Page 90 of Delilah In Discretion

“Calming you down. Is it working?” I asked him, and he nodded. His eyes held so many unexpressed feelings, and I could tell, even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to say what they were or explain them.

I slowed my caresses, and as I went to move, he pulled me closer with his hands on my waist.

“I didn’t say for you to stop,” he said, and I giggled as he slowly started to feel a bit more like himself. He leaned down, and I sighed into the kiss he placed on my lips while pulling him closer.

Eventually, we pulled away, and he opened the door for me once again. I stepped inside, and he went over to the driver’s side.

“Where are we going?” I asked him as he started the ignition, and he shrugged.

“Somewhere, Princess...”

Stepping out of the elevator, I took a look around the penthouse, which took us about fifteen minutes to arrive at. Archer took my jacket and purse from me as he hung them up for me. I walked around the living room and ran my hand along the books that lined the shelves. He watched me from the foyer as he leaned against the wall.

“I come here when I want to be alone. Bought it about a year ago. Vivienne is the only other person who knows I live here.”

I looked over to him and tilted my head. “But you still live with your family?” I asked him, and he nodded.

“I do, but does my father care about my whereabouts when he doesn’t need me for something?” he muttered, and I could tell he wasn’t asking, knowing we both knew the answer.

I looked back at the books and noticed that there were some ancient books here.

“You’re a collector?” I asked him, noticing that many of them were first editions.

He smirked. “Who would’ve guessed the princess knew about books?”

I rolled my eyes and bit my lip, trying to hide my small smile. “My mother worked in a bookstore for the first few years of my life, and my grandfather now owns over five libraries. I’m not too clueless, Lockwood.”

He smirked, but he didn’t say anything else. I heard him move across the room as I continued to look around.

I flinched slightly when I listened to a tune being played on the piano. I looked over at him and watched as he skillfully ran his hands over the keys. I approached him slowly, and his face was contorted as he concentrated.

He was so focused and in control. As he got more intense, I could feel the tension in the room rise. The piano keys were at his mercy, and it was as if he had no sympathy for them.

I ended up sitting next to him as my head rested on his shoulder. The sound he was creating was beautiful. What he was doing was beautiful. I looked up at him slowly, and he looked over at me as well. He gradually ended the song without giving the sheet music even one more glance, and I took a deep breath for a moment.

“That was beautiful,” I whispered, and he placed his hand on the side of my face. The hands that were brutally pouring out emotions caressed my face tenderly.

“You’re beautiful,” he said softly and placed another kiss on my lips. It was passionate, different, and full of sentiment, and I felt my body tremble in response.

Chapter thirty

Omniscient

Luca sat drinking his coffee as he waited for his guest of honor that was already fifteen minutes late.Better late than early,he thought to himself because had this particular guest come a little earlier, there would have been a shitstorm.

Looking out of the window, he could see Archer’s back as Delilah held his face in her hands. Eventually, they’d kissed, and Luca watched them as he tilted his head in deep thought.

He could only imagine how sweet her lips would have been, how loving her hands would be.

God, I’m a sociopath,he thought once again, and he heard something being placed on the table in front of him. He looked over to see Stephan taking a seat as he slid over what looked to be a folder. He had bags under his eyes, and his hair was disheveled. Luca could smell the despair that was radiating off of his clothes as well as the whiskey on his breath.

“You look like shit,” Luca commented, and Stephan smiled.

“Well, I feel the way I look,” he responded and sighed as he lost the small grin and continued. “My father admitted that he was just using me… I’ve worked so hard for the last ten years forhim only to find out it meant nothing and was going to lead to nothing.”

Luca sighed as he took another sip of his coffee. “Are you done?” he asked, and Stephan glared at him. Luca shrugged as he placed the drink back down. “I mean, you must’ve said this to Archer, to my father, to your mother, and yourself about a million times. Not in the mood to hear sob stories today.”

“Then what do you want to hear?” Stephan asked, and Luca sighed, feeling annoyed.

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