“It’s your turn.”
Romero’s voice made me jump.
I flushed and did a quick scan of the words on the board, but my concentration was frayed.
“Do you want to stop?” Romero asked after a couple of minutes. He sounded like that was something he wanted. He was probably bored out of his mind.
Pushing my disappointment down, I nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to read in my room a bit.” I rose to my feet, hoping my face didn’t give my emotions away, but I needn’t have worried. Romero gave me a distracted smile and picked up his phone to check his messages. I backed away slowly. He didn’t look up again. I needed to figure out a way to get his attention, and not with stupid games.
* * *
Aria had decorated the entire apartment with balloons for my birthday, as if I was a kindergarten kid. I’d thought we might be allowed to head to one of Luca’s clubs but he and even Aria had refused to take me there. The amount of food on the table made it look as if a huge party was planned, but it was only Romero’s two younger sisters and us. Aria had asked him to bring them. I felt like the loser kid without friends who needed her big sister to find friends for her. Maybe I should have stayed in Chicago, then at least I could have spent the day with my friends.
When Romero arrived with his sisters, I put on my brightest smile. “Happy birthday, Liliana,” he said, handing me an envelope. It was a voucher for a bookstore. “Aria said you love to read.”
“Yes, thank you,” I said, but somehow I’d hoped for a different gift from Romero. Something personal, something that showed I was special.
“These are my sisters.” He pointed at the taller girl with thick brown curls. “This is Tamara, she’s fifteen like you.” I smiled and so did Tamara but she seemed as embarrassed as I felt. “And this is Keira, she’s twelve. I’m sure you’ll get along fine.” It was obvious that I was supposed to spend time with them because I was still too young to hang with Aria, Luca, and the others. It annoyed me, even though Tamara and Keira seemed nice enough, but I hadn’t come to New York for a kid party. With another smile, Romero headed for Luca and Matteo, and I led his sisters toward Aria and Gianna, and the buffet.
I tried my best to enjoy the evening and be nice to Romero’s sisters but I wanted something special for my birthday, something I’d been dreaming about for a very long time. When I noticed Romero heading out onto the roof terrace for a call, I snuck out as well. The others were hopefully busy enough not to miss me for a couple of minutes. Romero talked on the phone and didn’t notice me at first. I followed him quietly and watched as he leaned against the banister. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscled forearms. I wondered how it would feel to run my hands over them, to feel his skin and strength.
When his eyes settled on me, his brows drew together in a frown and he straightened. I moved closer and positioned myself beside him. He hung up and put his phone in his pocket. “Shouldn’t you be inside with your guests?” he asked with a smile, but I could tell that it wasn’t as honest as usual.
I moved a bit closer and smiled up at him. “I needed some fresh air.”
Romero’s eyes were alert as he watched me. “We should return.”
“There’s something I want for my birthday,” I said quietly. “Something only you can give me.” I’d repeated the words in my head countless times but aloud they didn’t sound half as flirty as they had in my imagination.
“Liliana,” Romero began, his body brimming with tension.
I didn’t want to hear what he was going to say. I quickly stood on my tiptoes and tried to kiss him. He gripped my shoulders before my lips reached his and held me away from him like I had an infectious sickness.
“What are you doing?” He let me go and took a few steps back. “You are a child, and I’m a soldier of the Famiglia. I’m not a toy you can play with whenever you’re bored.”
I hadn’t expected that kind of reaction from him. Surprise and shock, yes, but anger? No. “I only wanted to kiss you. I don’t want to play games. I like you.”
Romero shook his head as he gestured toward the glass door. “Go back inside. Your sisters will start to wonder where you are.”
He sounded like a big brother, and that was the last thing I wanted him to be. I whirled around before I walked back in a rush. My heart shriveled in my chest. For some reason I’d never considered a rejection from Romero. I’d fantasized about our first kiss so often that the option of it never happening had never crossed my mind. The rest of the evening, I struggled to keep a happy face, especially whenever I saw Romero. I was actually glad to return to Chicago. I wouldn’t get to see Romero for a long time, enough time to get over him and find someone else to crush on.
Romero
I’d known Liliana had a crush on me. Aria had mentioned it before, but I’d never expected the girl to act on her feelings. She was a pretty kid. A kid.
I didn’t have the slightest interest in her and the sooner she understood the better. She’d looked fucking hurt when I’d lashed out at her, but I had no choice. Even if she weren’t still a child, I couldn’t have let her kiss me. I was a soldier of the Famiglia and she was the daughter of the Outfit’s Consigliere.
When I returned to the living area, Luca walked up to me. “What was that? Why was Liliana outside with you?”
Of course he’d noticed. Luca never missed anything.
“She tried to kiss me.”
Luca’s eyebrows rose. “I assume you pushed her away.”
“Do you really have to ask? She’s my sister’s age.”
“Her age isn’t even the main problem. At least in her father’s eyes.”
“I know.” I was a soldier, and girls like Liliana were supposed to stay in their own social circles.
Luca sighed. “That girl will be as much trouble as Gianna, if not worse.”
I had a feeling he might be right.
CHAPTER THREE
Liliana
“The nerve of that girl! From the day she’d been born she’s been nothing but trouble!” Father’s words echoed through the house. Fabiano peered up at me with his big blue eyes as if I knew the answers to his questions. My own mind was a huge question mark. I wasn’t exactly sure what had happened but I got the gist of it. Gianna had disappeared while she’d been in New York with Aria. Now everyone was looking for her. No wonder Aria hadn’t asked me to visit as well. Not that I would have been too keen on returning to New York after my last embarrassing encounter with Romero four weeks ago, but it still stung that Aria and Gianna had made plans behind my back, behind everyone’s back.
I walked down the stairs, motioning for Fabi to stay where he was, as I inched toward Father’s office. Mother was there, crying. Father was on the phone, from his still angry but more restrained tone I assumed with his boss, Dante Cavallaro. Cavallaro was the only person that Father truly respected. Mother spotted me in the doorway and quickly shook her head, but I took another step forward and into the office.
I knew it was better to stay away from Father when he was in a mood like this, even though he usually lashed out at Gianna and not me, but my sister was gone now.