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“The pizza smells great, what kind did you get?”
“Garbage. Hope you like it.” She slid the pizza between them and lifted the lid on the box.
“Are you kidding me? Garbage pizza is my favorite, and Artichoke Basille’s is the best. I haven’t had a good pizza since . . .”
Rya
“Since I left New York.” He grabbed his own slice from the box, but instead of digging into the masterpiece, he reached for the wine and downed a good portion of the glass.
“I’m sorry you had to come back.”
Guilt assailed her. Maybe Aiden could see the depth of her remorse, because he said, “It’s not your fault. I never should have left.”
What? She almost choked on her bite of pizza. “You can’t mean that.”
“Oh, I do. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all this, it’s that you can’t run away from your problems. Eventually, they’ll find you and when they do, they’re going to be a hell of a lot worse than before. I’m done ru
“Aiden, what are you going to do?” Her pulse spiked with the familiar rush of panic. If the last twenty-four hours taught her anything, it was that Vincent Moralli was a merciless, cold-blooded killer. Nothing drove that point home more than having the muzzle of a gun shoved against your temple.
Aiden took a bite of his pizza and thoughtfully chewed. The man radiated cold, hard determination. Looking at him now, he appeared every bit the hardened fighter and the ruthless lawyer she suspected he could be. Perhaps it was his Kruze bloodline that gave him the air of power and untouchability it would take to face Vincent Moralli. God knew no one else would do it, and apparently her father had died trying.
Aiden’s gaze locked on her—unwavering and decided. “I’m going to collapse his empire. I’m going to do the one thing the feds have tried and failed to do for the last ten years. I’m going to build an airtight case against Vincent Moralli and I’m going to deliver it to the DA with a red fucking bow wrapped around it.”
Ho-ly shit . . . “You think it will work? That you can do it?”
He drained his glass and refilled it before answering. The depth of raw anger, of unmerciful determination she saw staring back at her, chilled Rya
“Oh, I know I can.”
“Why haven’t you done it before now?”
He was thoughtful for a moment. Perhaps he was trying to decide whether or not to tell her the truth because his response shocked the hell out of her. “Because when Moralli falls, I will have single-handedly ruined my father.”
Rya
“The how of it doesn’t matter. My parents have made their bed, Rya
The tempest of emotion reflecting back at Rya
Rising from her chair, she came around the table and climbed across his lap. Taking his face in her hands, she admired his strong stubborn square jaw, his noble aristocratic nose that hinted at generations of fine breeding. And his eyes . . . she could drown in the dark rich amber color, so unlike anything she’d ever seen. But when her gaze landed on his mouth, lips that held a masculine fullness she craved to taste, ached to feel in all the places that tingled with awareness of him, she was done for.
“I never thanked you for saving my life today.” And there was no doubt in her mind that he had. When that gun cocked and the cold press of metal had bitten into her temple . . . The thought sent a shudder rippling through her body. Aiden must have felt it because his hands came to rest low on her back, just above the fleshy curve of her bottom. “Vincent would have killed me if you hadn’t signed that contract. You’re not fighting for him, Aiden, you’re fighting for me.” She leaned forward until her mouth nearly touched his and whispered, “Remember that when you step into the cage tomorrow night.”
Of all the things Rya
Rya
The hours he’d spent in the gym left an excess of testosterone burning through his veins like octane. He was sick of thinking, tired of pla
He worried he’d hurt her if he didn’t get a rein on himself soon. But taking it slow and easy was not on Rya
As he broke their kiss to feast on her perfection, Rya