Page 72 of Virtuous Lies

I scoff.

Confident that my hand has hold of the peas, he drops his. “Do you know how hard it was to deny you time and time again? Every time you begged me to fuck you, I was so close to giving in, to claiming your virginity, pretending I didn’t know it was mine.”

He moves me toward the living area, and I go without resistance.

“Sit.”

I drop down onto the sofa.

He kneels before me, pulling my heels from my feet and placing them neatly beside me. “MonthsI waited. Fucking months where I’d sit in our room fantasizing about fucking you into consciousness and then fucking you back to sleep when I’d had my fill.”

He tucks my hair behind my ears.

“It made me fucking furious that you evenclaimedhe touched you. That fucking evil little snake. I was so fired up with rage when you turned up at his home.”

I can’t speak. I can’t find words as he confesses his soul to me, letting me claim him in a way I never imagined he would.

“Do you know what would’ve happened if I hadn't been there, Bianca? Do you know what he would havedoneto you?”

I gulp. “I was willing to live with those consequences. For Cat.”

He looks pained by my confession. The hypothetical consequence was too much for him to bear.

“I’d always wanted you.Privately. Before you had spared me a second glance. I craved you in my darkest thoughts, but that day, I knew I had to have you. I knew you would never belong to Salvatore because you were already mine.”

“Vinnie.” I never imagined being who I was that I'd ever be worshipped the way Vincent so clearly does. He wanted me before he knew me. He placed me on a pedestal before I knew I’d already claimed his heart.

“I would have started an all-out war for you with the Outfit if I had to. I would have killed Salvatore to stop him from claiming you.”

My eyes water.

“I went to Roberto’s with the knowledge that he’d die. I didn’t realize I’d want so badly to look him in the eye when I took his life.”

I place the bag of peas on the couch.

“You were so brave. So fierce in the eye of danger. He could have killed you. Your plan could have failed. What were you thinking?”

“If Roberto took my innocence, Tony would have killed him. That was our plan. Tony would have protected myhonor,and I would claim Berto and I were in love,” I spit, the lie sour on my tongue. “I’d save Cat. I was confident she would be the one to take my place with Salvatore. I had to do it,” I implore. “Cat’s safety was more important.”

“Than yours?” he beseeches.

“Yes,” I answer easily.

“Not to me.”

“Why did you kill him?” I ask.

“He touched you.”

I remember the way his brother’s hands had felt along my body. The bitter taste of his breath on my face. The acid touch of his lips on mine. I was certain he would take what I was offering. I was certain I had fed myself to the lion’s den, which was the plan all along. But standing there, knowing the way Roberto was going to hurt me, everything within screamed at me to run.

I didn’t need to, though. Unbeknownst to me, Vincent was there protecting me without either of us knowing it. I left, but it was still enough for people to believe. I was certain of it. I’d been alone with him. In his apartment. It was soaked in scandal, and my plan had worked without the suicide of my soul.

“He betrayed the family,” he tells me. “He was a rat, Bianca. He was selling us all down the fucking river.”

My hands fly up to cup my mouth.

“Enzo had suspected for a time that we had a rat. He trusted only Leo and me with the suspicion.”

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