Page 45 of Heir of Darkness

“I know. I’ll be getting on to the cameras later to rewatch this moment,” he told her, a grin on his face.

“Which cameras?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He grabbed her hand.

Luna rolled her eyes, a snort escaping as she tried to hide the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach from his warmth.

When they reached the garage, Valerio was opening the door for her, making sure her seat belt was fastened before he made his way to the driver’s side. They began driving and this time he drove the speed limit.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“I made a reservation for an Italian restaurant,” he said. “I hope you like it.”

“I love pasta. Maybe it’s a place I’ve been before.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“Because I own it.”

“So you’re in the restaurant business too?” she asked. “Are there any fields you haven’t nudged your way into?”

“Real businesspeople diversify their investments,” he said. “How else do you think I can afford my luxurious lifestyle?”

“Hope you can afford mine as well.” The words slipped from her mouth before she could even register them, but before he could say anything, they were pulling up to the restaurant. It wasa beautiful brown stone building. A man in a black uniform came to open her door for her, but Valerio was practically pushing him away to open it himself.

“Thanks,” she muttered, fixing her dress as she got out of the car. They walked through a set of double doors held open by people in black tux uniforms.

The actual interior of the space was lit up by warm, ambient lighting causing a cozy feel to envelop the space. The tables were lined with white tablecloths and brown barrel chairs. There wasn’t a single person sitting and having dinner, which seemed odd for such a beautiful space. Luna began walking into the large dining room, but Valerio pulled on her hand, leading her through a hallway lined with gold sconces on the walls. He pushed open a door that opened up into the most extravagant room Luna had seen.

Large windows lined the wall directly in front of them, allowing the city lights and the setting sun to stream into the room. The warm lighting carried into the room, and along the windows were green vines. She wasn’t sure if they were real or not, but the space felt like they were in a villa in Italy.

Valerio pulled out a chair for Luna, allowing her to settle in before he pushed it in for her. “This place is beautiful. When does dinner start?”

He sat down as well, scooting his chair so he was beside her rather than across. “I closed the place for the night. You said you had things you wanted to discuss, so I thought it would be best if we had privacy.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” She shook her head, completely shocked at the action. “This room is private enough.”

“I wanted to,” he said. “Order anything you want, but I also want you to try my favorites.”

She grabbed the menu, eyeing through it but finding it was completely in Italian. “I can’t read the menu.”

“I could get you an English one.”

She shrugged. “Or you could just read me the items?”

Valerio nodded. He took it, moving even closer to her so they could share the menu. He went through each item, pronouncing the names slowly. Luna couldn’t help but look at his lips, watching as they changed and moved to fit the pronunciations, putting emphasis on specific parts of the words.

Her mouth was suddenly dry, mesmerized by him. He did have beautiful lips. Only a week ago, they were on hers in a heated frenzy. The thought brought a blush to her cheeks.

A waiter entered the room asking for their drinks. Valerio glared at him, causing the waiter to shift uncomfortably. It knocked Luna enough out of her daze to realize where they were.

They settled on some bottle of wine, but Luna also ordered a lemon drop martini. Valerio also made sure to order a little bit of everything on the menu, giving her a chance to experience just how delicious his food was. He spoke with the waiter in Italian, and she hated to admit it, but it was incredibly attractive. Something about how his voice became deeper, ordering authority in a language she didn’t understand did it for her.

She shifted in her seat, waiting until the waiter left. “Should we get into the contract?”

He nodded, sitting back in his seat and throwing his arm around the back of her chair. “Go ahead.”

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