Mob Mistress

Chapter Nine

Lily

“Walk with me Lils.”

His voice made me jump, he had been so long in the bathroom I had started to think he had crawled out the window and ditched me.

So to find him at the table, looking as gorgeous as he always did . For a second we did nothing but stare at each other. Every line on his face screamed worry and my heart started to thunder in chest.

“We need to talk.” He held out a hand and my own fingers curled around it , my palm sweaty. What ever he wanted to talk about wasn’t going to be good.

Had he heard from Luca?

Was Alice…? My breath caught in my throat. “Stefano what’s happened.” Scrambling to

My feet I let him lead my between the candle topped tables and down the three short steps onto the sand.

The beach was deserted , just the stars overhead and the gentle lap of the moon touched waves on the shore. It would have been romantic if I didn’t have a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“Stop Lils.” He had stopped so suddenly I walked straight into him and his arms went about me instinctively.

“Stop what?” I had to crane my neck to look up at him.

“Thinking, what ever you are thinking of has your face all twisted up. You look scared and I hate it.”

“Then tell me is it Alice?” I almost choked the words out. What would I do if he turned round and said she was dead? What would happen to me. Luca was my friend and Stefano was…

Well I didn’t really know why Stefano was to me right now. But more than a friend that was for sure.

“I just wanted to walk with you Lils. To enjoy this. I would have heard something if anything had happened to Alice.” Something flickered across his face. A moment of doubt. “So stop worrying and enjoy yourself. We will need to move on soon but one last walk on a moonlight beach with the woman I love seemed like a good idea.” He froze as he realised what he had said and I could do nothing but blink at him.

Had he just said he loved me?

“Lily.”he sounded panicked. “Shit.”

“It’s ok Stefano.” Why did heating those words freak me out so much, but what was worse was the thought he didn’t mean them. Confused by my own feelings I turned from him.

Everything about him confused me.

“We all say things we don’t mean sometimes.”

“I do mean it, I was saying s**t because I had it all planned out. Never said it to a woman before so …” he gave a self conscious shrug, his wide shoulders moving. “But here is a good a place as any.” His arms slipped back around my waist. “I am in love with you Lils.”

“Don’t Stefano.” Tears sprang up from my eyes unbidden. Leaving streaks in my makeup. He couldn’t love me and I couldn’t love him.

“I can’t give you what you need.” And that was the truth. These last few weeks had been some of the best of my life but I still couldn’t get past some light petting. And I knew he wanted More. He deserved more.

“I want you to be my wife Lily.”

“No” I bit back the sob. “I can’t be who you need me to be… I’m sorry.”

“I need you to be you.”There was desperation in his voice. And pain. So

Much pain it broke my heart. “I don’t care about any of the other stuff.”

“You don’t care if we never have s*x?”

He paused for just a moment to long. Of

Course he cared. He had needs.

I just wasn’t the girl who could satisfy him. Not now and maybe not ever. “I care about you. I love YOU.”

“You can’t marry anyone Stefano, you have a wife already.” Sadness made my voice bitter. “I don’t want to be forgotten as easily as you forgot her.” My words cut deep like I knew they would. For a second his emotions warred across his face and then the darkness seeped back into his beautiful eyes.

“I’m going for a drink, I’m guessing you don’t need me to walk you back to the room?” He didn’t wait for my reply just turned on his heel and walked away. Leaving me to start at his back.

Well that had worked a bit to well. I had hurt him. But in the long run it was for the best. I had to believe that otherwise I had just watched the love of my life walk away.