Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 126060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
“I haven’t discussed my concern for him with anyone yet. I think Valentino and Emmanuelle should be able to see the self-destructive behavior. Certainly, his personal protectors see it in him, and they can’t be happy. He has no concern for his safety. I think he wants to die.”
“Why, Geno?”
“I don’t know anything about his past. I know Stefano had his investigators look into him, but they couldn’t find much. He’s shrouded in mystery. He’s pretty fucked up. And I mean that. He knows it, too. He talks as if he could never have a woman of his own, and honestly, I think if he ever falls for someone, he’ll deliberately sabotage the relationship. Not in a small way, but so bad it will never recover. I think he knows that, too.”
Amaranthe frowned. “Why would he do that when he can see how happy Val is with Emme? Dario obviously loves Emme.”
“It makes him vulnerable. He can’t be vulnerable. He just can’t. Worse, the things he needs sexually are beyond my comprehension. He owns a club, and the things that go on there are more than kink. To me, it’s disturbing. I try not to judge because everything is consensual, but it isn’t exactly play with him. His lifestyle would be difficult for a woman. His personality would be difficult for a woman. On top of that, his constant need for her to prove that she’d stick with him when he deliberately sabotages the relationship would only lead to the inevitable breakup. He’s extremely intelligent, Amara. He knows the match would be doomed.”
“Do you think that’s why he’s taking so many risks? He doesn’t think he has a chance at having a permanent partner? Does he really care so much? He can’t hurt for women. He probably draws them like flies.” Amaranthe was up, peering into the closet.
Geno came up behind her, towering over her. He reached for her favorite sweater and pair of leggings and handed them to her.
“Dario is very popular, and from what I understand, he has a strong sex drive. He doesn’t go without—at least according to Elie, women are all over him. But he’s not happy, and it’s been getting worse, from what I’ve been observing. He covers it, but I can feel it. His behavior has been getting extreme.”
Geno couldn’t help watching Amaranthe dress. She was so beautiful to him. Every movement was graceful and flowing, but it was so much more than that. He knew what she was like on the inside. She didn’t know Dario the way he did. On the surface Dario was the worst kind of criminal. He had a reputation that was deserved, and yet he wasn’t that man. Geno knew that he loved Valentino fiercely and protectively. That love eventually extended to Emmanuelle. Brielle and Elie had been added to the circle he included as family. Stefano and Francesca had slowly, over time, changed him. To begin with, Geno had thought it a good thing. Now, he wasn’t so certain.
He understood Dario on many levels others might not be able to. Geno loved Amaranthe deeply. Fiercely. Protectively. He also didn’t feel worthy of Amaranthe, although he wasn’t about to sabotage their relationship, not intentionally. He wanted her to know he loved her and would put her first. Dario feared making himself vulnerable, not only to the outside world, but to his woman. Geno had no idea what the man had been through to make him the way he was, and he had no idea how to make things different for him. Dario was resistant to help.
Geno pulled on his clothes, texting Stefano as he did so. Stefano assured him he was already up and would be meeting Dario and the others in the great room.
The sound of Emmanuelle speaking in a low, furious tone reached him as Geno and Amaranthe stepped off the stairs. She was rarely angry. Emmanuelle had attitude, and because she was outnumbered by the men around her all the time, she’d learned to give as good as she got in the teasing department, but she wasn’t a woman to lose her temper that often. When she did, most times they all just stepped back and stayed quiet.
“If you two can’t stop Dario when he decides to put himself in danger, then you’re not going to be his primary personal protectors. I get that you’re his friends and you go way back, but that isn’t going to save his life if you can’t stand up to him.”
“Emme,” Dario broke in softly. “Stand down. It isn’t on Marcu or Vicenzu. You know me. When I decide to do something, no one is going to stop me.”
She spun around to face him. She was much shorter than he was, her figure curvy. Her dark blue eyes shot sparks at him. Her dark hair seemed to crackle with fury. “I’d stop you, and you damn well know it.”