Page 24 of Salvatore

Fear seemed to sober her up. She blinks back at me alert, her voice quivering slightly. “In the living room?”

She phrases her comment more like a question, like she’s not sure what to do to with me. I tilt my chin and head to the couch, sitting on the opposite end to give her as much space as possible. She joins me moments later, passing me a glass filled with ice water and surprising me by lowering herself directly beside me.

I’m not sure what she’s thinking, whether she’s trying to be brave, polite, or something else. I don’t know Aedry and, while I can usually read people and anticipate their moves, in many ways this woman’s a mystery. Maybe it’s ‘cause I’ve never met anyone like her.

Aedry doesn’t play or manipulate. She’s not out to get everything and anything she can. She simply is, a genuine entity among a sea of cut-throats.

I wish I could do that, go through life like I’m actually living it, instead of just trying to survive it. But I don’t have that luxury.

“Are you sure you don’t want something else?” she asks, motioning to my glass with a subtle tilt of her chin.

I do, but not because I’m thirsty. My gaze hones in on her full lips. No, right now thirst is the last thing on my mind. “I’m good,” I tell her, lying through my teeth.

She crosses her legs. She’s close, within my reach, but not close enough to touch me. I’m wondering if it’s intentional or if she’s waiting for me to make a move. Like I said, she’s hard to read.

Her hand passes along her skirt to cup her knee. She’s not trying to flirt, at least that’s not how I take it. But the motion draws my attention to her bare legs. She notices, her focus returning to her glass as she takes large but careful sips.

I wait for her to empty her glass before asking her something that’s been bugging me all night. “Can I ask you something?” She dabs the corner of her mouth with her fingertips and nods. “What were you expecting tonight, coming into Silk to see me? As you saw, it’s not a place for someone like you.”

“No. It’s not.” Those bright blue eyes scan my face as she considers her words. “I thought . . .” She glances down. “I thought you’d invited me to spend time with you.”

“Like a date?” Her blush answers me enough. Shit.

“Apollo and Gianno set you up,” I tell her when she says nothing more.

“I figured as much.” She rolls the glass between her hands. “I’ll admit, I’m disappointed in them. I thought we were connecting, and that they liked me.”

“They do.”

She lifts her chin. “Then why would they do that to me? I feel like such a fool.”

“You’re not a fool,” I say, my steeling features showing her I mean what I say. “And my brothers never meant to embarrass you. They don’t know what goes on in Silk. All they know is what they’ve heard: that it’s hot, exclusive, and that people line up every night to get in. If they knew it like I do, they would never have sent you there.”

She leans in. “And how do you know it as well as you do?”

“I take Donnie there all the time.”

“Why?”

“It’s one of her favorite clubs. You can see why. She likes the atmosphere, the exclusiveness of it all, and the drugs that are easily offered.”

“But she’s not your girlfriend.”

“No,” I answer.

She gives what I say some thought. “The way she touches you, it seems like she is or at least wants to be.”

“She’s like that with people she trusts and we’ve known each other a long time. But I’ve never fucked her.”

Her eyes round. “Wow. You don’t mince words do you?”

I shake my head slowly. “No.”

Her hands clutch the glass. “You’re not in public relations, are you?”

I was waiting for her to ask that. “I work security for Donnie’s lover. With what she does, and the places she frequents, it’s my job to keep her safe.”

Her brows knit. “You’re a . . . bodyguard?”

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