Page 38 of Light Me Up

“Thanks,” she murmured, swiftly cleaning up before she let her dress tumble down again. She straightened up, trying to fix the ratio of breasts to bodice as she admired his body. “Shame to put that big gorgeous cock away so soon,” she murmured.

He gripped it in one hand, taking the handkerchief from her and using it on himself. “You’re so beautiful right now, I’d fuck you againthis instant.”

She’dbe up for that.

Except that minutes from now they would be formally arriving at a major event for international glitterati. Sporting that radiant, unmistakable we-just-had-sex glowon their faces.

“I need to wash up better before we face the world,” she told him.

“There should be a bathroom offthe next room.”

She was grateful for his arm as he swept her along. The bathroom door was creaky with age, but one good yank from Noah got it open. It was gloriously antique, complete with painted cherubs sporting ribbons, and an ancient tub that was just about big enough to swim in.

Noah ran the faucet and tugged the pull chain dangling from the tank over the toilet. Water gurgled. “It’s functional.” He washed his hands swiftly, wiping them on a fossilized towel that hung near the sink. “I’ll wait for youright outside.”

Caro cleaned up as best she could and fixed her makeup. Not much she could do about the high color in her cheeks or the dazzled gleam in her eyes, except hope it would mellow out. Even her hair looked sexually excited. She tossed it back, letting it swing. She felt like a wild woman. Might as well looklike one, too.

Her eye makeup had melted to a smoky, smudgy look, somewhere between glamorous and feral. Every time her thighs brushed together, sexual awareness pumped right to her toes. Yes oh yes. She loved the feeling.

A fresh slick of red lipstick, a final tug to keep her boobs in the low-cut bodice, and that would have to do. She scrabbled in her evening bag and pulled out the teensiest thong ever. Continuing to go au naturel was not in the cards tonight. Not afterthat interlude.

Final detail. The stiletto heels. The flats went back into the bag. She perched on the edge of the bathtub and buckled her sandals back on.

There. Best she could do.

Noah looked her up and down when she came out the bathroom door. He offered her his arm. “You look great,” he said. “Like I never touched you. Makes me want to do it all again. Let’s skip the party. We’ll stay here and fuck madly all evening.”

“No, I don’t think so. But thanks, it’s a lovely thought.”

“Later then.Is it a date?”

She batted him gently with her evening bag. “You have to be single to date,” she told him. “We’re married. That ship hassailed, buddy.”

“Right.” Noah opened the door onto a long hall that ended in yet another marble staircase. The party suddenly sounded a lot louder.

Caro felt the exact moment that the battle tension seized him. “Ready?” she asked.

“I have no idea,” he muttered, as they started down theechoing stairs.

Chapter 10

Noah hated the Sala dell’Annunziata.Hated every singlething about it.

The venue was too damn small for this crowd. Only three exits. Guaranteed to create a dangerous bottleneck if something happened and the guests panicked. Overly narrow doors opened out of the gallery into a broad central corridor. And the Sala was on the second floor. The French doors on the other side of the hall opened onto high stone balconies over an inner courtyard paved with cobblestones.

He scanned the room and did a lightning-fast head count. The Sala was at full capacity already, with people still crowding in. He’d already data-dived every name on the guest list. So far, everyone was in the clear. But the number of people packed into that room triggered an AVP surge.

It was hard to think when his body kept urging him to act.

Lella must have suffered serious brain damage during his captivity. Noah couldn’t imagine any other reason why the Sala dell’Annunziata had been chosen. In no way was it the safest place for internationally renowned invitees to a glittering party.

He and Caro had kept to the perimeter of the room, which fortunately had been left dim in order to create dramatic contrast for the cross at the showstopping reveal. Tall black panels stood in front of the central window and balcony that overlooked the courtyard. A black velvet curtain concealed the cross and its display mounting, providing a backdrop for a dais and lectern for the speakers. But the crowd’s size was well over the posted limit for the space. There was no moving through that room without pushing and shoving. The smell of sweat, deodorant, and perfume was suffocating and intense. The space was overly warm and short on oxygen, and the event had only just begun.

And of course, dozens of smartphones were being held up, recording everything and everyone. No surprise, but the sight of them jacked up his paranoia tofresh heights.

From what Noah and Caro had heard so far, English was the official language of this event. The speech in progress had started off with the usual ass-kissing and mutual congratulation. Everyone involved had to be mentioned by name and praised for his or her generosity and brilliance and vision for making this conference happen.

Before that, there had been a lot of gushing about Folti, how thickly dipped in awesome sauce he was, how he’d spared no expense to bring the cross to light and tell the world the story of its creator, the visionary mystic Orazio. All of which Noah already knew, so he continued casing the room, doing quickie background checkson latecomers.

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