Page 66 of King of Omen

For our shit would never be done until it was over, finished in blood.

Either our side won or the Abrazzio’s. Only time would tell who would bleed for eternity.

Chapter 14

MIA

Before she passed, I’d promised Bianca I would take care of her home.

I’d committed to tending her gardens and keeping the interior spotless to preserve it, as she’d said with a wink, for its subsequent owners.

I said as much to Lorenzo over breakfast when the weekend rolled around.

His brow furrowed. ‘You want to go the fuck where?’

‘Back to the mountains. I have to check on Blue Bliss, Bianca’s home.’

‘While it sounds like a pleasant enough getaway,’ Lorenzo drawled, his eyes solemn, ‘I’m not sure I want to risk it.’

‘We’ll be safe,’ I reassured him.

He cocked a brow. ‘How can you be sure, bella?’

I gazed at him over the top of my steaming coffee mug. ‘Because nothing happens in the ranges. I also need to do it, with or without you.’

My tone left no room for an argument.

He speared the roasted broccolini that lay over his perfectly poached egg and ate, his lips moving slow and sensual as he gazed at me. ‘Alright, let’s go,’ he finally rasped.

‘I’ll drive,’ Mauri announced. ‘My leg is now up to the ride.’

I clapped my hands in delight at the prospect of a drive, a break away from our unintended lock down.

I was also keen to escape the pressure cooker environment.

The last few days had been an exercise in control, as our eyes locked, breaths hitched, hands brushed, and skin touched as we passed each other in hallways and corridors, in the kitchen, cooking and washing together.

He hadn’t kissed me again, and it irked me, played with my mind, threw me off my game.

Sitting next to him and watching TV at night were some of the worst moments. My hands itched to stroke him and have him stroking me, curving in and out of me. It didn’t help that his scorching gaze was always on me, undressing me, flooding me, making me wet.

But he didn’t reach for me, and as a result, I was a mess of unmet sexual and sensual needs.

Perhaps the cold, brisk air of the mountains would bring some relief.

Half an hour after we’d agreed on our day trip, I sat beside Mauri in his pristine SUV while Lorenzo took the back seat, spreading out his laptop and files, his work never-ending.

The day was sunny, but a cold front was settling in, and as we drove through the uplands and towards Blue Bliss, a chill wind blew across the peaks.

We got to Blue Bliss in under two hours, parked, and stepped out into the crisp mountain breeze.

I led the way to the house, distracting Lorenzo from his work by pointing out the fall foliage. ‘Isn’t it pretty?’

His eyes smouldered as he glanced down at me. He reached and smoothed my tresses, tucking an errant lock behind my ear. ‘Some of the leaves are auburn, like your hair. Bellissima.’

Our eyes locked, and I was hit with a seismic wave of feeling for him once more.

Soul ragged with need, I pulled away and tracked to the front door.

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