Page 96 of Never Say Never

"Do you understand?" he asked.

I licked my lips. "Do you think this violent behavior will make me trust you with them?"

The corner of Paolo’s mouth ticked up. "Oh, sweet cheeks, this ain't violent. Trust me, I could show you violence. This is me being calm. Now, I'm going to cook waffles with chocolate chips, whipped cream, and caramel syrup. Do you want some?"

"No," I hissed.

"That's your choice." He pushed away from me and my hand wrapped around my own throat as he stuck a smoke in his mouth and lit it. "You should go over those files so we can figure out what the hell the Acetos and Triads are doing. We know it's the Triads behind the attack on your place. The sooner we get them off the street, the sooner this will be over."

This?

Did he mean us? Or me and the girls living here? Or just the threat being held over my life being extinguished?

I kept my hand on my throat, feeling the raw power that had emanated from his palm. My body had responded in a way that wasn't logical, my heart racing and my cock swelling at the close proximity. I shook my head, trying to dispel those thoughts.

"You don't control anything," I told Paolo. "Just so that you're aware."

"Of course not, York," he said. "You're completely in control."

We stared at each other, and it was as if we both knew that was a lie. As much as I led, I was starting to realize that Paolo allowed himself to be led. I'd never seen him like this. Why the hell did it turn me on?

"If you're going to claim you hate me, you should do something about that hard-on," Paolo muttered while he cooked. "Otherwise, I'll get the wrong idea."

"You... I..."

Paolo shrugged. "You can deny it. Hey, I get it, you're still angry, but those sweatpants are telling the truth when you can't," he said as he nodded downward. "If I'd known you liked being manhandled, I would have done it a lot sooner."

There was none of that old teasing the way Paul would have said it, that smirk that meant he might be joking around or he might not. When Paolo looked at me, I knew he meant every single word. My body felt like it was on fire. The fantasies I'd had since the beginning flooded my mind, images of Paolo fucking me relentlessly all over the place until I couldn't stand anymore. I'd tried to get those visions out of my brain, but I couldn't. Not even now.

"Your coffee will be ready in three minutes," Paolo said. "Let me smoke. I know you don't like the smell."

I'd only told him that once. It was an offhand comment after we went to a bar one night. Normally, I didn't love it. However, the image of Paolo with a cigarette in his mouth, his tattoos showing, and his body wrapped in dark clothes, made me stare.

"How did you hide the tattoos?" I asked.

"What?"

I nodded. "The tattoos."

Paolo looked down at his hand. There was an eagle on the back of it, but there were more that covered his exposed arms. I'd seen one on his stomach the other day when he stretched and wondered if there were more. He glanced back up at me.

"Makeup. Every single day."

"I've seen you after getting out of the pool and showers."

Paolo shrugged. "It's really good makeup, York. And a pain in the ass to put on everyday. It took me over an hour to cover it all up."

I blinked at him. "You were that dedicated, huh? If you had applied that to doing your job instead of being a traitor, I can't even begin to imagine what you could have done."

Paolo's eyes darkened. "I did my job, in case you've forgotten."

"Yeah, you just made me look like an idiot and ruined every pursuit of mine."

He gazed at me. "I'm sorry. I never wanted you to feel like a failure because of those missions. Seeing you stressed out because of it was... difficult."

"Yes, especially knowing that you caused it."

"Yes," he said again, blowing more smoke out and ashing into the sink. "You might not believe me, but I really am sorry, York."