Bought by My stepbrother, the don

Chapter 35: Desire

Carmen’s POV

One of the most common ways war broke out in territories was the death of a mafia don—worse when he or she refused to acknowledge that death was even a possibility.

We had just settled into our private booth. I moved to sit opposite Nico, only for him to gesture that I sit right beside him instead—something I immediately rolled my eyes at.

"Do you think he has a will?" I asked.

Nico seemed more focused on arranging the plates we ordered, asking questions about the menu and which food I would prefer to try.

"If he doesn’t... that’s bad, right?" I pressed.

Nico nodded, picking up a fork and dipping it into his spaghetti before offering it to my lips. I opened them on instinct, surprised by how good it tasted as I chewed.

Then my eyes widened.

Nico’s gaze was fixed on me as he slowly slid the same fork into his mouth and licked it clean.

Instantly, my heart picked up pace as he met my gaze, pulling the fork out before taking another bite.

"Why do you seem so overly concerned?" he asked, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

That surprised me.

I brushed off the fact that we had just shared the same cutlery.

"Why don’t you?" I countered. "You do know your territory is close to his, right? Without John Gotti controlling his people—or someone capable enough—it’ll turn into chaos. They might start infringing on your businesses."

That was the last thing we needed.

"Then let them..." Nico sighed, clearly not taking any of my concerns seriously.

I glared at him.

A slow smile spread across his face as his gaze held mine, his body leaning slightly closer than I liked as he whispered,

"If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were already in love with me."

I rolled my eyes instantly, breaking eye contact and focusing on my food instead. I dipped my fries into the ketchup one after the other—it tasted amazing.

"You wish. Like that could ever happen," I replied.

As I reached for another fry, I felt him shift closer. This time, his thigh pressed firmly against mine as he toyed with his spaghetti, rolling it around his plate.

"...then what are you scared of?" he asked.

I chose that exact moment to focus entirely on my food, stuffing more fries into my mouth without immediately swallowing as I considered the burger next.

But Nico continued speaking, making me hyper-aware of his presence—of how much bigger he was.

The smell of his cologne was maddening, and beneath that was something else... something he wasn’t even trying to hide.

Desire.

His gaze remained fixed on me as I chewed.

"...this can just be sex," he said softly. "We would both enjoy it. I’ll make sure you enjoy it even more."

There was a promise in his tone.

I ignored him, refusing to trust myself to respond, focusing instead on the fries until they were nearly gone.

"You’re not going to speak?" There was a hint of displeasure in his voice.

"...you’re my stepbrother by law," I said finally, my tone cold. "There are lines we shouldn’t cross."

I only hoped, for his sake, that his mother hadn’t lied about his parentage.

"You can have sex with other women and relieve your—"

I paused as I glanced at him. His gaze had darkened—completely. Instinctively, I shifted away from him. freewёbnoνel.com

He remained seated, but he was no longer holding his fork. Leaning back in his chair, he held my gaze, and I immediately regretted being in a private booth with him. I silently swore never to enter one again.

"...I’ll follow the rules," I continued, trying to stay calm. "But sleeping with you is beyond—"

I froze, he leaned in, close enough for me to feel his breath against my face. My heart hammered in my chest.

He didn’t touch me—not yet—but his gaze dropped slowly from my eyes, down my nose, to my lips... and lower. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

I knew exactly where it settled.

I hated how unsettled it made me feel. I got up immediately, intending to leave—but Nico grabbed me, pulling me back into him as he stood behind me.

My back pressed against his chest.

His hands settled on my waist, pulling me closer.

"Nico!" I snapped, my tone sharp—but my breathing betrayed me. It had grown heavier, matching his, as we stood trapped between the table and the large, plush chairs behind us.

For a moment, I thought he would let me go.

Instead, he turned me around to face him.

He wore a black shirt, the top buttons undone, revealing part of the tattoos on his neck. For once, I was grateful my dress was long—covering every inch of my skin.

I tilted my head up to meet his gaze as he leaned in again, bracing his hands on either side of me. He was taller. Too close and he smelled—I cut off the thought instantly. Placing my hand against his chest, I pushed.

"Nico..." I started. But he grabbed my hand, sliding it lower—over the hard planes of his ribs, which I could feel even through his shirt.

"If you say my name like that," he murmured into my ear, "in such a breathy tone... how am I supposed to resist?"

His lips brushed against my earlobe, his teeth grazing lightly before trailing down my neck. A shiver ran through me. Whatever he was doing—it was working and he knew it.

I gasped, my head tilting slightly to the side as his hand moved up, fingers brushing along my neck beneath my jaw, pushing gently.

Then his lips found mine. Soft.But this time, there was weight behind it—his body pressing closer, trapping me.

My legs brushed against his, the fabric of my gown doing nothing to block the heat between us. His lips moved slowly, deliberately, like he had all the time in the world and I would be lying if I said it didn’t feel good. It felt... too good.

Good enough that when he pressed just slightly harder against my lips—I parted them for him.