AUCTIONED TO HER DAD’S MAFIA ENEMIES: A MAFIA AGE-GAP REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE (AUCTIONED SERIES Book 4)

SHIFTED LOYALTIES

I stop in my tracks at the sight of Aemelia in the kitchen with Antonio. Something has shifted in the atmosphere in the penthouse. There’s no tension. She leans toward him, her body language relaxed, and they seem comfortable together, like old friends passing the time rather than captor and captive. Aemelia’s hair is damp, loose, and already beginning to curl at the ends, and Antonio’s is also wet. My eyes narrow as I take in the details—his change of clothes, the way he stands closer than necessary, the way she glances at him before speaking.

“Why is she out here?” I ask, my tone sharp.

“To eat,” Antonio replies simply, lifting the tray of food in his hands before placing it on the counter as if I’m an idiot for asking.

“She’s not a guest,” I remind him. “She’s a—”

“Captive virgin?” Aemelia tips her head, her dark eyes sharp with challenge.

“Maybe,” I say, my gaze sliding to my brother. “Or maybe not.”

Antonio straightens. “Aemelia, go to your room,” he orders. “I’ll bring the food.”

She opens her mouth to object, but at his raised brow and insistent glare, she reconsiders. Without another word, she turns and disappears down the hall, her clingy lounge suit hugging every curve like a second skin—a masterpiece, still unsigned.

When her door clicks shut, I approach my brother and lean in to speak in a hushed tone.

“I leave you for half a day.”

“What?”

I inhale, catching the scent clinging to him—floral and sweet. Not his usual cologne. Aemelia’s scent. My jaw ticks. “You smell like a whore’s closet.”

Antonio holds up his hands, his expression blank. “She wouldn’t shower.”

“So you took one with her?”

Alexis lets out a low whistle, shaking his head. “So I get the piss, and you get the shower. Nice.”

I don’t bother entertaining his jokes. “You fucked her?”

Antonio plants his scarred hands on the counter. “No.”

I study him with my instincts tuned to every flicker of deception. He’s telling the truth, but something isn’t sitting right. “So, what? You washed her?”

He doesn’t answer right away, his gaze fixed on the tray, the chicken and potatoes in the pan resting in bed together like husband and wife. “Yeah.”

“And?”

His shoulders rise and fall, the movement tight. “And she tastes sweet.”

Alexis whistles as the hair rises on the back of my neck. “You went down on her?”

Antonio scrubs a hand down his face, exhaling hard. “I lost my head.”

“Damn right, you did. And what about you? What did you make her do for you?”noveldrama

“I didn’t make her do anything. Fuck. She was crying, and then she wanted me to. And I handled myself.”

Alexis folds his arms over his chest, eyes gleaming. “An unselfish lover. Good for you, Tonio. I didn’t think there was a man in our world who would give pleasure to a woman without taking something for himself.”

Antonio’s nostrils flare. “It was a mistake.”

I scoff, shaking my head. “The only mistake was letting yourself get attached.”

Antonio turns his back on us, gripping the edge of the counter. “She’s different.”

I exchange a look with Alexis, and for once, my younger brother is as serious as I am. This is dangerous. Antonio never lets himself feel—not like this. He’s a soldier, built for this life, trained to be cold and efficient. But now? Now he’s looking at the girl like she’s more than leverage.

Before I can say more, my phone buzzes. I glance at the screen and curse under my breath.

“What?” Alexis asks, already reading my expression instantly.

“Enzo,” I say, shoving the phone into my pocket.

Antonio straightens, his entire posture shifting into his lethal stance. “Her uncle cares, but her father doesn’t give a shit. Is he making a move?”

I shrug, pressing my lips into a serious line. “I doubt it, but maybe we should move her.”

Alexis whistles low. “Where to?”

“A safe house. Small place on the outskirts of the city.”

Antonio doesn’t react right away. He looks past me, toward Aemelia’s closed door. He knows what this means. Being a prisoner is easy here—luxury at her fingertips, space to breathe. The safe house will be different. Basic. Cramped. Mattresses on the floor, soldiers visible at the perimeter, no privacy. She’ll be trapped with us in isolation.

Antonio’s jaw flexes, but he nods. “It’s an option. Let me talk to Enzo… see where his head is at.”

“Okay, but take some of your crew. I’ve got a bad feeling about him.”

I rub my jaw and head over to the liquor cabinet to pour myself some whiskey. We always knew this plan was going to bring rats out of their tunnels.

Aemelia cannot be our weakness. But as I watch Antonio turn away from me for the first time, I’m not entirely sure where his loyalties lie.