Xavier: A Dark Mafia Romance (The Cosa Nostra Series #1) by Alicia Marino

Author:Alicia Marino [Marino, Alicia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-06-06T16:00:00+00:00

The horizon’s a deep orange just beyond the measureless sea. The light from the sunset seeps over the waves, the glittering sand, entering the terrace of the restaurant, bathing customers in dry warmth. Xavier, sitting across from me with his messy sun-dried hair, his darkened skin and swollen lips, looks ethereal against Greece’s views.

I’ve never seen him look so at ease. He’s actually had a few drinks, a couple laughs. Our conversations never drift far from what’s happening around us, but that’s fine. Good, even. Without the presence of his status, our families, the pain from so long ago, I'm able to see him slowly unwind in front of me. It’s our second day in Santorini. We spent most of the day at the beach again, despite all of the excursions he booked in advance.

We eat comfortably, scoping in silence, still getting used to seeing each other at opposite sides of the table. Xavier’s Greek friends must control a good deal of the island because he’s treated differently from normal customers, even here. The staff are overly accommodating, even desperate to please him. Us.

“I like your smile,” he says bluntly once dessert is served. The rest of the restaurant cleared out once the air thickened with moisture. Another storm tonight.

My cheeks hurt as I fail to suppress emotions that seem to be just pouring out of me now. “I thought I forgot how.”

“I'm glad you’re enjoying yourself,” he says, setting down his fork, looking thoroughly pleased at the notion. “I planned so many things for us to do because I thought we’d… struggle more at this.”

“Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are.”

“Bo and Dante made a bet on how long we’d last before booking an early flight.”

It sounds like them. “How long did they guess?”

“Bo said three days. Dante was a little more optimistic.” Also, not surprising.

“Under the circumstances,” I say, rubbing my neck, “I was ready to jump into anything if it meant getting out of there.”

“Even enjoying the company of a gangster?”

“Even that.”

He smiles softly, his gaze stretching out to the sea. The wind has picked up with exquisite force, blowing his hair back like twisted streamers in the air. He looks so unmade here, so natural—a regular man. Back home, he can only be found in suits and tuxedos, always designed to look his best—not because he wants to, but because he needs to. He has to stun them all. Men and women alike.

Made-men must want to be him. Their wives should want to sleep with him.

Xavier Marcello in Greece is different altogether. His skin picked up the sun’s rays within minutes, darkening him three shades by the time we left the sand. The shade of his green eyes has a glow that rivals a jewel when turned against light. His smile grows more common by the day. He isn’t cruel. He isn’t sidetracked. Since the beach, he’s hardly glanced at his phone. I find myself wanting to touch him randomly—when he’s eating, when he’s not looking, when he’s doing something kind for me.

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