt relieved that the two of them might just pass each other by with Giovanni being none the wiser. It didn’t last long. Franco’s next statement felt laced with something she couldn’t quite place.
“Surely it’s not important enough for you to refuse to eat at my table, is it?”
“No, I guess not.”
“Good. Come meet my fiancée before we eat.”
Kim’s heart stopped when the three men stepped inside the kitchen. She couldn’t turn her head and see the expression Giovanni wore for fear the rolling sickness threatening to make an appearance would force its way out.
“Giovanni, this is my fiancée Kimberlynn Abella.”
Kim was pretty sure her lungs stopped working when she met Giovanni’s gaze from across the room. Surprise and anger registered in his green irises as he stared her up and down, taking her in as if he didn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Oh, they already met,” Cody said passingly, flipping through a file in his hands. “Meant to mention it.”
Franco’s head whipped around so he could pierce Kim with a glare. “Pardon?”
The annoyance seeping into Franco’s tone chilled Kim. The man couldn’t hide his jealousies at all. If there was anything he hated more, it was men coming too close to Kim.
“Kimberlynn?”
“Something smells good,” Franco said. “I take it your sister brought you over, then.”
“Yeah. You should have called me for this,” Cody replied.
“Why? He’s just checking out a few photos and looking at figures. There’s no business going down. You weren’t needed. Isn’t that right, Skip?”
“Just about.”
Those two words sent a mixture of panic and desire rushing through Kim like a flash flood. Months had passed since she heard that dark tenor—a little over three months, to be exact. His voice still had the same crazy effect on her insides as it did when she first heard him speak at the Blackjack table.
Like an instant burn to her nerves.
Giovanni Marcello .
Oh, God.
She was in so much trouble.
Kim’s hands on the countertop gripped so tight that her knuckles turned white from the pressure. There was no place for her to hide to keep him from seeing her. Her acting skills sucked the big one, so chances were, Franco was going to see something was off. Not to mention Cody had seen her speaking with Giovanni at the wedding.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Footsteps padded down the hallway further, turning faint until Kim couldn’t hear them at all.
“Why’s he call you Skip, Marcello?”
“ The Skip,” Giovanni corrected. “In New York, it’s a street term for capo. There might be many capos in a family, but there’s only one that rakes in the most, runs the biggest crew and whatever else. That’d be me and my brother. That and Franco’s trying out this new thing where he has to act like he wants me within five feet of him to save face for his father while we work out this business deal. Respect, you know.”
“Ah,” Cody drawled.
This was bad . Kim had been so sure they wouldn’t meet up again after their one-time encounter. She lived in Las Vegas and he was situated in New York for Christ’s sake. What were the odds?
“Food ready?”
Kim’s head jerked up at Franco’s question, knocking her out of her stupor. When had he come back down the hall? At least her brother and Giovanni were still talking in hushed murmurs where they couldn’t see her. She reached over and turned the music off on her laptop.
“Uh …”
“Well?” Franco asked again.
“Almost.”
“There enough to feed seven including you?”
Kim shot him a look. “Yes, Franco. I made lots.”
“Just asking. Set the table, Kimberlynn.”
Kim was frozen in place as Franco disappeared back out the entranceway. She couldn’t even force herself to think let alone grab the dinnerware out of the cupboards.
“Stay for dinner, Skip,” she heard Franco say.
“Nah, I’ve got things to catch up on,” Giovanni replied.
For a brief moment, Kim felt relieved that the two of them might just pass each other by with Giovanni being none the wiser. It didn’t last long. Franco’s next statement felt laced with something she couldn’t quite place.
“Surely it’s not important enough for you to refuse to eat at my table, is it?”
“No, I guess not.”
“Good. Come meet my fiancée before we eat.”
Kim’s heart stopped when the three men stepped inside the kitchen. She couldn’t turn her head and see the expression Giovanni wore for fear the rolling sickness threatening to make an appearance would force its way out.
“Giovanni, this is my fiancée Kimberlynn Abella.”
Kim was pretty sure her lungs stopped working when she met Giovanni’s gaze from across the room. Surprise and anger registered in his green irises as he stared her up and down, taking her in as if he didn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Oh, they already met,” Cody said passingly, flipping through a file in his hands. “Meant to mention it.”
Franco’s head whipped around so he could pierce Kim with a glare. “Pardon?”
The annoyance seeping into Franco’s tone chilled Kim. The man couldn’t hide his jealousies at all. If there was anything he hated more, it was men coming too close to Kim.
“Kimberlynn?”
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