Page 70 of Savage Claim

“But Cristian can be that man because Elio and Lorenzo do what they do,” I talked over her. “Cristian should be in the position that Damian has. He should be Lorenzo’s right hand, but instead, he was allowed to walk away from the family business.” I showed my nail technician the color that I wanted. “Thank you,” I said, pasting a smile on my lips.

Gemma did the same with a much sourer look on her face. “I can’t believe you’re defending all of this.”

“Gem, drop it,” I said. “Just enjoy what Lorenzo set up for us, and maybe, you can thank him later.”

There was almost no chance of that actually happening; Gemma looked like I’d shoved something rotten under her nose. I did my best to find a more pleasant avenue for conversation, but the mood was officially ruined. It took everything in me not to sit there and cry because Lorenzo’s gift was spoiled.

CHAPTER 44

Lorenzo

Getting to eat dinner and take a shower with Isabella was a balm for the last handful of disappointing days. Alfie was still in the wind. Every time we got close to him, all of Damian’s leads would go dry. We had a feeling that this was related to Artem, but we couldn’t find the proof.

I would loop in Nikolai, but the man had been avoiding my call. He still wasn’t happy about what I had done to Efram.

But I didn’t want to think about that right now. Not when I had Isabella, shower-soft, beside me in bed. I curved myself along her back. “How was your massage today?”

“It was very nice,” she said, tipping herself back so that she was pressed against my chest. “Thank you for that.”

“We could make it a weekly thing,” I offered.

She chuckled. “Oh, I don’t think that’s necessary. I don’t want to become spoiled or something.”

She meant it as a joke, but there was something about her voice that was wrong. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” Again, there was that faux singsong cheery voice. It was beyond phony.

“Isabella.”

I felt, more than heard, her sigh. “Both Amalia and Gemma are mad at me,” she admitted softly. “Gemma got mouthy, and Amalia …”

She kept talking, but my focus had shifted to the warmth of her skin against mine. Being as busy as I had been, it felt like it had been ages since I’d had her. I kissed her shoulder, sliding my hand down her body.

Isabella caught my hand. “Seriously?”

“What? It sounded like you could use a little bit more relaxation.”

She shoved my hands off. “You weren’t even listening to me, were you?”

“You were fighting with Gemma and Amalia because Gemma ran her mouth.Again. Did I miss anything else?”

Isabella went stiff before turning over so that she could look at me. “You’re not taking me seriously.”

“No, I’m not,” I said. Petty squabbling had always burrowed beneath my skin; I had absolutely no patience for it. “What would you like me to do about any of it? I offered to send Gemma away. It would have been the kindest thing we could have done for her, but you didn’t want to do that.”

I could see it on her face that I had hurt her feelings, but I didn’t take any of it back. “So, I can offer to send her to New Jersey to be babysat by my aunts for the indefinite future…or I can helpyou relax before you fall asleep. Which would you rather do right now?” There was anger in her eyes, but the want on her face was even more clear. I shifted closer to her, sliding my knee between her thighs.

Isabella heaved a great sigh. “I want to relax,” she murmured.

“Of course,dolcezza.”

I rearranged the pillows for us so that she could recline without the weight of the baby pressing down on her before I made myself at home between her thighs. She wasn’t wet when I ran my tongue around her clit and dipped it down to lap at her entrance, but it didn’t take her long to get there, either.

I was persistent, drawing soft sounds from her throat and coaxing her to a fever pitch. Isabella sank her fingers into my hair, holding me against her as if she were afraid that I would pull away. Her hips kicked upward, chasing her pleasure, and I cooed encouragements against her.

I pushed my tongue inside her, groaning at the way her wetness dripped down my chin. My cock was hard, tenting in my boxers, and I was about to remove them entirely when one of the windows smashed open by a smoking cannister.

Isabella screamed, and I snapped into action. I grabbed for the gun that I kept in the bedside table, but before I could raise it and aim for whoever was outside the window, I saw a beam of red. Through the smoke, I watched that beam land on me; I let go of the gun and let it drop to the ground.

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