Scars & Sins
by Melanie Munton
Series: Brooklyn Brothers, #2
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: March 31, 2020
We are the Rossetti's.
The exiled "sixth" family of the New York mafia. We're the good guys.
People don't fear us...much. They respect us.
The five of us? We're the Brooklyn Brothers.
And we protect what's ours.
You know when you have a little sister and she has that one friend that always follows you around like a puppy? For me, that was Roxanna "Roxy" D'Angelo. That was years ago, back when our fathers didn't hate each other. Then they became enemies and she went off to boarding school in Connecticut.
Now, she's back...and looking nothing like the shy girl I remember.
Cavorting with anyone from the five families is strictly forbidden to someone like me. So, I can't figure out why I keep finding myself in situations with Roxy that could bring the force of the entire mafia syndicate down on our heads. Even if those situations are the wildest, most intoxicating experiences of my life.
But with the Sicilians in town and out for blood, times have never been more dangerous. If they find out about our relationship, they won't hesitate to remove both of us from the equation so they can restore order.
We're not Romeo and Juliet. They both died. And I refuse to let anything happen to Roxy. I have to protect her. From my family. From hers.
I hope she won't hate me for what I have to do.
Because it might just kill her before any bullet can.
Ace
I followed closely behind Roxy as we stepped through the doors of the subway train. The car wasn’t packed but there were no empty seats either. Standing in the center of the car, we each grabbed one of the metal handles on the bar above our heads and braced for movement.
“You really didn’t need to come with me,” she said as the lights in the tunnel system flashed by the windows. “You’ll be riding the train back by yourself for half an hour.”
“Good thing I’ve got Candy Crush on my phone, then, huh?”
Her smile appeared and disappeared so fast I thought I might have imagined it.
“I was serious about what I said yesterday. We can’t continue to run into each other like this, Ace. Whether unintentional or not, you know both of our fathers would lose their minds if they knew about this.”
She might have been right, but it wasn’t like we were doing anything really wrong. Nothing unforgivable had happened.
Yet.
Yes, I knew that was another terrible idea. But I couldn’t stop this train—pun intended—anymore than I could have prevented my own dick from hardening in her presence.
Which it still was.
“Not to mention if the other families found out,” she added.
Now, that just fucking pissed me off.
“My family has never let the other five dictate our lives,” I said vehemently. “And there’s no way in hell I’m going to start now. I don’t give a fuck about them or what our fathers would approve of.”
Those last words were like acid on my tongue.
I didn’t care about Vinnie, but I’d never once gone against my father about anything. My brothers and I respected the hell out of him. He was our patriarch, a wise and principled man. In some ways, he may have been a little too much of a traditionalist for my taste. Overall, though, we obeyed him as our leader.
But regardless of how he and Vinnie would view this situation, it had nothing to do with the business between our families, nor between the five families.
This was just about me and Roxy.
“If you want me to stay away, Rox, then you tell me to. Say the words, but don’t use our fathers as a crutch.”
Her eyes flitted back and forth between mine. “I thought I already told you to yesterday at the church.”
Our gazes clashed, the air between our bodies crackling with a tense energy.
I slowly shook my head. “I wasn’t convinced.”
The train glided to a stop at the next station and unloaded the departing passengers. As bodies squeezed around and bumped into us, I didn’t take my eyes off of Roxy, nor did she from me. Something unspoken was passing between us, something that had started yesterday at that church.
But before I could act on it, a sea of passengers flooded the car and crowded around us. When I noticed they were all wearing black and white Brooklyn Nets gear, I realized we were at the Atlantic Avenue station, which was right next to the Barclays Center where the Nets played. And judging from the smiles, laughter, and fist-bumping going on, we had won tonight’s game.
I didn’t want more people around to intrude on this moment with Roxy.
On the plus side, the now-cramped space forced our bodies closer together.
And thank the sweet Lord above, we were close enough that her nipples were grazing my chest.
I nearly groaned out loud at the contact. Friction was exactly what my jutting erection was seeking—and with painful persistence. I did everything humanly possible to avoid lewdly poking her with it.
Then again…
Maybe I should show her exactly how much I wanted her. Maybe she’d like knowing the kind of effect she had on me. After all, I’d like to think the reason her nipples were so stiff was because of her proximity to me.
My eyes caught on the dimple in her bottom lip, and I couldn’t look away.
“Convince me, Rox.”
She sucked that lip between her teeth, biting down right over that dimple.
I felt my forehead break out into a cold sweat, even though it was a million degrees in this goddamn car.
“Convince you of what?” she asked in a breathy voice.
When her gaze dropped to my mouth, I about said to hell with everyone else and just took what I fucking wanted. What I fucking needed. And that was Roxy’s mouth moving beneath my own, her tongue sliding wantonly against mine.
Her expression said she wanted a kiss.
And I’d make sure it was the kiss of the goddamn century.
“Convince me that you want me to stay away from you.”
Also in the Series
Melanie grew up in a small town in rural Missouri. After marrying her husband, she decided she wanted to try coastal life because why not? A few months later, they moved to North Carolina where she discovered her passion for writing, and they never looked back. They are now enjoying life with their beautiful daughter in Savannah, GA and loving every minute with their little Georgia peach.
Melanie’s other passion is traveling and seeing the world. With anthropology degrees under their belts, she and her husband have made it their goal in life to see as many archaeological sites around the world as possible.
She has a horrible food addiction to pasta and candy (not together…ew). And she gets sad when her wine rack is empty.
At the end of the day, she is a true romantic at heart. She loves writing the cheesy and corny of romantic comedies, and the sassy and sexy of suspense. She aims to make her readers swoon, laugh out loud, maybe sweat a little, and above all, fall in love
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