Twisted Cravings (The Camorra Chronicles, #6)(89)

Dad walked past us and left the room.

I whirled on Adamo and slapped his chest hard, glaring. “What the hell has gotten into you? Have you lost your mind waltzing into my father’s home? He could have killed you on sight!”

“He didn’t,” Adamo said with a slow smile as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against him. Didn’t he realize in how much trouble he was?

“He might still do it.”

“No, he won’t.”

“So now you can look into the future?”

Adamo leaned down, his lips pressing against mine. I softened and kissed him back. I’d missed him these last few days. Now that I could touch him again, I wondered how I could have ever considered living without his touch, his smile. Adamo drew back. “Your father wouldn’t have listened to everything I had to say and given us alone time if he had made up his mind to kill me. He trusts me with you, and that’s a big deal considering you are obviously very precious to him.”

“Maybe he wants to give us time to say goodbye,” I said. Yet, I had to agree. Dad didn’t dislike Adamo. It was more than I’d ever dared to hope for.

“So what do you say? Do we want to be together?”

I gave him a condescending look. “Of course. But Dad wants a solution that won’t cause him trouble.”

“He wants your happiness. That’s his top priority even if it shouldn’t be.”

I pursed my lips. Adamo laughed. “It’s true. The head of a crime organization should never prioritize his family over business. But Remo’s the same way.

Maybe that’s why they grudgingly tolerate each other despite the eternal conflict between Italians and Russians.”

“He won’t accept me going to Las Vegas with you.”

“You don’t want to live in Las Vegas anyway,” Adamo said gently.

I sighed. “You’re right. I won’t ever like that place. Not after what happened. Even if we killed the monsters from my past, that doesn’t eradicate what happened. It’s still in my head.”

“I know. I didn’t experience your horrors but even I still occasionally have nightmares about my kidnapping and the torture.”

“But won’t your family expect you to live with them in the mansion?”

“I think they know that I never really wanted that. Even before I met you, I lived the majority of the year in camp. I prefer the nomad life. Organizing the races is a part of the business I enjoy dealing with.”

“But that was before you discovered your love of torture. I’m sure your brothers can use your newfound talents in better ways.”

Adamo chuckled mirthlessly. “Trust me, my brothers have enough expertise torturing people. They don’t need my help. And it’s not that I discovered my talent for torture through our vengeance trip. It’s been something I’ve been battling with for a long time. It’s a dark craving I’ve been feeling for a long time, and it was why I really consumed drugs. They mellowed out this urge. They turned me into the person I wanted to be but the effect never lasted long.”

“If that’s the case, are you sure you can live without the thrill of blood without resorting to drugs to mellow your urge?”

Adamo thought about it. “Yeah. I feel like the urge has lessened since I allowed myself to live it for a little while. Suppressing it, only increased the craving. I guess I just need to allow my dark craving out to play on occasion to keep it in check. What about your dark craving?”

“It’s there. It’ll always be, I guess, but I won’t give in. Not after I saw how it dictated my mother’s life.” “Good,” Adamo murmured.

“But we still didn’t make a decision about our future.”

“It’s easy. We live in camp. The races take place nine months of the year, so we’ll have to follow the circuit anyway. I want to keep racing. What about you?”

“Oh yes,” I said with a grin. I missed the thrill of racing. I even missed the chaotic atmosphere in camp.

“We could buy a motorhome to have more room. That would allow us to create a home for us without settling down in a place. We could visit Las Vegas on occasion and if your father ever doesn’t want to kill me, we could visit Chicago as well. Otherwise we’ll just have to split up for our family visits.”

“You think your brothers will agree to that?”

“Once Gemma and Savio start popping out babies, my brothers can use the additional space. And Remo’s twins probably won’t ever move out, so they need rooms as well. If I only require one room for visits, that gives my brothers the chance to create living space for their kids. It’s a win-win situation if you ask me.”

It sounded like the perfect solution. I still wasn’t convinced his brothers would agree, but maybe we could convince Dad as a first step and get Adamo out of Chicago in one piece.

“Can you imagine living in a motorhome with me, or is such a living arrangement not fit for a Bratva princess?” Adamo asked in a low voice, pulling me even closer and cupping my ass.

I cocked an eyebrow. “I prefer freedom and being with you to a palace.

What about you, Camorra prince?”

Adamo grinned. “I’ve been living the nomad life in a tent and car for a couple of years now. I don’t need much.”