Page 44 of Devil's Iris
The waiter stops at my elbow and I tell him to let our waitress know we’re ready for the bill. Once it’s settled, we get to our feet, and like a magnet drawn to metal, my palm finds its way to her waist as I lead her out of the restaurant.
She’s quiet as I open the back door of my SUV for her, but her body practically vibrates with energy. I close the door and circle around to get in from the other side, thinking she might be uncomfortable and move away from me like she did last time.
I shouldn’t have worried.
As soon as I slide in, she scoots towards me, closing the distance between us with a bright smile. “Thank you so much for tonight, Romero,bello.”
The unexpected nickname hits me square in the chest, sending my heart into overdrive, and I can only stare down at her, stunned.Bello.Beautiful. Handsome. Her smile widens likeshe knows what she’s doing to me, then she leans her head against my shoulder, looping her arm around me. I inhale sharply, every muscle in my body going rigid with shock.
“If you keep being nice to me and doing things that aren’t in the contract, I might fall in love with you and refuse to grant you that divorce at the end of our year together.” She giggles at her little joke as she runs a dainty palm up my chest.
I’m unable to come up with any kind of smooth, charming response, and what comes out is a lame, “You’re welcome,bellezza.” Which makes her giggle even harder, and I realize I lapsed into Italian. She’s got my thoughts all tangled up. Can she feel the frantic beat of my heart?
“In English, please,” she asks sweetly.
I clear my throat, pulling myself together. “There’s no need for thanks between us.” But her gratitude is immensely satisfying. I find myself thinking of other things I can do to make her happy, already craving more of this kind of reaction.
Without conscious thought, my hand curves around her shoulder, my fingers playing with the strands of hair that look spun from silk, sunlight, and flame. “I love your hair.” The words slip out unbidden.
“Grazie,” she murmurs. “I think your eyes are gorgeous.”
Are we exchanging compliments now? I twine a few strands of her hair around my finger, loving how the red-gold looks against my skin. Acting on instinct, I dip my head and press a gentle kiss to the crown of her head, breathing in her intoxicating scent. She goes stiff, then slowly relaxes again.I could get used to this.
No one has ever belonged to me before. Not really. Her playful words about falling in love with me echo in my head, and I make my decision—I’m going to pull out all the stops to make that happen. What would it feel like? Her love?
Tread carefully, comes the warning. But I’m not concerned. I know what I’m feeling. It’s lust, plain and simple. Maybe mixedwith a little possessiveness and protectiveness, but at its core, it’s just lust. I can handle myself.
My heart is ice. No matter how much she gives, I know I can’t return love. I simply don’t possess the ability. Besides, a healthy dose of lust and protectiveness is more than enough for me.
As Logan takes the turn leading to the gates of my house, Leni breaks the comfortable silence that’s settled between us. “Tell me about your parents.”
Every muscle in my body locks together like I’ve been hit with a taser. I regretfully let go of her hair and gently push at her shoulders until she’s pulled away from my chest. She frowns, but I avoid meeting her gaze, adjusting the lapels of my jacket as we drive through the gates.
“You’re going to avoid my question? Don’t you think it’s a little unfair that you have access to every piece of information you want about me and my family, but I know next to nothing about you and yours?”
Is that a hint of hurt I detect in her voice? It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to delve into the past with her. “You should know by now,uccellino, life isn’t fair.”
Her lips part in surprise, her slate eyes wide.
That is definitely hurt in her eyes.
My stomach lurches, my tie suddenly feeling like a noose. “Prepare for dinner with my brothers tomorrow night. They’re the only family I have now, and the only family that matters.”
Logan rolls the SUV to a stop, and I’m out in seconds, greedily inhaling the crisp night air. When I walk around to open her door, she’s already climbing out, stomping her way into the house and slamming the door behind her.
Sighing, I watch her go, then turn to Logan to bid him goodnight.
He gives me a sympathetic smile. “Women, eh?” he says, shrugging before driving off.
Inside, I scan the space for her. Nothing. She’s upstairs, no doubt. My mood darkens as I yank off my tie, roping it around my wrist and undoing the buttons of my shirt as I head towards my home office.
I’ve never brought anyone into my home before, so the thought of installing cameras never even crossed my mind. Now I can’t even satisfy my curiosity by checking on her. In my office, I shrug off my jacket and toss it onto the couch, my tie landing beside it, before making my way towards the desk.
There, I drop into my chair, flip open my laptop, and tap the power button to bring it to life. Sometime during dinner—after Rafael’s arrogant text demanding I bring Leni to dinner tomorrow—I received a text from my private investigator saying he had the background check report I requested on my soon-to-be wife.
Don’t you think it’s a little unfair that you have access to every piece of information you want about me and my family, but I know next to nothing about you and yours?
I brush her words away as I log into my laptop and navigate straight to my email, where a PDF file titled ‘Barlowe’ is waiting for me. I download the file and click it open.
