Levi was right. Charles was the perfect choice for marriage. He was the ideal solution to our current situation.

As we neared the monument, the gathering crowd in black suits only heightened my nerves. Around two hundred people stood near the grave, waiting for us.


Rows of folding chairs with paper nametags awaited us at the graveside, but no one sat in them yet. They waited for Levi and me to take our places first.

Nico walked too closely beside me on the other side. Behind my sunglasses, I scanned the crowd anxiously. It was overwhelming to see so many people at my father's funeral.

Several approached Levi, shaking his hand and kissing him on both cheeks. What started as a few well-wishers quickly turned into a swarm of people vying for his attention.


He gently pulled away from my grasp, and in an instant, the crowd engulfed him. I was similarly surrounded, but Nico stepped in to shield me.

He gripped my elbow, positioned himself in front of me, and guided us through the crowd toward the seats.


Leaning close, he murmured, 'Watch your step. Those heels could do some damage."

I pursed my lips in irritation. His snide remarks were back now that Levi wasn't within earshot.

Trying to ignore him, I froze when we approached the seats and saw Charles standing across the grave.

He stood with his father, uncles, and other relatives, but my eyes were fixed on Charles. He looked just as I remembered him, only taller and more mature.

His curly red-brown hair was neatly styled, and his laughing green eyes locked onto mine. His black suit accentuated his striking appearance, and it was clear he recognized me too.

'Stop gawking or you might as well marry him right here on your father's casket," Nico snapped.

I whipped around to glare at him, but I couldn't lash out in this setting. He cleared a path to the seats and spoke low, just for me to hear. 'Sit down and stay put if you know what's good for you."

I stared at him in disbelief. Was that a threat? It wasn't the first time I wondered that about something he said. He seemed to go out of his way to be cruel to me, and I couldn't understand why he hated me so much. I had never done anything to him.

Taking my assigned seat, Levi sat down next to me moments later. It signaled the other mourners to follow suit. The senior members took their seats, and the rest gathered around the grave.

Tears streamed down my face again as the service began. Levi and several others delivered heartfelt speeches about my father—his leadership, his impact on the New York underworld, and how deeply he would be missed. How could I even think about marriage so soon after losing him?

I removed my sunglasses to wipe my eyes, suddenly aware of Charles's unwavering gaze from across the grave. He never took his eyes off me, not even when his father rose to speak.

Did Charles find me as attractive as I found him? I never dreamed he could grow up to be such a hunk. His eyes alone made me want to slide off my chair in a puddle of breathless excitement.

I shouldn't even be thinking about him right in front of Papa's coffin, but I couldn't stop thinking about it—about him.

My gaze migrated down his suit. I checked out his body from behind the protection of my sunglasses. He took care of himself over the years, and he wore his suit like something off the cover of a magazine.

I barely noticed the service ending until Levi got up, tossed a shovelful of dirt on top of my father's casket, and held out his hand to help me stand up.

I did the same thing, and that sent me into another flood of tears, but I got distracted again when people came forward to press my hand and offer me their condolences.

After that, the funeral dissolved into the social occasion everyone wanted it to be. Nico stuck to me like glue through the whole thing, especially since Levi had his own well-wishers to deal with.

I couldn't even see Levi in the crowd. Nico actually turned out to be an asset more than once. He drove away people who were too pushy or who just wouldn't get the message to shove off.

'They'll be moving in to sleep on your bedroom floor," he muttered. 'You'll have to get used to sharing the covers."

I looked away to avoid responding and spotted Charles again. Why wasn't he coming over?

'Here comes Macy Russo," Nico murmured. 'Break out your nuclear fallout mask."

I almost burst out laughing and took the opportunity to dart away into the crowd. I veered around a few mourners and headed for the Terranovas.

Charles saw me coming and detached himself from his father and uncles. He put space between himself and his family, and he burst into a massive grin when I reached him. 'I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you."

I couldn't help but blush. I was finally talking to him alone—or as alone as anyone could in this mob. 'Don't tell anyone. I'm supposed to be in disguise here." I pulled down my sunglasses and blushed again when I met his gaze over the top rim.

His grinned even more broadly, and my cheeks colored. 'You know what they're saying. Levi Evangelista will be coming after me with a shotgun any second now."

I couldn't stop blushing at him, and I forgot all about Papa now that I was talking to Charles. His flashing, twinkling eyes and the color rising to his cheeks told me loud and clear he liked what he saw in me as much as I liked what I saw in him.

'Are you sure you aren't about to keel over from standing through the service?" I asked. 'I'm surprised more people didn't collapse from exhaustion."

'Don't faint on me, okay? I know you're delicate with grief."

'I could arrange to faint into your arms, and you could save me from my devastation." I shouldn't be joking about this, but he had a strange effect on me. I suddenly felt happier than I had in months, even before Papa died.

He leaned in close and murmured low. 'Go ahead and do it. Do it right here. I'll catch you… and I promise I won't let you fall into the grave."

'That would definitely give them something to talk about."

He eased a step toward me, and an inexpressible thrill went through me. This was one of the hottest guys I'd ever seen, much less spoken to. Could I really wind up married to a guy like this?

He bent closer to say something else when a ripple of tension went through the crowd. Murmurs and a few curses punctuated what had been friendly conversation.

All the mourners craned their necks to stare in that direction, and Charles's cheery expression evaporated into a mask of ice-cold fury. 'Who the fuck do those bastards think they are?"

'What?" I asked, and then the crowd parted.

It divided like the Red Sea to let another group of men in black suits come through. The mourners shrank from them to give them plenty of room, and my scalp prickled when I recognized them.

Marco Navaro, the don of the Navaro family, and his three sons sauntered toward the grave, and in a flash, Nico materialized at my side. He jammed his body in front of me and backed up to block me from the Navaros.

Marco strolled over to Levi and started talking to him in an undertone that must have been intended to be casual. Marco's three sons separated, and the oldest one came straight toward me.

I knew this asshole only too well. Ryder Navaro was destined to inherit his father's Evil Empire. No doubt this jackass would carry on making life difficult for the Levines long after his father died.

Ryder stopped in front of Nico, but Ryder pretended Nico wasn't there. Ryder's shoulder-length black hair, black eyes, neatly trimmed black goatee, and pale complexion really made him look like the Prince of Darkness.

A subtle smile curved his delicate lips. He might have looked handsome if deadly, hateful malice didn't seep from his every pore.

'I just wanted to offer my condolences on your loss, Miss Levine," he purred. 'If there's anything my family and I can do…"

'You offered your condolences, asshole," Nico snarled. 'Now turn around and get the fuck out of here before I tear your fucking head off and stuff it down your neck."

'I wasn't talking to you, my good man. I was talking to the lady. Don't you know it's rude to interrupt?" Ryder's eyes flicked back to me. 'As I was saying, I'm at your service, Miss Levine. Don Alonzo's loss is such a severe blow to us all. My family and I…"

'You got some fucking balls showing up here, Ryder!" Charles interrupted. 'You aren't welcome here. Now, get the fuck out of here before we all teach you a lesson. Take your dogs and go back to Queens where you belong."

Ryder opened his mouth to say something else, but at that moment, Levi exploded out of the crowd, wrapped both arms around me, and hauled me away without a word to anyone.

Nico rotated backward so he kept facing Ryder while he walked down the lawn. Levi wouldn't let go of me all the way back to the limo. He yanked the door open while Nico stood guard and kept surveying the funeral farther up the hill.

'Get in!" Levi whispered.

I ducked into the limo, and Nico slammed the door from the outside. He banged the trunk twice, and the chauffeur peeled away.