Page 92 of King Of Order

‘That’s better. Now I can see your eyes,’ I murmured.

He was furious. His eyes were an inferno of pale azure wild frost if ice could flame.

‘Don’t you dare do that to me again? It took me running at full tilt for five minutes to find you. Five minutes when anything might have happened, five minutes when you could have been abducted, knifed, shot -.’

I slid my hand over his mouth to shut him up.

At the same time, I realized he was starting to care.

For me.

As I was, for him.

Cazzo.

‘Nothing occurred because you were nearby, and we’re OK now,’ I whispered. ‘I’m sorry for leaving. My selfishness overrode my good sense, and I promise it won’t happen again.’

‘It’d better not,’ he growled, tearing his face from my hold. ‘Still, you’ll need to fuckin’ make up for it.’

My eyes widened, imagining the worst. ‘How?’

That’s when his mouth lifted at the edges, and he leaned in to nip my ear lobe. ‘I’ll show you how, and you will obey.’

He proceeded to unlock the door, shove me inside and upstairs, where he made his freakin’ wild demands, and I obeyed.

Chapter 20

CHIARA

‘Let’s take a break,’ Rio drawled with a casual smile.

We sat at my dining table over a breakfast of fruit, cornetto, and espresso, his raw, husky timbre soft but insistent. ‘How about a day at the beach?’

‘Down the street?’ I asked, puzzled.

‘No, it’s too packed,’ he rasped, then added, ‘Leranto Bay. It’s about an hour and a half from here. We’ll take the car, prepare a picnic, you and me.’

I had no reason to refuse. A whole day with Rio, away from the noise of our lives, in a secluded bay said to be a hidden paradise?

It sounded perfect.

It didn’t take long to pack food and swim gear, although I found myself protesting Rio’s scorching kisses and pulse checks every so often.

The man was nothing if not affectionate, if not in heat for most of his waking hours.

I didn’t mind,Dio, I didn’t object at all.

The drive was scenic, winding through the Sorrento Peninsula. The rugged cliffs and the glimpses of the turquoise water below lifted my heart.

I caught Rio’s eyes on me a few times as he drove, his hand resting on the steering wheel, a small smile playing on his lips.

On occasion, he’d stroke my thigh, lift my palm to his mouth, and slide a hand to my nape, setting me off.

Something about how he eyed me, with ice-flamed heat in his pale blue babies, made my soul lurch—like I was the only thing in his world that mattered.

I melted under that gaze, loving the delicious thrill it sent through me.

We arrived at Leranto Bay late in the morning. The sight was breathtaking. Crystal-clear water stretched out before us, framed by the jagged cliffs.

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