Page 72 of Power & Punishment

“Just wait until we have more time,” he sighs, pressing a kiss to my shoulder before pulling away. “But we should get going. My mother is going to kill me if my sister doesn’t first.”

“Wait, what?” I ask, pulling the straps of my dress back up and using Leo’s hand to guide me off the table. “I thought we were getting dinner just the two of us?”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you? We’re having dinner at my family’s home.”

The calmness surrounding me evaporates into thin air.

“You’re joking, right?”

“No,” he smirks, tucking a rogue strand of hair behind my ear. “But I am enjoying the look on your face right now.”

His eyes darken as his fingers dig into the side of my neck. “You said you’re mine. There’s no going back.”

I’ve never met a boyfriend’s parents before. I’ve never stuck around long enough to get that far.

And I most certainly have never met a stalker/blackmailer/kind-of-fuck-buddy’s parents before.

A hysterical laugh threatens to break free, but I clamp my lips shut before it can escape. This isn’t happening.

Except it is.

And Leo DeLuca is taking off his jacket casually like this entire situation isn’t weird and entirely awkward.

I tried asking him how he is going to introduce me in the car ride over here, but he just said he’d handle it. Not to mention, he couldn’t keep his hands off me, and I had to keep swatting him away even though every bone in my body wanted to do the exact opposite.

I thought the best way to get him out of my system was to get him into it. But I’ve never been more wrong in my life.

Banishing the lingering vehemence in my body, I smooth my hands down my dress for the hundredth time.

I try to calm myself down, but as my eyes flicker across all the family photos on display, I spot a young Leo with his mom and dad anchored at his side with huge smiles on their faces.

He looks happy in the photo. Probably no older than thirteen. It’s the first smile of his I’ve seen without any ulterior motive behind it. And then I remember something.

“I thought you told me your parents died?” I ask, turning toward him.

His face tightens. “They did. Frank and Cecil DeLuca adopted me when I was ten.”

“Oh,” I say with an entirely new narrative painted in my head as I spin to the hall full of family photos. A large picture hangs front and center with an older version of Leo surrounded by his adopted parents and two more people tucked beside him.

“Are those your siblings?” I ask. Leo walks up beside me and curls his arm around my backside as he sweeps me toward the bustling noise around the corner.

“Yes. Frank and Cecil had two children but always wanted a third. My brother, Gio, is a few years older than me, and my sister, Maribella, is the youngest. She just turned 26.”

I nod, absorbing all the information Leo’s willing to give me. Maybe he’s just invited me into my way out. I wonder if they know what their son does with his power.

“It’s about damn time,” a man grunts as soon as we round the corner into a cute little sitting room. It’s the complete opposite of Leo’s home and full of warm colors. It feels like the kind of place I should instantly feel comfortable in, and yet, I feel like I’m ready to crawl out of my skin.

I don’t belong here.

“Relax, Gio,” Leo says with a hint of amusement in his tone. “You’re lucky I showed up at all, old man.”

Leo releases his hold on me to greet his brother.

Gio is handsome like Leo, but in a more rugged way with his beard and light brown hair. He’s wearing a suit, which seems like overkill for an intimate family dinner. His eyes are a similar color of green, but lighter, and he’s giving significantly less serial killer vibes than his brother.

“Holy shit, Bro,” Gio says, inching his head around Leo’s tall form. “Did you bring a date?”

“Let’s keep the frat boy talk to a minimum, Bro,” Leo chides playfully, turning back to me and wrapping his arm around my waist.