Page 30 of Mafia Billionaire's Surprise Baby

His voice is barely above a growl, and it makes more goosebumps break out over my neck as I think about how that voice would feel against my skin.

I study his face. The sharp lines of his jaw are so crisp that he looks like he could cut through a two-by-four.

His eyes are dark, darker than their normal warm brown, and his fingers are curled into fists at his sides.

Like he’s holding himself back.

At least one of us is.

“It doesn’t matter,” I say, a little more bitter than I’d intended. “It doesn’t matter what I want, Sal. We can’t go there. We just can’t.”

I hate that the second I say it, he shuts down. I swear I watch him power off, his eyes going from that dark flashing to nothing faster than the space between one heartbeat and the next.

“I’m going to shower,” he says roughly.

Slowly, I gather the edges of my robe and pull it back up my shoulders. I watch him stomp up the stairs and turn the shower on.

Idly, I wonder what would happen if I walked in there with him.

You can’t.

I suck in a breath and lift the glass of vodka to my lips. I need to remember that Sal is not part of my plan.

I’m going to do a good job as Elio’s replacement.

I’m going to take over the Rossi family.

If I did that with a man at my side, I’d never do it.

In my world, men run everything.

They’re the boss. The man of the family. They’re the ones who do everything possible, and who take it upon themselves to create the world for the rest of us to live in.

Fuck.

That.

My own father loved us both, but he only ever saw Elio as the capable one. He would never say that Elio, while a great guy and a good leader, was not who my dad wanted him to become.

I was.

I’m the one who is cutthroat. I’m the one who is willing to do what it takes to get shit done. I’m the one who has no problem cutting someone’s stomach open to let their intestines fall into their hands so they can really feel the outcome of crossing me.

Of crossing the family.

I’m the one who deserves to be the head of the family.

I love Elio. I’d never want to take anything away from him when it comes to the family business. If he wants to stay the head of Rossi Industries, he can do that.

But I’ll strike out on my own if that’s the case.

I’ve waited too long for this opportunity. If I had Sal at my side as… a couple, for lack of a better word, people would assume that he’s the one who has the guts to do what it takes.

And they would overlook me.

Again.

I’m fine with Sal showing up as my bodyguard and backup because it’s something that Elio would do as well. Elio has his own set of bodyguards, Luca and Rocco, who follow him everywhere.