Enrico’s grip on her tightened ever so slightly, and she felt his body tense beneath her. “Stay,” he whispered, his voice rough with a vulnerability she had never heard from him before.
Isabella looked up at him, her eyes searching his face for any sign of the cold, calculating mafia king she had come to know. But all she saw was a man who, for the first time, seemed to be letting his guard down. His eyes, usually so hard and unreadable, were soft, almost pleading.
She swallowed, the weight of his gaze making her heart race again, though not with fear or lust this time. This was something deeper, something far more dangerous than anything they had shared before.
“I don’t know if I can,” she admitted quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Enrico’s hand cupped the back of her head, p
