Fragile Longing

“If people recognize you, you’re going to be in a whole world of trouble.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t get caught.”

Anna turned to Santino and nudged his arm. He leaned down so she could reach his ear. He glanced between me and her, his eyes hardening, then he gave a sharp nod. Before they left, he walked up to me. “Don’t move a fucking inch. If I don’t find you right in this spot when I return, there’ll be hell to pay.”

I swallowed and nodded. God, he was scary as hell. I didn’t know how Anna could enjoy teasing him so much.

Anna winked at me, then she and Santino went in search of the restrooms. I righted the blonde wig, then paused. I gathered my courage by taking another sip of my drink before sauntering over to Danilo. His cousin nudged him, and then Danilo’s eyes locked on me. I tensed, worried he would recognize me. I didn’t even want to imagine the amount of trouble I’d be in. I had some difficulty walking elegantly with my high heels on the wooden boards of the patio and hoped I wouldn’t faceplant.

His posture changed, becoming alert and almost eager. Without my brown hair, my resemblance to Serafina was even stronger. I wasn’t quite as tall, and my facial features were a bit different. The copy. Not the original. Always the copy. But I knew I’d be close enough to her looks to attract Danilo. The use of Fina’s old perfume would only add to the illusion.

I swayed my hips as I moved through the crowd. I didn’t even feel the cold anymore. My blood was pumping through my veins, making me feel hot all over.

Danilo wasn’t the only man checking me out, and I couldn’t deny that it boosted my ego.

When I stopped in front of him, my heart was thundering. Danilo scanned my tight leather pants and corset that shoved my breasts up. Since he hadn’t really looked at them, he’d hardly recognize them now. I almost laughed at the thought. He definitely didn’t recognize me. He’d never undressed me with his eyes like that. Hell, he usually didn’t show a flicker of interest in my body.

He was interested now. His smile was dark and confident. And he had every reason to be confident. He looked utterly sexy in his SWAT uniform.

“Hi,” I said, making my voice deeper and sultrier. The tone sounded strange to my ear, but it had the intended effect. Danilo shifted closer, that smile becoming even darker. It sent a shiver down my back. He looked like the big bad wolf about to devour Red Riding Hood. Something a little unhinged flickered in his eyes. This wasn’t the Danilo I got to see, not the sophisticated, cool gentleman. This Danilo was dangerous.

Danilo didn’t say anything, only smiled in a way that made me feel like his prey. Men in our world were careful when they interacted with me. I was the daughter of an Underboss and the future wife of one—I’d never been confronted with open hunger like Danilo’s before. Even though it scared me, I wished he’d look at me that way one day, and not a copy-cat version of Fina. “I’m—”

Danilo cut in before I could introduce myself with my fake name. “It doesn’t matter. Names are irrelevant. This is about tonight, not tomorrow.”

I nodded quickly, feeling my cheeks heat at his rebuff. At least, that meant he didn’t care about the women he met at clubs. He forgot them the moment he was done with them.

I wondered which Danilo was the real deal. Which was his true self? The restrained gentleman or the ruthless predator? I feared it was like Anna had told me. The gentleman was his public image, the one he needed to portray. But this version of him, right in front of me, the dangerous bad boy was his true self.

Danilo stepped closer and leaned down so I could hear him better over the music drifting from the speakers above the bar and our heads. “Was there a reason why you came over to me? You seemed to have a purpose in mind.”

I swallowed, overwhelmed by his presence. “I want to dance.” Good. That was part of the plan.

“Dance, hmm?” He pulled me toward a clearing off to the right of the patio where lights and heaters had been set up. The bass droned even louder here, and a crowd of people was dancing wildly. I didn’t recognize anyone. Danilo pulled me against him, molding our bodies together. We’d danced with each other before at social functions, and he’d always kept an appropriate distance between us, made sure his hand was high up on my back. He didn’t now. His hand was on my lower back, and I could feel every inch of his strong, muscled body pressing against me. I felt like a marionette in his hold. His breath pressed into my ear. “It doesn’t look as if you want to dance with me. Maybe you should return to the bar. The cat’s only a kitty after all.”