Relentless: A Bad Boy Romance (Bertoli Crime Family #1) by Lauren Landish Read Free Book Online Page B

Ray-Bans from his inner coat pocket. I put them on and walked with him to the grave site.
    It wasn't that hard to find. The dirt was still freshly turned and the Astroturf that had been laid on top screamed out against the dark, rich green of the surrounding grass. I had to resist the urge to reach down and tear the plastic off, at least tearing away the lie that under the turf wasn't just a pile of dirt but the body of my best friend.
    “I hate the turf,” Daniel said quietly, his hands crossed in front of him. “I remember that from Bucky Francetti's funeral last year. They'd lined the edges of the hole with it, and it looked to me like they were making a mockery of him with it.”
    “Some people are comforted by it, I guess,” I said, kneeling and laying the flowers on top of the small mound. “Twenty-three years. She was too young and too good to end up like this.”
    “I didn't know her, but I saw her once when you brought her by the Don’s house,” Dan said softly. “She did seem like a good person. I'm sure you’re right.”
    “I've spent the past week wishing that I'd gone to Uncle Carlo before that day, saying I needed help and protection. I was scared out of my mind, but putting on a front for everyone. If I had and you were there . . .”
    “You can't beat yourself up about it, Ade. Besides, even if the Don had assigned me a week earlier or two weeks earlier, or whatever, it wouldn’t have stopped what happened to her. My duty would be to keep you safe and protected, and I would’ve been with you, not back at the apartment with her.”
    I turned and stepped closer to Daniel, reaching up and putting my hand on his shoulder. “You have kept me safe, and I thank you. For the past week, I've felt more secure and safer than I have in months. Maybe in my entire life.”
    His hand came to rest on my hip, and we came closer until my body pressed against him. His lips lowered toward mine, and I tilted my head, wanting at that moment for nothing more than to feel his kiss. I could tell in his eyes that he wanted it too, when suddenly, he pushed me away, taking a step back. I nearly fell on my ass as I stepped back, the heel of my shoe catching on the edge of the Astroturf blanket on top of Angela's grave. “What the fuck?”
    “We can't,” Daniel said, stepping back again. He turned and scanned the area, his head moving like a radar dish. “For both of our sakes—we can't.”
    “What the hell are you talking about? Don't tell me that you don't want me,” I hissed, stepping around to look him in the eye. “I saw it in your eyes just now, and I've seen it in your eyes before. Tell me you don't want me!”
    “Of course I do,” Daniel said, his eyes flickering with desperation and anger and something else. “But I can't, Adriana. Like I said, for both our sakes.”
    “What do you mean?” I asked softly, my anger fading as I saw the emotion in his icy blue eyes.
    “It can never be just the two of us, Ade,” Dan said, a tinge of sadness in his voice. “First—and I'm not bragging—I'd ruin you for other men. I've made that mistake in the past, and while I'm more than willing to fuck some skank and leave her wanting me for years afterward, you're better than that. I won't ruin your life, because no other man is going to compare to me.”
    “So why does there ever have to be anyone else?” I asked, putting my hand on his chest. “You and I, we've been eyeing each other for a long time. I think I can make my own decision about whether you're the type of man I want.”
    “You know nothing!” Daniel hissed, pushing my hand down. Seeing the hurt in my eyes, his face softened, filled now with more hurt, and for the first time in his life, fear. “If I ever touch you, if I ever do what I want to do, I'm a dead man. Don Bertoli has promised me that much. And I'm also worried about something more.”
    “What?”
    “I'm worried that you're a dead woman as well,” Daniel said softly. “I can face my