“I can’t decide. You pick one.” Mira carefully lays two pieces of fabric side-by-side out on Alexius’s desk, her brow furrowed as she studies them. “I mean, the ivory satin is so classic and romantic. But the champagne silk is exquisite. So elegant. My God, this is so hard.” She uses her palm to fan out the fabric, her indecisiveness evident in the way she tilts her head and purses her red lips. “What do you think?”
We’ve been going through tablecloth fabric samples since we locked ourselves in here hours ago. The anniversary party is tomorrow night and Mira woke up this morning doubting every choice she’s made, from the table setting to flowers. Everything. This is the closest I’ve seen her come to a mental breakdown.
I pick up two different sets of beige napkins. “I guess it depends on which napkin you choose. Timeless beige or Jasmine white?”
“Oh, that’s easy. Timeless beige. Not only is the name romantic, but the shade is also perfect to go with the peach roses.” She takes the napkin from me, and her entire face lights up. “Oh, my God, yes. The champagne silk with these napkins will scream elegant romance without looking boring. Leandra, you are a genius.”
I smile. “When you’re unsure about anything, start with the things you’re absolutely sure about and let your decisions flow from there.”
Mira places the napkin and tablecloth together, taking a step back to get a better look. “The aesthetics are perfect. Now,” she turns to look at the array of crystal vases set out on the table across the room when I place a simple, long-stemmed crystal vase above the flowing tablecloth and napkin set we’d chosen, setting it down gently. Mira’s plump lips curve into a warm smile, and she claps her hands in approval. “I love it. Oh, it’s going to be so romantic. I’m already crying.”
I place an arm around her shoulder and squeeze. “It’s going to be perfect.”
“I hope so. I want this night to be everything and more for them. They’ve been so generous and kind, taking Maximo and me in and raising us as their own. I can’t imagine what would have happened to my us if it hadn’t been for them.” A rogue tear slides down her cheek, and she quickly swipes it away with her finger. “I still get nightmares of that night.”
“The night your parents were murdered?”
She nods. “And my oldest brother, Marco. Sometimes I know I’m dreaming, know I’m caught up in the nightmare. Other nights I wake up in cold sweats crying, the dream so vivid, I’m still stuck in that room with my parents’ bloodied bodies even after I wake up. She still checks on me some nights, Alexius’ mother.” Mira tightens her arms in front of her. “She’ll quietly walk into my room and place a kiss at my temple. Most of the time, I pretend to be asleep because I know it’s comforting for her, too, in a way.”
“I’m so happy you had them to take care of you.”
Mira glances at me. “You had no one.” Her voice sounds pained, and it reflects in her eyes. “You had no one to take care of you.”
I ease back and clutch my hands in front of me as I walk toward the office window. The morning started with clear skies, but clouds have since been carried by the howling wind, now casting shadows across the garden. “I survived, and that’s all that matters, right?”
A gentle sigh echoes from behind me. “Right. And hey, now you’re part of this family, too. Married to a millionaire with a bad attitude and an unhealthy relationship with crime and brothels.”
Mira snickers, but I merely smile, the thought of them running whore houses slowly carving a hole in my chest.
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry,” she apologizes and slips in next to me. “It took me years to digest that last part so it no longer bothers me. And here I get my foot in my own ass by assuming you did the same over the span of a few weeks.”
I lick my lips and absentmindedly reach for the scar behind my ear, brushing the marred flesh. “I’ve heard the rumors of the Del Rossa brothers long before Alexius shoved that envelope down the front of my waitress uniform.”
“He did what?”
This time it’s my turn to chuckle as I glance at her sideways, feeling my cheeks warm. “He came into the diner where I worked and walked right up to me, practically pinning me against the wall while breathing down my neck.”
“Sounds like him,” she says dryly, rolling her eyes.
“He pulled out the black envelope and slipped it down my front, saying I had twenty-four hours.” The memory is so vivid, so detailed. I can remember the chills that erupted across my skin as his warm breath kissed my cheek. “I knew the moment I looked into his eyes he’d destroy me.”
Mira nudges me with her shoulder. “Destroy, as in a good or a bad way?”
“Verdict is still out on that.” I pull myself together and refuse to let the memory linger any longer. “I guess I don’t have to wonder whether the brothers frequent their own clubs.” I try hard not to let it sound like a question, yet I’m sure I fail, but secretly want her to tell me that Alexius has never gone to one of his own clubs, which is absurd. Of course, he has.
Mira unties her hair, shaking out the knots. “As a woman in this house, I’m not privy to any information regarding their business. They are incredibly secretive about everything, and it’s crossed my mind more than once that these hard-asses rule the Illuminati or have the Antichrist himself under their employment.” She sweeps her blonde hair into her fist and reties it in a messy bun, placing her arms on her hips. “But instead of making peace with the fact that I know nothing that goes on in this house, I make sure I have a pair of eyes and ears around here.”
I gape. “Are you serious?”
“Of course.” She shrugs, scowling as if I just asked the world’s most stupid question. “I live with these guys, Leandra. If shit goes down, I want to make sure I know what it is.”
“And what do you know about Myth?”
“Oh, Myth is the cream of the crop of all sex clubs. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors.”
“I have. But being from the other side of town, the gossip that littered the streets was more about the lower-class clubs.”
Mira takes my hand and leads me to the leather couch, sitting down at the edge of the seat and pouring us both a glass of whiskey from the crystal decanter. She hands me mine before settling back. “What I know about Myth is that you have to be richer than Elon Musk and more powerful than the president to get access. Gambling is a big part of this family’s business—at least, that’s what I gathered over the years. Even though Myth is a sex club, I believe the poker and blackjack tables are the main attraction. It’s where the men roll out their dicks to see who has the bigger one.” She takes a sip of her whiskey and winces as she swallows. “I will say, I overheard Alexius and Nicoli talking once, and it sounds like they take good care of the girls who work for them.”
“What did you hear?” I ask, clutching my glass tighter.
She bites her lip and looks thoughtfully across the room. “One of them had suddenly gotten sick, and her gallbladder needed to be removed. Alexius paid for one of Chicago’s top surgeons to operate on her, and she received the best recovery care. From what I could hear, Alexius spared nothing to ensure she was well taken care of.”
A sliver of light breaks through below the dwelling surface of jealousy that starts to suck all the oxygen from my lungs. “He takes care of them,” I murmur, looking down at my glass and the swirling amber liquid.
“As his employees, yes.”
I scoff. “You might have eyes and ears around here, Mira, but your reach doesn’t go past the estate security gates. We don’t know what goes on behind the walls of Myth. I don’t think we ever will.”
God. The thought makes me sick to my stomach, my cruel imagination showing me torturous images of Alexius wrapped up in beautiful women and their perfect bodies. It makes sense that a man like him would prowl the proverbial terrain in search of those who can feed his hunger. Alexius is larger than life, and I’d be stupid, naive if I think for even a moment that I’m enough for him. I will never be enough, no matter how expansive my wardrobe is or how far I’m willing to go with my body to please him. There’s just not enough of me to keep a predator like Alexius sated for a lifetime.
Mira senses the shift, eyeing me with concern. “Don’t go there, Leandra. Nothing good can ever come from allowing your mind to go there. It’s dark and lonely, and no one will come for you there. If you want to thrive here, not just survive but thrive, you need to forget everything you’ve ever read or heard about love and romance. Forget about the kind of love you dreamt of when you were supposed to learn algebra in class. That whole American dream with the white picket fence, two kids, and a Yorkshire terrier running around doesn’t exist here. It will never exist here. Not when your heart belongs to one of them.”
I meet her sympathetic gaze, something familiar flashing within her light green irises. It’s like she can feel everything I am, relate to it somehow.
She slams back the last of her whiskey, cringes, and lets her eyes settle on the empty glass in her hands. “These brothers can’t be tamed, Leandra. Their hearts might be attainable, but that does not mean you can control the blood in their veins. And Del Rossa blood runs deep. It’s wild, thick, and vicious with a history that will always define who. They. Are.”
Her words scratch against the glass surrounding my heart, walls that can shatter from the slightest pressure. A protection layer unable to withstand the power of Del Rossa blood. The blood that runs through my husband’s veins—the blood that warms the flesh of the man I’m falling in love with.
“I’ve never been to Myth,” Mira continues, pulling me out of my thoughts. “And I’m sure Maximo would rather have his lungs pulled from his ass than have his little sister ever walk through those doors.”
I snicker. “Do you blame him? It’s a sex club.”
“And I’m a grown woman who can make her own decisions. It’s time my brother and everyone else around here realizes that.”
“By everyone else, you mean…?” I narrow my eyes at her, but she ignores my knowing stare.
“I mean every asshole who lives under this roof thinking I need my decisions made for me.” She pours herself another glass. “I’ve been meaning to ask, has Alexius been acting strangely to you the last few days? Well, stranger than normal.”
Guess I’m not the only one who noticed. Alexius is stoic and controlling on his best day. But lately, he’s been different. Distracted. Withdrawn. The only time I know I have his full attention—have all of him—is when he reminds me how tightly I’m chained to him by proving how easily we can drown in each other. Like this morning when he fucked me against his bedroom window while one of his brothers watched from the garden. I can still feel the pressure of his hand on my jaw, the cold glass against my naked breasts while his hard body keeps me locked against the window, his cock stretching my pussy and filling me until it hurts. His possession of me is absolute and exhilarating, something I’m not sure I’ll be able to let go of once our time together comes to an end. Every time our lips collide, our tongues duel, and our bodies rock to a rhythm our lust determines, it becomes more and more evident that our souls were either created as one in Heaven or burned and crafted in Hell. The way he knows me, what I want and how I want it, and how he’s more than capable of meeting all my expectations blows my mind every damn time.
A flush of heated skin spreads across my chest, thinking of the brother who saw us this morning. I loved it. The thrill of being watched, thinking of someone else being turned on by us and how we fuck, fantasizing about being one of us or taking part.
Does Mira know about the brothers and their love of sharing? If she has eyes and ears around here as she says she does, then it only makes sense that she does know. And if she does, is it safe to assume she has no issue with it?
I clear my throat. “He has been…distracted, I guess.”
“I wonder what’s going on?” Mira brushes a finger along her chin. “All of them seem on edge, like they’re waiting for a bomb to drop.”
“The other night, Alexius left quite abruptly just before midnight. He didn’t come home—well, not that I know of. I only saw him at lunch the next day, and he seemed…out of sorts ever since.”
“Something is going on, I’m telling you.”
“Maybe it’s his dad. He knows time is running out. All of them do. That can’t be easy.”
“Nope.” Mira straightens and starts pacing. “It’s not that. Maximo came to me last night and made me swear I wouldn’t leave the estate alone or without security. I dunno.” She swings around and scratches her temple. “See if you can get something out of Alexius.”
I laugh as I stand. “Are you serious? You know as well as I do Alexius never cracks. He won’t tell me a damn thing.”
“At least try,” she presses, her eyes wide and lips pouting suggestively. “Use your post-coital superpowers.”
I burst out laughing, and so does she. “Post-coital superpowers?”
“Come on, I’m desperate,” she whines through her laughter. “We need to figure out what’s going on.”
“Fine, I’ll try. But I can tell you now, Alexius is a giant wall when it comes to anything other—”
“Than fucking?” Her eyes beam with mischief, and my cheeks burn. “Oh, come on. Everyone living on the second floor can hear you two tearing each other apart every night. Savages.” She winks at me and puts down her glass. “Okay, I have to let the event planner know we’ve made our selections for the table settings. See you at dinner?”
“Definitely.”
Mira strolls out of Alexius’ office, and I can’t help but envy her and how she so easily navigates through the secrets and the darkness that comes with the unknown of this world the Del Rossas rule so effortlessly. It’s expected, though. This is something she’s known her entire life.
One thing she’s right about—even if I, by some miracle, own even a fraction of Alexius’ heart, it wouldn’t change him. It wouldn’t change the man he’s always been and always will be. If I want to at least try to be enough for him, I would have to up my game and shed the last bit of skin of the woman I was the day I walked out of that shitty apartment I grew up in.
