Page 92 of Fallen Rook

My stomach flipped. I turned to give him my signature Joker leer. “You see this going on for years?”

“Are you going anywhere?” He scowled.

“No, but—”

“Neither am I.”

“Not even to Chicago?”

“Especially not to Chicago. I’m eyeing a promotion here in New York. Been vying for it for a while.”

“But…” I chewed on my inner cheek, “what about Katya? You said you’d never be a sidepiece again.”

“I’m not going to be the sidepiece; I’m going to be the main piece.” His voice dripped with authority. “We’ll figure something out.”

A loaded beat of silence stretched between us.

“You gave me a nickname.” I rolled the cigarette between my thumb and middle finger. “A real one.”

Tom groaned, pressing a kiss to my mouth to shut me up. It worked, for a couple minutes. But as soon as he pulled away, I said, “I like it. It’s romantic.”

“Please, Enzo, stop talking.”

“Why Butterfly?”

“I’ll tell you some other time.”

“Why not now?”

But I knew why. He’d reached his domestic bliss threshold and needed to retreat to that remote place inside himself.

“I can’t believe you tried to resist us.” I pouted. “I should sue you for emotional and physical damage.”

“Physical?”

“You blue-balled me.”

He didn’t smile. But at least he didn’t look like he was sad he’d left his weapon at home. Baby steps and all.

“What now?” I asked, because I honestly couldn’t just stay still and shut up. Every moment we weren’t talking or fucking felt like a monumental waste.

“I’m gearing up for one more fuck before I have to cancel all my plans for today.”

“What are your plans for today?”

“Rolling you between the sheets and fucking you until we die of thirst.”

That did shut me up. I’d find out about my moniker some other time. My curiosity could wait. My ass, however, couldn’t.

I rested my head on his shoulder, knowing full well that as soon as he left, the screaming in my head would resume.

Dread knotted my stomach.

For the first time in my life, I was truly happy.

And that happiness was so fragile, so forbidden, I knew it was destined to fly away.

Chapter Twenty-Seven