Still alarmed, my brows dip down. “How what?”
“How happy you’ve been with me?”
I grab the back of her head and smash my lips over hers again. “So fucking happy,” I tell her. “And I’m done with you not being happy, Marissa. I’m buying Milano’s so your grandparents can retire. And you and I are opening our own restaurant, with you as head chef. And a piano. And a manager who does all the shit we don’t want to do.”
When she tears up, I push her back down on the bed and cover her slender body with mine. “It’s settled, Marissa. You’re mine. Say it, now.”
She blinks her watery eyes. “I’m yours, Gio,” she whispers.
“Say it louder.”
“I’m yours.”
I shake my head and say firmly, “I’m not letting you go.”
She reaches for my face and pulls me down. “You’d better not.”
I slide my lips over hers, exploring her softness, tasting her sweetness. “I love you, angel.”
She loops both arms around my neck. “I love you, too, Gio.”
And then I’m suddenly famished, since I haven’t eaten in… I don’t know—days. “Were you making something in the kitchen, beautiful?”
The smile that stretches across her face makes my heart double-pump. “Yes, I was. Hungry?”
“Starving, angel.”
“Good.” She slides out of bed, like serving me is her favorite thing. “I’ll make us some dinner.”
I want to sigh like a girl.
Now I’m certain of the reason my life was spared. It was to make sure Marissa’s life was spared, too. Because we were destined for each other. To give and receive and make each other happy. And be happy together, because I know the Dr. Phil shit about it not being all on the other person making you happy.
I trail after my beautiful chef, watching the twitch of her bare ass as she walks, tying the apron on around her waist.
Even if I died tomorrow, I’d die happy. Fulfilled. So different from how I felt about my life last year when that bullet went through my flesh.
All I needed was a reason to live.
And now I found her.
Epilogue
Paolo
“The food was exquisite,” Ma gushes as the waitstaff clear our plates. It’s the soft opening of Giovanni’s, Marissa and Gio’s new downtown restaurant. Gio bought a commercial property right on the lake near their apartment, with wall-to-wall windows looking out over the water. People will come here for the views alone, never mind Marissa’s food. Although based on the family gathering she hosted last week and what I tasted tonight, she’s going to knock that part out of the park, too.
And the piano? I don’t know why it makes me laugh my ass off. Maybe just because I remember Gio dreaming of his piano bar when he was like six years old.
And now he’s doing it.
Why the fuck not?
The guy came back from the dead. That would make me want to pursue all my lost opportunities, too.
The whole family’s here—at least all of the Chicago branch plus Nico, who managed to sneak away from his obligations running the Bellissimo, and Marissa’s family too.
I shook Luigi’s hand when he came in. I’m not gonna hold a grudge. We had a couple conversations that involved me throwing my weight around a bit. Now everything’s resolved.
He gave me the tapes. Gio bought out Milano’s and forced their retirement. He and Marissa re-opened it as a wildly popular lunch-spot, rejuvenating the entire block.
Marissa’s queen of the place tonight, wearing a slinky teal dress and playing hostess. Her kitchen staff, including a girlfriend from the restaurant where she used to work, prepared her creations tonight.
Gio’s been at her back, showing his claim, protecting his prize.
Again, why the fuck not? He deserves her.
Now that dessert is being served, Gio finds his way to the piano, same as ever. He sits down and plays a song that’s familiar. A Train song, I think—that cheesy Marry Me. When the next song he plays is Bruno Mars’ Marry You, I start smiling. He’s not singing the lyrics, so I don’t know if anyone’s caught on yet.
More importantly, I don’t think Marissa’s caught on yet.
I wait for the next song. This time Gio turns on the mic and sings—something he doesn’t often do, even though he has a great voice. It’s Dean Martin’s Marry Me.
Ma gasps and that makes everyone sit up and listen.
“Hey, Marissa,” I call out. “I think your man has something to ask you.”
Marissa surges to her feet, then promptly sits back down again, then stands, covering her mouth and blushing.
“Go on, get up there,” her aunt urges, nudging her to the piano.
Gio finishes the song in total Gio style—lady-killer that he used to be. When he’s done, he grabs Marissa around the waist and pulls her down onto his lap in front of everybody. The older people titter nervously while the rest of us cheer.
“Marissa, I love you. I think you know by now I’m never letting you go.” More nervous laughter from the family. “Let’s make it official, angel. Will you wear my ring?” He produces a ring box from his jacket pocket and pops it open. There’s a pear-shaped diamond in there the size of a fucking dime.
Marissa tears up while she laughs. “Yes, Gio. I’m not letting you go, either.” She takes the ring and slides it on her finger.
My phone buzzes, and seeing it’s a call from Stefano, I stand and walk out to the coatroom to take it. “Gio just proposed to his girl,” I tell our youngest brother.
“Yeah? Tell him congratulations for me. Bachelor party at the Bellissimo of course.”
“Naturally, naturally. What’s up?”
“Listen, we have a problem and I wondered if you could take care of it.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“I just found out some hacker’s been micro-skimming every transaction from the casino accounts for the past six years. About a hundred fifty grand total. We traced the money to an off-shore account. Only money in it is from The Bellissimo. Only money out? Tuition payments to Northwestern University.”
“Now I see where I come in. So, some guy’s using it to put his kid through college?”
“Actually, I think the kid is the hacker. Emancipated at age sixteen, she’s now a graduate student in computer science. Name is Caitlin West. I’m sending over a picture and address right now.”
He sends the photo and just like that, my dick gets hard. She’s definitely fuckable. A red-hot dark-haired geek in giant black-framed glasses and candy-colored lip gloss stares back at me with a saucy look. She looks like the kind who wears a messy bun and threadbare t-shirts to the library, but on weekends secretly sneaks out in a tight leather corset and bootie shorts to whip men at the local dungeon.
“Well, well, well, my hot little hacker,” I murmur, staring at the screen. “It’s time to pay the piper.”
Thank you for reading Dead Man’s Hand. For a bonus epilogue of their engagement night, be sure to sign up for my newsletter at http://owned.gr8.com. If you’re already a subscriber, the links to bonus material is at the bottom of every newsletter.
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USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR RENEE ROSE loves a dominant, dirty-talking alpha hero! She's sold over a half million copies of steamy romance with varying levels of kink. Her books have been featured in USA Today's Happily Ever After and Popsugar. Named Eroticon USA's Next Top Erotic Author in 2013, she has also won Spunky and Sassy's Favorite Sci-Fi and Anthology author, The Romance Reviews Best Historical Romance, and Spanking Romance Reviews' Best Sci-fi, Paranormal, Historical,
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Other Titles by Renee Rose
Vegas Underground Mafia Romance
King of Diamonds
Mafia Daddy
Jack of Spades
Ace of Hearts
Joker’s Wild
His Queen of Clubs
Dead Man’s Hand (coming soon)
More Mafia Romance
The Russian
The Don’s Daughter
Mob Mistress
The Bossman
Contemporary
Black Light: Celebrity Roulette
Fire Daddy
Black Light: Roulette Redux
Her Royal Master
The Russian
Black Light: Valentine Roulette
Theirs to Protect
Scoring with Santa
Owned by the Marine
Theirs to Punish
Punishing Portia
The Professor’s Girl
Safe in his Arms
Saved
The Elusive “O”
Paranormal
Bad Boy Alphas Series
Alpha’s Temptation
Alpha’s Danger
Alpha’s Prize
Alpha’s Challenge
Alpha’s Obsession
Alpha’s Desire
Alpha’s War
Alpha’s Mission
Alpha’s Bane
Alpha’s Secret
Alpha’s Prey
Alpha’s Blood
Alpha’s Sun
Alpha Doms Series
The Alpha’s Hunger
The Alpha’s Promise
The Alpha’s Punishment
Other Paranormals
His Captive Mortal
Deathless Love
Deathless Discipline
The Winter Storm: An Ever After Chronicle
Sci-Fi
Zandian Masters Series
His Human Slave
His Human Prisoner
Training His Human
His Human Rebel
His Human Vessel
His Mate and Master
Zandian Pet
Their Zandian Mate
His Human Possession
Zandian Brides (Reverse Harem)
Bought by the Zandians
Mastered by the Zandians
Zandian Lights
Kept by the Zandian
The Hand of Vengeance
Her Alien Masters
Regency
The Darlington Incident
Humbled
The Reddington Scandal
The Westerfield Affair
Pleasing the Colonel
Western
His Little Lapis
The Devil of Whiskey Row
The Outlaw’s Bride
Medieval
Mercenary
Medieval Discipline
Lords and Ladies
The Knight’s Prisoner
Betrothed
Held for Ransom
The Knight’s Seduction
The Conquered Brides (5 book box set)
Renaissance
Renaissance Discipline
Ageplay
Stepbrother’s Rules
Her Hollywood Daddy
His Little Lapis
Black Light: Valentine’s Roulette (Broken)
BDSM under the name Darling Adams
Medical Play
Yes, Doctor
Master/Slave
Punishing Portia