Page 31 of A Son Hidden from the Sicilian

Except, no. She had to like it. She had to agree. She had to understand if his plan was to work. He’d make her understand. Somehow. He would have a wife and Brianna could... She could certainly...

But even the thought of another man looking at her twisted a deep, dangerous jealousy inside of him. He knew where these feelings led. He had to eradicate them.

“Lorenzo.”

He was still looking at Brianna, but he got the sense Natalia had been trying to get his attention for some time. He managed to tear his gaze away from all that red and smiled at Natalia.

“She’s lovely,” Natalia said, gesturing toward Brianna. “I’ve seen the stories. Do you really have a child together?”

He found himself hesitant to bring Gio into this. “Does it matter?”

“Of course not. I’m only curious.”

“Dante’s trying to wage yet another war against me using my son and his mother. He won’t win.” And there was a war inside of himself that he had to fight. He forced his mouth to curve at his date. “How do you feel about marriage, Natalia?”

She laughed, low and throaty. “Oh, Lorenzo. You’re such an idiot sometimes.”

He frowned in utter shock. Natalia always spoke her mind but calling him anidiotwas over-the-top. “I would make it worth your while.”

“Of course you would. But what would make you think I’d whore myself out in such a fashion?”

That word left him utterly cold. “Never that.”

She made a considering noise. “Regardless. I’m not interested in marrying you, darling. Maybe if I thought itwasbusiness and not just a powerful man’s cowardice, we’d have something to talk about. But I won’t be any coward’s shield.”

There was that word again. First Brianna, now Natalia. When he’d never had theopportunityto be a coward. For as long as he could remember, he’d had to be the brave one.He’dhad to have the courage to do the hard things. Pay bills. Plan funerals. Build empires so nothing would ever touch his family again. “You have a lot of negative opinions of me this evening,darling,” he managed to say withouttoomuch acid in his tone.

She shook her head. “No. I can just see through you this evening and you don’t like it. I’m usually not the one men use for a distraction, and I’m trying not to be bitter about it because we’ve always gotten along well. But heed my advice, Lorenzo. You need to deal with her. Not me.”

“I have dealt with her, thank you,” he replied stiffly.

“Lorenzo,” Natalia said quietly. Almost like a friend breaking bad news. “You’re not even looking at me.”

He managed to rip his gaze away from Brianna. Again. Focus on Natalia. “I need a business partner.”

She shook her head. “You need a reality check.” She reached up and patted his cheek. “And I am not part of that reality.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

BRIANNADIDNOTcare that he was here. She did not care about the gorgeous beauty on his arm. She didn’tcare. She was above Lorenzo and his dates and plans. She was here forBrianna.

She had people interested in her process. In hermotifs. Her damn inspiration. She did not need Lorenzo’s interest. His concern. His...whatever this was.

She hoped he had a wonderful time with his date. She hoped he fell in love with the woman.

Love is a lie.

If onlyshecould believe that as vehemently as he did. If only anything she felt for him settled in her like alie. Instead it was like some core tenet of everything she was. Loving him was in her blood and she couldn’t get it out.

Worse, the way he’d walked out of her bedroom earlier, without refuting a single thing she’d said. Letting her think he loved her too was the worst kind of torture.

She tried to focus on the conversations around her, but her eyes wandered. Always veering straight for him.Them, because his date was always with him. And every single time she looked over, he wasn’t gazing at said date. He wasn’t cuddled together with the woman on his arm.

No, every time Brianna looked over, he was looking right back at her. And everysingletime a jolt went through her whole body. Every time she found herself fantasizing about him striding through the room and coming over to her and...

But he wasn’twithher. He was with this...woman. Beautiful.Tall. Perfect. He didn’t believe in love. Whatever he felt for her didn’t matter to him because he was here with a date. They were a striking couple, really.

She hoped they both choked on their champagne.

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