Captivated

Nico Carfano walked back into my life at the worst possible moment. Or, perhaps the best possible moment if I wasn't so stubborn...

Cassandra f*cking Connelly is my fantasy girl I let walk away.
I promised her a weekend of fun, nothing more, but that was before I found out how addictive she was.

It was easier to keep my distance when I was in New York, but when I have to go back to Atlantic City, it takes every ounce of strength I have to not show up at her door so I can remind her how good we were.

I thought I'd be safe going out with my cousins while they're in town, since the last place I expected to find her was on stage, dancing in my family's club. But there she was.
Even with her back to me, I know it's her.
I know how her body moves because I spent three days memorizing it.
I know the exact shade of her red hair because I saw it splayed out on my pillows and had it wrapped around my fist every chance I got.
I know the script of her tattoo on the back of her thigh because I spent hours tracing it, trying to decipher the language.

She shouldn't be here.

I'm the one the family relies on to always be in control of my emotions. But if anything is going to make me lose that, it's everyone getting to see what should be mine, and mine alone, put on a show that has me ready to spill blood.

Cassie just stepped into my world, and I make the rules here.

She keeps her heart guarded and her secrets buried deep. She doesn't want me meddling in her life, and made it clear she doesn't want my help even when I know she needs it.
Despite trying to hold me at a distance, she keeps taking steps towards me, only to take three back when she realizes how close she's getting.
But I'll win this war.
There's no other option.