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

“There’s still some in the fridge. Come on, I’ll heat it up for you.” He flashes a half-smile. “Tommy is very specific with the instructions for re-heating his food. If you fuck it up, you’ll ruin the flavors or some shit. I don’t know. I guess if I were a culinary wizard I’d care more, but when I’m hungry…” A wicked glimmer in his eyes makes goosebumps shoot up my legs and down my arms. “I’m just gonna take it, however I can get it.”

I nod, forcing a smile. “I’m starving, so I promise I won’t be picky.”

I follow Dante into the kitchen, watching the moonlight bounce off of his muscled back, his smooth, bronze skin glistening. I long to run my fingers over it again, to feel his biceps tense as I rub my hands down his thick arms. I want to trace the outline of his pecs with my tongue. I want to—

“You allergic to anything?” Dante asks, interrupting my delicious fantasy as he walks into the kitchen.

“Not that I know of,” I murmur, patting down the front of my pajama shirt where it hits my Band-Aid.

He turns to give me a long look, drinking me in from head to toe. But there’s conflict in his eyes.

I can see the hunger, the longing, and the lust.

But I can also feel the suspicion. It’s heavy in the air around us, picking away at his desire like a fingernail scratching a scab.

He wants me but doesn’t know exactly who I am.

I feel the same inner conflict and it’s tearing me apart.

I want him but know I can never…will never…have him.

Especially after I complete my objective and bring his whole family to its knees.

The fantasy of a happy and perfect future for me will always be just out of reach.

It’s the life I chose, not that there was much choice in the matter.

If I wanted to live, I had to go down a path.

Now I’m in so deep, there is no way out.

I’m trapped in my life like a rat in a dirty, dark maze.

I wander, I hunt, and I avenge.

Period.

There’s no happily ever after for me.

I’m not like those romance novel heroines at all.

Damaged? Check.

Broken. Check.

Redeemable? Fuck no!

And girls who can’t be redeemed never find their true loves.

That’s their punishment, I guess. Their lot in life.

Their curse.

I busy myself by taking the food packages out of the refrigerator as Dante heats up the oven. He’s muttering something about temperatures to himself and I sneak a peek at him as he fiddles with the buttons on the oven.

What the hell is his story?

Because for as many lies choking me, I’m two-hundred percent sure that he’s burying just as many.

He doesn’t really know who I am, but he keeps himself pretty guarded, too.

And even though I know I should leave it alone, I can’t.

I want to know the truth.

I want to know exactly who I’m falling for…the first person who’s turned me inside out like this in so long, I can’t even remember the last time it happened.

If ever.

I lean against the counter next to him, watching him load the tin containers onto the racks. “I’m kind of surprised you didn’t devour it all,” I say.

He turns his head toward me. “I guess I lost my appetite, too,” he says gruffly.

“Sorry,” I say softly.

He shrugs. “Hey, everyone deals with things in their own way. I don’t criticize. I have my own shit to handle and I know I screw it up plenty.” He chuckles. “But I screw up less than my other brothers, so there’s that.”

“Yeah…” I murmur, a faraway smile tugging at my lips.

“So what are you planning to study at UNLV?” he asks, completely knocking me off my game and catching me tangled in my salacious highlight reel.

“Oh,” I say, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Business.”

Dante nods, closing the oven door and taking a seat at the kitchen island. “Seems like a smart choice.”

I shrug. “I figure it’ll help me get set up for a job.”

“What do you wanna do when you graduate?”

Heat flares in my cheeks as I try to come up with a response. Nobody has ever asked me this question before because my ‘job’ is already kind of set in stone as far as anyone knows.

And since I barely finished high school and have zero plans to get a legitimate job, I’m completely caught off-guard. Finally, I just force a laugh and shrug. “Does anyone really know what they want to do once they graduate?”

He quirks an eyebrow. “I think people generally know what kind of skills they have and how they can put them to the best use. And make the most money from them. You have any specific skills, Anya?”

“You mean, other than childcare?” I say, snickering.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean,” he says, his eyes darkening. “I have a feeling that there’s a lot more to you than meets the eye.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” I say, struggling to keep my voice even. “But I’m definitely a ‘what you see is what you get’ kind of girl. I love kids, reading romance novels, and warm weather.”

“So there is more to add to my list,” he says.