Page 85 of Mafia Obsession

Yet I know deeply that the man who rules the Greek Mafia has to return to civilization. I can’t confuse the two. And I keep reminding myself that none of this matters because I have no intention of being a mafia wife.

I’m here to reset. And if that includes a few orgasms after years of nothing, then I deserve it. Once I’m with Sandrine, my focus will be on her. Nothing else. No one else.

Ares won’t miss me. He doesn’t do relationships.

The faint thrum of a boat engine pulls my gaze toward the private dock below. From the pool terrace, I stand to watch the Ananke slice cleanly through the water before gliding into place. Ares left after breakfast this morning with a group of men to assess the cost to repair the volcanic shelf.

Now he’s back on the dock, his loose linen shirt unbuttoned down to his stomach, sleeves rolled, and windswept hair. Yet, he still looks tight, controlled, and serious. The way authority radiates from him as naturally as breath is something that can’t be taught.

The two men with him look confused when Ares very clearly ends his time with them. Have they not figured out a long time ago that Ares doesn’t have much of a sense of humor? He doesn’t respond to light-hearted charm.

When he reaches the terrace, he pauses just long enough to drink me in. “You look good enough to eat.”

“You need more variety in your diet.”

“There are other places I have yet to put my tongue, woman.”

I shudder at the idea that those thoughts have been in his head all morning.

“How was your day?” he asks, sitting next to me.

“Lonely,” I reply lightly, closing my book.

“What are you reading?” He takes the book and reads the cover. “Dragons?”

“It’s dragon smut.” I try to take it back.

“You’re reading a book about dragons having sex?” He holds it against his chest. “That one we read last night about the vampires was…pushing it.”

Hiding a smile, I correct him, “No, the dragon is really a human. When he’s in his male form, he and the heroine…you know.”

“You can read it, but you can’t say it.”

“As you should have surmised from the last few days, I’m not a prude, Ares Zervas.” I snap the book away from him. “But I have picked up on your rigid sophistication.”

“My sophistication is pretty rigid right now.” He pulls me toward him for a kiss.

“Elani is still here.”

His jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. “I can fix that.”

He smells like salt and sun. Wild and clean. He brings his mouth to mine in another kiss that’s warm and slow.

When he pulls back, his eyes stray to the table near the pool. “Your MacBook is here?”

“It was in my bag.” I brush my arms. “I don’t let it out of my sight.”

“That reminds me… Why were you stealing from Nathan Craig?” Ares asks, his eyes peering into me.

Damn, I don’t want to lie to him. “I needed money to leave David.” I give him a half-truth.

“I suspected as much. You never came across as vain or selfish.” He sits back. “You’re done with him. I’m working to make sure of it.”

I wonder if I should ask for a clarification of what ‘done with him’ means, but the less I know, the better. “As soon as this is all over, I have to make a life for myself. A new start.”

Ares’s jaw ticks. He’s calculating how to deal with me when we get back to New York. I want to let the guy off the hook, but he frowns in a way that makes me nervous.

“Have you been using the laptop for anything else?” He grips my throat gently. “Is the entire balance of the shell account all from Craig?”