my uncle now and filled out a lot. I see how women look at him whenever we go anywhere. I want to scream that he’s only twenty, but I was only eighteen when I fell in love with Damian, so I keep my mouth shut.
“It’s good cake. I don’t get cake often.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, please. I’m sure any one of your many girlfriends would fall over themselves to bake you a cake if that’s what you wanted.”
He grins, revealing a dimple in his left cheek under the five o’clock shadow he’s perfected.
“They have other uses.” He winks to me.
“Don’t be gross,” I tell him, punching his arm. “And we need to talk.”
He shoves more cake into his mouth.
“About school,” I add as if he didn’t know.
“Here it comes,” he mutters under his breath then adds, “Don’t be Mom.”
“I won’t. You don’t listen to her.”
He shrugs a shoulder and, after finishing his cake, takes my plate and digs into my slice.
“You dropped out of school, Liam.”
“I don’t need school, Cris. I make a lot of money already.”
“But what you’re doing isn’t safe or legal.” He’s been honing his hacking skills and he’s gotten involved with some questionable people. I only know this because he’d needed to come to Damian for help a little while ago. I’m still not sure Damian would have told me if I hadn’t seen Liam when I’d come home earlier than expected from school.
He shifts his gaze to mine, thick lashes around dark eyes. I see why women twice his age fall for him.
“What Damian does is legal? I know more about him than you think.”
“This isn’t about Damian. This is about you.”
“Hey, this is your day. Let’s not have this conversation today, okay?”
“Then when? I’m worried about you. I don’t want you involved with people like Dad was involved with.”
“Then give me the green light to work with Damian.”
“No.”
“Why not? He could use my skills.”
“Is he offering you a job?”
“Are you kidding? He knows you’ll kill him if he does.”
“Good. He shouldn’t. Go back to school. Graduate and get your degree. You know you can do it in half the time it’d take anyone else.”
“Cristina,” he groans my name, dropping the fork and leaning back, arm over his stomach.
The door opens and Damian walks inside. He takes us in. He doesn’t quite agree with me on this one. He sees potential in Liam and that scares me.
Liam checks his watch. “I gotta go.” He stands.
“Damian,” I urge him with a nod at Liam.
“Sit,” Damian tells him. Pulling up a chair in front of us, he turns it around and straddles it as Liam reluctantly drops back into his seat.
He takes an envelope out of his pocket and holds it out to Liam.
“What’s that?” Liam asks, eyeing it suspiciously.
“Yeah, what’s that?” I parrot.
Liam opens it, skims the sheet, and raises his eyebrows.
“Contract,” Damian says, looking at me.
“What kind of contract?” I ask, Liam’s growing smile concerning me.
“If he gets his degree in two years, he can have a job with Di Santo International.”
“No. No way. He can’t work with you—”
Damian holds his hand up, stopping me. “It’s legit, Cristina. I won’t involve him in anything that isn’t.”
Liam looks over at me and hands me the contract.
“What have you got to lose?” Damian asks him. “You’re twenty years old. You’ve got plenty of time to find trouble, and I have a feeling it’ll come looking for you anyway. This way, I can teach you.”
“You mean it? I’ll be second in command in Genoa?”
Damian nods.
I look from one to the other and watch as Damian retrieves a pen, holds it out to Liam.
Liam takes it, gives me a happy smile, and signs. As soon as he hands it back to Damian, they both stand. Liam leans down and kisses me on the cheek.
“Don’t forget to open my gift later.” He winks. He wouldn’t let me open it in front of anyone.
“I’m nervous.”
He grins, which doesn’t ease those nerves. A few minutes later, he’s gone, and Damian sits down beside me.
“You bought two years,” I say.
“Two years is a start. He’ll be fine, Cristina. That kid can take care of himself. Mostly.”
“I don’t want him to get involved with men like...”
“Men like me,” he finishes for me.
I shrug a shoulder.
“He is a man like me, sweetheart. And he’s an adult. Young, but an adult.” He stands and holds out his hand.
I take it and let him pull me to my feet. He tugs me in for a kiss,