Free Until You Come Back To Me, Book 5 by Mallory Monroe

a part of Sal’s distress.   Reno walked
over to the window too, and stood beside his younger cousin.   “You know how protective I am of Gemma,” he
said.
    “You
aren’t more protective of her than I am.   She’s my wife.”   He looked at
Reno.   “Not yours!”
    “That
goes without saying, Sal, what are you talking?”
    “I
see how you look at her when you think nobody’s watching,” Sal said.   “Your ass gets hard-ons sometimes when you’re
looking at her.”
    “That’s
a lie and you know it!”
    “Every
time you see her you wanna hit that thang.”
    “Every
man that sees her wanna hit that thang.”
    Sal
looked at him, shocked that he would admit it.
    “But
I don’t hit it and I’m not interested in hitting it,” Reno clarified, as if he
didn’t mean him in that every man comment he’d just made.   “I have
Trina.   What would I look like trying to
hit on Gemma?”
    “Then
why would you tell me about every man wanting---
    “All
I was saying was that Gemma is a special lady.   And I look out for her the way I look out for my sister Fran, although
she’s a pain in the ass that has become a boil on my butt.   Gemma’s special.   The way she understood after I had to take
out her own sister.   It was her sister,
or it was Tommy, and she understood that.   It broke her heart, but she understood it.   Show me any other woman on the face of this
earth who would accept something like that?   But Gemma did. She forgave me.   That’s how much I respect her and she respects me.   We have that special bond.   And I’m not about to mess that up by trying
to hit on her.   And I’m not hurting my
wife, the love of my life, by doing something that stupid.   Whereas you,” Reno said, “on the other
hand---”
    “Fuck
you,” Sal said without the sting.  
    And
then both men, once again, looked out of the window.
    “Who
was the lady?” Reno asked him.
    Sal
placed his hands in his pockets and exhaled.   “Alfie Farino’s sister-in-law.”
    “Your
side bitch?”
    Sal
looked angrily at his cousin.   “Why the
fuck you keep bringing that up like I’m cheating on Gemma?”
    “Because
I know your ass,” Reno responded.   “Because I saw that blonde chick you set up in that house of yours in
Chicago!”
    “I
don’t have her set up.   Her old man
worked for me, and he was staying there with her as one of my on-call men.   He was looking out for the place.   Then he got iced on assignment, which was
unfortunate because he was a good man, a really good man, and I let her stay
there to grieve and get herself together.”
    “But
Gemma doesn’t know about this set up, or, excuse me, this act of kindness on
your part.   Does she?”
    “What
she need to know about that for?” Sal asked.   “I don’t give her a blow-by-blow of my business dealings, and especially
not that part of my business, any more than you give Trina a blow-by-blow on
that part of your business.   We’re the
same, Reno, that’s why we can’t stand each other.   Stop trying to act like you’re better.”
    “But
you could have told Gemma about that house in Chicago and who’s living in it.”
    “My
wife is an attorney, she’s an officer of the court.   I’m not getting her caught up in that crazy
part of my life.   I told her before we
married I wasn’t discussing that area with her, and she accepted it then and understands
that now.   That’s Gemma.   She can handle the fact that I have to handle
that alone.”
    Reno
wasn’t buying it.   “You could have told
her about a woman living in your house.   You can’t bullshit me.   You could
have told her that, Sal.”   Then Reno looked
at him.   “I saw how beautiful that
Chicago dame was.   You hit that
before.   Don’t you dare tell me you
didn’t.”
    Sal
didn’t tell him anything.
    “And
that’s why Gemma doesn’t know about that house in Chicago, and that lady living
there.   Don’t bullshit me.”
    “I’m
faithful to