Chapter Twenty

OctaviaHis lips were still on mine, soft and demanding all at once, when my brain finally caught up with my body.This is wrong.Watching him confess his feelings for me wasn’t something I signed up for. How was this going to look for me, a top world class spy?I pulled back, my hands pressing against his chest. The fabric of his shirt was warm beneath my palms, and I could feel his heartbeat racing beneath my fingertips. Fast and desperate. Real."Alfredo, stop."He didn't move away. His forehead stayed pressed against mine, his breath mixing with my own. Those deep brown eyes searched my face with an intensity that made my stomach flip."I can't stop," he whispered. "I've tried. God knows I've tried. You're in my head, Maria. Every moment of every day. When I'm giving orders, I hear your voice. When I'm in meetings, I see your face. When I close my eyes at night..." He swallowed hard. "You're there."My heart hammered against my broken ribs. Maria. He still called me Maria. He still

Chapter Twenty-One

AlfredoShe said yes.I replayed the words in my head as I lay beside her in the narrow bunker bed, her hand still wrapped in mine, her breathing finally slow and even with sleep. I'll stay. I'll be yours. Three days ago, I had been drowning in a sea of loneliness and obligation, convinced that my life would consist of nothing but shipments and meetings and the cold emptiness of my mansion at night. Three days ago, I had never tasted real hope.Now, watching the soft rise and fall of Maria's chest beneath the thin blanket, I felt something I had forgotten existed. Peace. I didn’t care if she was a spy or not. Whether she worked with the feds or FBI. She could be the death of me, for I cared.Her face was still bruised, still marked by what Scarfaced had done to her. The sight of those injuries made my blood boil even now. When I found her collapsed against that tree, bloody and broken, something inside me had shattered. I had carried her through the forest with a single thought pou

Chapter Twenty-Two

AlfredoThe bunker had served its purpose, but I could not hide her forever. Three days. Three days of watching Maria sleep, of taking care of her and telling myself that the world outside could burn for all I cared. Three days of peace I had never known.But I was Alfredo De El. And a king who abandons his throne does not remain king for long. The morning we emerged, I had already sent word ahead. Every captain, every lieutenant, every made man who mattered was to assemble in the main hall of the mansion by noon. No excuses. No delays. Failure to appear would be treated as insubordination.I dressed carefully that morning in a charcoal suit, perfectly tailored, my hair slicked back, my jaw clean-shaven. The man in the mirror looked every inch the mafia boss. Cold. Commanding. Unshakeable.Inside, I was anything but.Maria stood at the window of the safe house, watching the sun rise over the estate. Her bruises had faded to sickly yellows and greens, but she still moved carefully, pro

Twenty- Three

OctaviaThe water rippled as he emerged from the pool, and my breath caught in my throat.Alfredo pushed his wet hair back from his face, water streaming down his broad shoulders, carving paths over the ridges of his chest and stomach. His body was a map of power, every muscle defined but not ostentatious, the kind of strength earned through action rather than vanity. The afternoon sun caught the droplets on his skin, making him look almost golden.God help me.I was supposed to be gathering intel. The study was two floors up, his private safe combination hidden in a book I had spotted days ago. Carlos was probably losing his mind wondering where I was or thinking I was dead. The agency needed evidence that would bring this entire empire crashing down.Instead, I stood frozen at the poolside window like a lovestruck teenager, watching the man I was supposed to destroy dry himself with a towel. He caught me staring.A slow smile spread across his face, that devastating smile that made

The Mafia Boss and the Spy のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 24

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Twenty- Three