Page 115 of Sinful Lies

He quickly shrugged off his blazer and threw it over my shoulders.

The fabric was heavy, but oddly intimate against my skin.

I raised my hand, flashing a playful wave over my shoulder. “Ciao, Vittori.”

But the moment was short-lived. Angelo’s hand shot out, swatting mine down with a snap.

He strode toward the elevator, dragging me along by my wrist. I stumbled, trying to catch up, my heels clicking furiously against the floor.

His grip was tight, but his focus?

It was all on the elevator button, which he tapped over and over with an almost obsessive energy.

“Let me go, Lazzio, I’ve got other guests to entertain.”

The elevator doors slid open, and without a word, he shoved me inside. He tapped the button for the parking floor, the doors closing with a soft whoosh.

He stood there, his back to me, but something in the air shifted.

He was frozen, his breath coming fast, and the energy around him turned so dark that, for a split second, I actually felt a jolt of fear.

Something told me I may have crossed the line with this one, but… oh well.

“Lazzio—”

“You let himtouchyou, Miss Whitenhouse,” he cut me off, his voice dipped in a dry, humorless chuckle. It sounded more like disbelief wrapped in rage. “You let him put hisfuckinghands on you.”

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. “Yeah, well, you blasted me with a fire extinguisher and ruined my entire night. So, if we’re keeping score, I’d say we’re even.”

He turned around slowly.

His jaw tightened. He took a slow step closer, closing the already narrow space between us.

“Even?” he repeated. “You think this is about keeping score?”

I lifted my chin. “Well, what else could it be? You ruined my dress, my night—hell, mylife— andnowmy patience. What’s next, my sanity?”

He laughed, but it was hollow, a sound that made my stomach twist.

He took another step forward, and I found myself backing up until the wall kissed my spine.

“You’re the one screwing with my fucking sanity, Miss Whitenhouse.”

I pressed back against the wall, as if it could swallow me whole, but there was no escaping him. His hand shot up, planting beside my head, his body caging mine, suffocatingly close.

“You’ve ruined my reputation in front of my men with your fucking arrogance,” he bit out. “You’ve dragged ghosts out of my past I swore I’d buried for good.” He pressed his body against mine, his breath brushing my cheek. “You make me feel things I’ve spent my entire life killing. Things Idon’twant to feel. Things Ican’tafford to feel, Jade.” His voice wavered, and for a split second, I saw the cracks beneath the anger. “You’ve lit every corner of my mind on fire, and now, all I can fucking think about isyou.”

The breath I was holding left my lungs.

“Are you happy now? Happy to have ripped my life apart, piece by fucking piece? Happy to know I can’t stop thinking about you, even when I hate every damn second of it?”

His chest heaved.

Yes, Angelo.

That’s what I was supposed to do.

Break you, dismantle you, make you hate me, make you suffer for ruining my life.

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