Page 133 of Lourdes & the Mafia
And it was the most precious gift of goodbye I could have ever given him.
Ramiel clears his throat. His eyes gloss over and it looks like he’s fighting back a wave of emotion. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right.”
I nod. “Just give him time to cool off. Then go find him.” And then I lean forward, pressing my lips to his. What’s supposed to be a chaste kiss becomes something much more heated. His tongue tangles with mine immediately. He reaches for me, his hands on my waist tugging me down and grinding me against his rising erection.
I groan against his lips, taking back, pouring all of my own love and affection into this single act. I don’t want to part, but I know I can’t stay like this all night.
Time passes differently in the Underworld, after all.
And I only have so much of it left.
Slowly, I pull back, nipping at his lips as I go. “Rami,” I breathe out.
“Hmm?”
“I love you.”
The room flashes in and out of darkness, and he pulls me close again by the back of the neck, devouring my mouth once again. We stay like that, trapped within each other for a couple of minutes. When he finally pulls away, our noses touch. And he looks… relieved.
“I love you, too.”
I leave Ramiel to his music, telling him I am going to walk around and find Lorenzo. He lets me go almost reluctantly, but eventually does when I tell him he needs to think about what he’s going to say to Kane and that we’ll see each other later.
I’m glad his mind is too occupied to see past my lies.
We won’t be seeing each other later.
If we see one another at all.
I try not to let those thoughts haunt me as I try to find Lorenzo. I stop a few demons, asking them if they’ve seen the Lord of Healing around, but they say no. I sigh and go to the one place that reminds me of him.
The guards manning his massive closet let me in the moment they see me. The room is vast and empty, save for the many layers of fabric and jewels.
I go to the ones in the glass cases immediately, looking them all over. It feels like it was only recently that Lorenzo gave me a tour of them all. Maybe it was recent, I don’t know. I also know that it feels like forever ago just the same.
My hands glide over the clear glass, pulling their cases open to let my fingers slip across magical fabric and jewels and stones. Dresses, crowns, rubies, bracelets. My hands stop against one and I examine it closely, a smile on my lips. I slip it onto my wrist carefully, closing the rest of the cases and move on to the dress that Lorenzo claimed was his favorite.
White, the color of innocence and purity.
“My demons said you were looking for me.”
His voice appears out of thin air, and I turn, catching him walking out of a thicket of smoke. He’s wearing his signature black turtleneck and fancy pants and shoes. His hair is a wild mess like it was windblown.
I smile at his form. “Where were you?”
“I apologize, Amore. There were a few souls who needed me down in the Land of Lament. I had to take care of them.”
“You’re very caring.” I turn back to the glass case. “That’s why I love you.”
There’s a moment of silence as my words seem to register through Lorenzo’s mind. A few seconds only, and then he’s crowded behind me, his hands on my shoulders, his lips pressing to the most sensitive part of my neck.
“Will you say that again, Amore?” he pleads against my skin. “I want to memorize every part of this moment.”
I lean back against him. “I love you.”
“Hmm.” He kisses my neck, his palms spanning across my hips. “You know I love you, too. Have since the first moment I saw you. I will until the day I die.”
A shiver runs through me. “Don’t talk about death.”
