Page 24 of Where Dark Hearts Devour
He pushes off the doorframe and anchors both feet to the ground. “Next door?”
A shiver tickles my spine. “Yes. The main house. This is the apartment.”
When he doesn’t question me further, I cock my head to one side. “Shall we?”
He grinds his jaw and steps aside. “After you.”
My thighs tremble as I turn to lock the door, and I feel his warm breath drifting across my bare shoulders. I have to take extra care walking down the steps so I don’t trip and make a fool of myself. We reach the main door, and I ring the bell. When I turn a fraction to check he’s still there, Cristiano has a knuckle pressed to his mouth.
“What’s so funny?”
“You ring the doorbell? You don’t just walk in?”
I run my tongue across my top teeth. “I like my entrance to be noticed.” I narrow my eyes in a challenge, but the laughter in his expression has disappeared. “What?” I ask.
He swallows. “Nothing.”
Before I can press him any further, the door swings open, and Allegra’s face instantly contorts as if she’d asked for a crate of Dom Pérignon and got a glass of cheap white wine instead.
“Ah ...” Her gaze flits between me and Cristiano, and for a few seconds I enjoy her flustered confusion.
Cristiano, it appears, doesn’t enjoy it so much.
“Signora, my apologies.Mi fratello... he is going to be a little late. He has some business with?—”
“I understand,” Allegra replies in a tone that suggests quite the opposite. “No need to explain.”
“I found this one on my way here.” His fingers lightly tap the small of my back, making me leap forward into my aunt. Out of utter embarrassment I try to make it look as if I’m going in for a hug, even though I rarely do that despite how much I adore her.
“Hey, Allegra!” I unravel my stiff arms and smile like a lunatic before stepping past her into the house. I need to get away from the owner of those fingers before the mortification burns me from the inside out.
I feel his hot glare at my back as I skip down the hall. Thankfully, Allegra, in a bid to impress the family I’m marrying into, holds him captive at the door.
I tuck my head around the entrance to the living area and see Papa deep in conversation with one of the port managers. I continue on by and almost run for the stairs. I need to get to a restroom to splash cold water on my face and then seek solace in one of my sisters’ bedrooms.
“Not so fast, Trilby.” Allegra’s voice is stern, and I turn to see the kind of expression I’ve learned to just deal with, because an objection simply isn’t worth it.
Cristiano’s voice filters through from the living area. He must have been swiftly steered toward Papa.
“I was just going to the restroom,” I say weakly.
Allegra’s brows rise. “I thought you’d just come from one.” She looks down over my outfit and mutters, “Supposedly…” She coughs and gives a little shake of her head. “Now, our guest would probably like something to drink, wouldn’t he?”
I shrug like a moody teenager. “I don’t know.”
Her spine straightens defiantly. “Then I suggest you go find out.”
When I don’t move, her face drops as though I’m fast becoming the most disappointing sister of the four of us.
“Fine.” I sigh and push myself off the bottom stair.
I drag my feet past Allegra and hesitate in the doorway. The three men have moved to Papa’s desk, where they’re looking through plans of the port and the surrounding area. Part of my heart wilts at hearing Papa transfer some of the control of his pride and joy. His father built that place from the ground up, and Papa has run it since he turned eighteen. The port is part of our family, and it feels like we’re losing it.
I take a deep breath and walk quietly into the room. Papa and his manager keep their heads down, focused intently on the maps. Cristiano is the only one who senses me entering. For a moment our eyes meet, and my pulse picks up speed. His gaze betrays no emotion, but it tunnels into me like a laser beam.
“... and that’s where the private consignments are checked in,” Papa says as if he still has the attention of the second most prominent member of the Di Santo family, when, in fact, it’s settled wholly on me.
Cristiano’s lips move mechanically. “I look forward to seeing it in the flesh.”
