He removed the ropes and massaged her wrists, looking for marks on her skin. There were none, which didn’t make her as happy as she would have thought. Belonging to him would be incredible, but he wasn’t a one-woman man, and she would never accept less.

Ricco stepped away from her, coiling the rope easily in his hands without looking at it, proving it was an extension of him. “I will require you at all hours of the night. I don’t sleep very well and I want to be able to practice my art anytime the mood strikes. I’m compensating you well for your time. You’ll have your own rooms. During the time you’re with me, you will have no other relationships. I made it clear in the ad that if you were married or seeing someone, not to apply.”

“I’m not,” she said.

“You have only to sign the papers. Read them carefully. My lawyer drew them up and he’s very, very thorough. I think we’ll suit each other, but I want you to be happy with the arrangement.”

He was waiting and she had to answer. Take that last irrevocable step. She would have her own room, her own place where no one could get to her. She would be able to think without panicking. She’d do whatever was necessary, but it had to be the right thing, no mistakes. What she was doing was very, very dangerous, but she had no choice.

She took a deep breath and nodded. “I think this arrangement will suit me just fine.”

“How soon can you move in?”

“Immediately. I don’t have much. Just my personal clothes and a few items.”

“I’ll give you the address and a key.”

It was done. She had gotten the position when all odds seemed stacked against her. She didn’t smile because the consequences were too severe, but she was elated. She had stepped on the path she needed to be on.

CHAPTER THREE

Ricco paced across the floor with the restless energy that always marked him from his brothers. He could be utterly still when needed, but most of the time he was in motion. He trained hard and he worked and played harder, but that energy inside him never quite left him alone. He was aware of Francesca casting him little anxious glances. His beautiful sister-in-law, the true mother of the lot of them now. She’d taken them all on when she took on Stefano.

She’d made the monstrous penthouse at the top of the Ferraro Hotel a home. How she’d transformed it, he had no idea, but it felt welcoming where before it had been cold. She was everything, in Ricco’s opinion, his brother needed. Soft when she needed to be, and tough as nails when Stefano got out of hand – which was often.

He sent his brother a quick look. Stefano, as always, was still. He simply waited for the explanation of why Ricco had called an emergency meeting. He sat on the leather couch, a drink in his hand, regarding Ricco thoughtfully. It was impossible to think one could put anything over on Stefano, nor did Ricco want to try. This was too important. On the other hand, Stefano hadn’t been blowing smoke when he’d informed Ricco he would do anything to save him.

“What’s up, bro?” Giovanni asked, throwing himself into one of the wide, very comfortable armchairs. He was the last to arrive. “I had to cancel a date tonight. This had better be good.” He grinned at Ricco, but his eyes were worried.

Ricco looked around the room at his family. They were all worried. The only one who didn’t really show it was Stefano, and he was the most worried of all of them. He hadn’t taken his eyes from his brother, not from the moment Ricco had entered the penthouse.

He took a breath and turned to face them. Emmanuelle and Francesca would be his allies no matter what. Possibly Taviano. Stefano would be a fight. The others, he wasn’t certain. This was the most important battle of his life and he had to win. If he lost… he was lost. That was what he had to convince Stefano of. If Stefano sided with him, they all would, and they’d help him. God knew, after all the wild things he’d done privately and publicly, he would need the help.

He stalked across the room to the bar and poured himself a Scotch on the rocks. Tossing it back without tasting it, he turned and faced his family. “I found her.” He announced it quietly. He didn’t raise his voice because he never had need to, but there was a part of him that was filled with exhilaration, so much so he could barely contain it.

Stefano put his drink down and leaned forward, his eyes never leaving Ricco’s face. Never blinking. Emmanuelle and Francesca exchanged a long look and then both broke out into smiles. Giovanni, Vittorio and Taviano all stared at him without comprehension.

“Found who, bro?” Giovanni asked.

“Her. The one. She just walked in at the last minute. Emilio and I were giving up. I wanted to throw all the applications into the fire and then she walked in. She’s a shadow rider. Her shadow reached out and connected with the shadows in the room and then hit mine. It was a little like being drunk only way, way better.” He wasn’t about to tell them the connection had been so strong that she’d given him a permanent hard-on, but he was certain Stefano knew all about that. He’d found Francesca.

“Just because she’s capable of being a rider doesn’t mean she’s your woman,” Vittorio cautioned. “There’s more to it than that.”

Ricco nodded and pressed his hand to his chest. “She walked in and asked if she was too late, and I felt that note press into my chest and unlock something chained up in me. I don’t even know how to describe it, but from the moment I saw her, and heard her, I knew. I feel different. For a long time now I haven’t felt anything for a woman, not even desire.”

There was embarrassment and shame in confessing that to his brothers. They thought he was the stud of the century. Vittorio gave a small snort of derision and Giovanni coughed, nearly spraying his drink everywhere.

“No, it’s the truth. Nothing and no one excited me anymore. All the games, they didn’t work.” He didn’t dare look at Stefano. He was too silent. Too observant.

“How about the Lacey twins?” Taviano asked.

He shook his head. “Nothing. Then she walked in and I haven’t been able to get a moment’s peace. It’s not going to be easy living with her in my house and trying to seduce her slowly.”

Vittorio laughed. “That shouldn’t be a problem for you, Ricco. I’ll take bets you get it done in less than a week.”

They all laughed. Happy for him. All but Stefano. He kept watching him. Waiting. Ricco had to convince him that this was the real thing and that he needed it more than he needed safety. More than anything else. He wouldn’t survive without it – without her.

He put the glass down on the sideboard and looked directly at his older brother. “You were right, Stefano. I might not have caused that accident, but once the casing cracked I didn’t do a thing to try to prevent myself from going into that wall. I’m tired. So damn tired. I didn’t feel there was anything or any way out for me. The work kept me going, but I don’t sleep and that was beginning to affect the job.”