RELEASE BLITZ: Tradimento by Leigh Kenzie (Excerpt & Giveaway)

Excerpt (Emilio POV)

“You’re going to wear yourself out. Come on. Let’s go for a swim,” Ignacio lectures.

I jolt in my seat, not having noticed him come up behind me. My head is swimming with numbers and dates. The maid was kind enough to find me an empty office in this mansion, not far from Master’s recovery room.

I had gathered all the information Luca has on the O’Connel Family’s movements, and I’m trying to make sense of it. It’s clear Il Padrone kept a close eye on them, even if he never viewed them as a legitimate threat. My heart clenches as I think of that. I need to know more about Eamon and what he’s plotting. To do that I’ll need to research them thoroughly. It’s what I’ve always done.

“Lio! Pull yourself away,” Ignacio snaps. I cringe at his angry tone and look up at him. I hunch my shoulders at the fierceness of the man looking at me, his body is coiled tight and his nostrils are flared. Fuck, this was so much easier when Master told me what to do. I rub my sore, red eyes, and nod at him. I push back in the chair and groan as I stand.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble. With a deep sigh, he crushes me to him. I relax into the hug and inhale the spicy cologne he wears, the cinnamon notes with cedar finished with a slight coffee aroma makes me melt even more.

“It’s okay, but you need to get out of here for a bit. Let’s go do some laps around the pool,” he murmurs in my hair.

“You just want to see me all wet,” I tease him as I step away. It feels weird to draw comfort from him physically, but I can’t help it. Once I stopped being terrified of him, he became a favorite of mine.

We’re both quiet on the way to the pool. It’s a comfortable silence, but I know it won’t last long. As soon as we make it to the pool, I don’t even bother going to the showers and grabbing swim trunks. I undress quickly before leaping into the water wearing only my briefs. I hear Ignacio laugh from underneath the water, a distorted but cheerful sound that makes me smile as I break the surface. It’s a relaxing sensation, being back in the pool. It hits me that I’ve missed this feeling. Ignacio jumps in, and I immediately splash him, starting a fight, and our laughter peals out.

“Let’s race,” I gasp out after our impromptu fight.

It’s been a while since I’ve really smiled, and I feel a twinge of guilt before I shake it off. I know Ignacio is right, just like Luca has lectured me before. I need to take breaks in order for my mind to be sharp. Same as I did in college. I no longer care that my life has changed so drastically, that all my foolish dreams have disappeared. I wouldn’t trade being Il Padrone’s boy for all the classes and dreams I used to have.

I slice through the water as I race Ignacio, lap after lap. There’s no competition even as he tries to use his muscular power. Not even that can keep up with my experience and how my body moves. It’s why Master used to love to watch me swim—well that and the way water dripped down my body afterward. At some point, sex changed from a way to escape, to feel good, to creating a connection, especially with him. I slap the edge of the pool and wait for Ignacio to catch up.

I eye Ignacio’s strong body as he finishes and can’t resist the bolt of lust that goes through me as I take in all of his tattoos. They do nothing to cover his sinewy body. Memories of the time together with him, Luca, and Master flood my mind. Perhaps, I can still use intimacy to relieve some of the stress crashing over me.

I hook my leg around Ignacio’s hip as he stands with water dripping off him. With a gentle push off, I wrap my arms around him and kick my other leg up around his hip. Taking advantage of him being slightly out of breath, my lips cover his, and I slide my tongue into his mouth. I coax him out to play and tighten my legs. I can feel his cock harden against mine, and we both let out a groan. I don’t get any relief from the heady feeling swamping me because he pushes me away quickly. He ducks under the water before popping up further away from me, igniting a fury deep inside me.

“Why?” I ask, the fury giving out to hurt in a heartbeat.

“You should know,” he chides. “You still belong to Il Padrone. It doesn’t matter if that’s Allesandro or Luca. The rules are the same. No touching without permission.”