Page 47 of Dangerous Deception

Caterina nods. “He made one thing clear to me. I was to take care of you against any threat, and the way he said it, it was as if he included himself in that. So I took him seriously and did a little digging just in case you thought there was a connection. What was used on you and your dear friend was black market shit. Raffaele’s stuff is all pure and he targets recreational users. In his words, he can’t make money if his clientele dies.”

“I feel like I should care more about the fact that he’s pumping illegal drugs around the world,” I murmur. “But that’s the world we live in. My hands aren’t clean either.”

“Your father,” Caterina muses. “What is it he does?”

“Construction to an extent, but he specializes in luxury vehicles and counterfeit luxury goods.”

“Ah, of course.” She nods with a wry smile. “I believe I fell for that once.”

“Really?”

“My dear expensive handbag was not so luxurious, I quickly learned.”

“Oh, no, I’m so sorry!” Laughter bubbles up, immediately lifting my spirits. “Would it make you feel better to know they’re high quality?”

Caterina wrinkles her nose. “No.”

“Unlucky.”

She breaks out into a smile and nudges into me. “It’s good to hear you laugh.”

Normally, my smile would vanish as guilt about Marie wells up, but being here holds it at bay for some reason. It’s like I truly am in a different world and everything that happened before I came here just doesn’t matter.

We continue to slowly walk through the vines, trading stories about childhood antics. Caterina comes from a big family, all of which live around the world doing so many different things that it’s hard to believe she chose to stay with Raffaele.

But then, maybe it’s not so surprising. His reputation for being a cold, calculated killer appears true, but after living with him for so long and experiencing his kindness after my attack, there’s another side to him.

A much more human side.

It shows itself once again as we walk toward the manor and Raffaele comes into view. He stands with one hand on his hip, his finger running along the waistband of his low-slung jeans. A white cotton shirt graces his shoulders, held together by just two buttons near his abdomen. The light breeze causes the fabric to billow and lift, showing off an array of his gorgeous golden muscles. A light dusting of dark hair coats his chest and a single bald spot near his ribs draws my eye.

A scar.

Interesting.

Without realizing it, my steps slow as we get closer and closer to Raffaele.

He looks… stunning.

Like some kind of bronze god has come from the heavens to taste the sweetness of the grapes. A far cry from the hard man dressed only in suits who existed back in the States. He’s like a completely different person.

He’s deep in conversation with a gardener who speaks animatedly about the health of the vine and the expected haul, as well as some issues they ran into at the winery. Raffaele seems engrossed and even offers his advice, which is even more surprising.

He’s not just some rich overlord. He seems to actually know about the vineyard and wine-making.

“See something you like?” Caterina jokes in a low voice.

My slowed steps have made her overtake and pass me, and she stands a few feet away with a knowing smile on her lips.

“No,” I say hurriedly, turning away from Raffaele as heat warms the tops of my ears.

“I’m not judging,” Caterina says. “He is your husband.”

“Sure, but…” I hesitate. He’s a terrible man. He killed my fiancé. And after what I went through, how can I even entertain thoughts of his glistening chest and thick arms? I look away from Caterina and speed up my walking pace away from Raffaele as if I can leave those thoughts behind with him.

Caterina says nothing else but she keeps a light smile on her lips for the rest of the morning.

Raffaele joins me for lunch, but before we can discuss anything, a call from someone takes his attention. He apologizes and hurries away. I glimpse him back in the vineyards helping with carrying baskets of grapes up and down the vines, hardly interesting work, but what holds my attention is that he does it shirtless.

---