Savage Sinner: An Enemies To Lovers Russian - Italian Dark Mafia Romance (Sinfully Savage Mafia)

“I think you can breathe just fine,” I say. “You just don’t like to sweat because you think it makes your hair frizz.” I waggle a finger in front of Aisling’s face and she grabs it, stuffing it into her mouth, getting it nice and wet with baby drool. I tickle her under her chin with my free hand and flash a bright smile at her. “Tell Daddy that Uncle D is right, because he’s so vain about his hair.”

“My hair doesn’t frizz,” he grumbles. “I just hate being outside in the fucking desert. It’s hot and I’m sweating, even sitting here in the damn pool.”

“Just let the tension go,” I say, dragging my fingers through the water past Aisling.

“She shouldn’t be out here. Look, she’s already getting red.”

“She’s fine. You can’t keep her in a plastic bubble. She needs to get exposed to the elements and be like a normal kid, especially since nothing else about her life will be even remotely close to normal.”

Aisling smashes her fist into the water, splashing Matteo, and sure enough, the first place his hand goes to is his hair.

So fucking vain.

“Okay, so what gives?” I ask. “You’re not out here to tan. What, you don’t trust me with the kid?”

“I trust you more than anyone,” he says. “Or at least, I did until you came back here and told me you couldn’t close the deal in Brooklyn.”

“I said someone beat me to it.” I smirk. “That deal is most definitely closed.”

“But you didn’t tie up loose ends. Or stuff shit down the throats of loose cannons,” he grumbles.

“No,” I say. “You’re right. Conor is still at large with his wide fucking pie hole open.”

“We need to find out what the hell he’s up to, Dante,” Matteo says, dropping his voice.

“Look, I know you think shit will blow our way, but will it really? I mean, with Vigo dead, maybe the debt will be cleared. Besides everyone knows Heaven has been on the outside for a long time. Why come for her?”

“You of all people should know how these people operate. They go after everything and everyone.” He shakes his head. “I’ve got a hell of a lot to protect, and I don’t want any of Conor’s scams to rain hellfire down on us, especially if Volkov thinks Conor may have been the one to kill Vigo.”

Hellfire.

There’s that word again.

Makes me think of Anya.

She was hellfire.

I could see it.

I could feel it.

And fuck, I could taste it.

But I also need to forget about it. There’s a bigger fish named Conor I’d love to gut before frying him. That’s the only way I get my life back.

Matteo would second that death sentence, that’s for sure.

He’s hated Conor ever since the guy tried to kill Heaven right before their wedding, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s her blood, I know for a fact that Matteo would have had him sunk to the bottom of the Hudson without a second thought.

But much as Heaven despises him, she’d never want her family to suffer that loss.

To me, it’d be a gain, but hey.

Not my family. Not my call.

“That’s why you have me. You know I’ll do anything to protect this girl. And then once we’ve taken care of the ‘problem’, I go back to what I do best,” I say, lifting her into the air and dipping her toes into the water only to bring her back out again. She loves playing this game.

Matteo’s expression darkens slightly, but before he has a chance to respond, a smooth female voice croons into my ear as a tanned, lithe body sinks to the step beside me.

“Your baby is so cute.”

Evidently, the water-toe game makes a lot of fans.

“Thanks, but she’s not mine,” I say, nodding at Matteo. “She’s my brother’s.”

Her eyes brighten up at that. “Oh, so…you guys aren’t together, then,” she murmurs, sliding closer.

“Most definitely not.”

Matteo snorts. “What, like I’m not a good catch?”

I shrug. “I need someone who’s less vain about their hair than I am.”

The girl giggles and twists so I have a full view of her tits.

Jesus, Aisling is like a homing device or something.

The cocktail waitress struts over, shaking her ass in a more exaggerated way than she was when she left with my order. And I can’t be sure, but I think she just mouthed “Die, bitch,” to the girl sitting next to me. I bite back a smile as she ‘politely’ shoves the girl away with a quick little shoulder move.

Damn, she’s territorial.

I’m thinking she may pee on me next, you know, to really get her point across.

“Here you go, Mr. Villani,” the waitress croons in a seductive voice, handing me the tall glasses. I pass one over to Matteo and pull out a fifty-dollar chip from the pocket of my board shorts and drop it on her tray.

She shoots one final glare at the intruder before swiveling around and stalking away from us.

I pick up one of the glasses and hold it out to the girl, but before she has a chance to take it, it’s swiped right out of my hand.

“That looks good,” my sister-in-law Heaven says, taking a long sip and letting out a moan.

“You know, your husband has one of his own,” I say. “Why’d you go for mine?”

She gives a pointed look to the girl. “Because I was trying to save you, pumpkin,” she says in a very fucking fake-sounding voice.