Page 16 of Malevolent Secrets

“I think I ruined your couch,” I murmur.

He chuckles. “I’ll buy another one,” he tells me.

Finally, he pulls his hardness out of me and carries me in his arms like a child to his bedroom. Carefully, he places me on the bed just before my eyes close.

The first thing I register when I wake up the next morning, is that I’m not in my own bed. There’s a man’s hand draped over my naked torso. The only man who would be like this with me in my bed is Jeremy, but Jeremy is gone.

Guilt.

The reality of what I’ve done crashes down on me. I lie there, motionless for a little while, my heart racing, my mind a whirlwind of fear and confusion. What have I done? What have I gotten myself into?

Carefully, I slip out of bed, gathering my clothes. As I dress, my eyes fall on a wallet lying on the nightstand. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I open it, my breath catching in my throat as I see the name on the ID.

Lorenzo Alessandro Duretti.

Shock glues me to the spot as I look at it and then the shock is replaced by fear. The man I spent the night with, the man I felt drawn to, the man I just fucked, is the head of the Duretti family.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. I need to get out of here. Now.

But as I turn to leave, Lorenzo stirs, his eyes fluttering open. He looks at me, a lazy smile spreading across his face. “Leaving so soon, Tesoro?”

I swallow hard, forcing a smile. “I...I need to go. But thank you for...everything.”

“I want to see you again.”

There it is again. Now I’m wondering how I didn’t notice it last night. The command in every word he says, the ferocity in his eyes. Of course, he’s Lorenzo of the Duretti family.

“Okay,” I make myself say. I smile, and he smiles too.

If this man had something to do with Jeremy’s death, I will find out. It doesn’t matter if I have to change myself into someone that I am not. It doesn’t matter if I have to pretend, use my body, or lie. I will use any means necessary. I will find out the truth.

And I will have my revenge.

Chapter Five

Lorenzo

Fuck.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to see her, I wasn’t supposed to let her kiss me, I wasn’t supposed to be in the damn club at all.

Shit.

“I warned you about him. I told you he was dangerous.” Victor’s voice grates on my nerves. I don’t care much for his very thinly veiled I-told-you-so.

“You want to try adjusting your tone, Tomasso?” I raise an eyebrow, and he bows his head.

“I apologize, boss.”

I swirl the drink in my hands, the clear liquid reminding me of bright blue eyes and lips red as sin. Victor is upset with me over something serious, something that could cost us all our lives and yet I can’t stop thinking about the way her lips felt pressed against mine. The way her entire body felt pressed against mine.

I shake my head and try to focus on the matter at hand.

The Raineris have caused trouble again.

“Have we received fresh intel?”

“Not for a month now.”

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