Page 45 of Sweet Deception

I take a painful breath as I look between the two, cataloging their features. That's when I find a dark shadow on the woman's jaw. I can't be sure, but I think it's a bruise.

Desperate to see if the boy has any, I bring the frame closer as I scrutinize everything about him. I should feel better not seeing any dark shadows, but I don't. Even as a young boy, Luca looks like he's lived a lifetime.

I eye the edge where the photo is folded. My curiosity gets the best of me and I turn the frame over, intending to open the back so I can unfold the picture. But before I can, the sound of a door being shut alerts me to a visitor.

"Shit."

Chapter nineteen

Kylie

Heart pounding, I scramble to put the frame back where I found it and move the watches back into position.

"Little bit? Where are you?" Gio calls out.

I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.

"I'm upstairs." Taking two steps at a time, I rush down the stairs, hoping Gio will mistake my rapid pace as the reason for my flushed skin.

As I round the second floor stairs, Gio's standing at the base, waiting for me.

"Hey! You wouldn't happen to know where Luca would stash the swimwear he bought me, would you?"I try to sound casual, and not like he caught me snooping. Something tells me Luca wouldn't want me to see that photograph.

Gio rests his hand on the newel post as he waits for me to reach him. "I don’t think Luca’s filled the pool for the season yet."

Shaking my head, I stop two steps above him and lean against the banister, breathing hard from the burst of exercise. "No. He mentioned the sauna and said Joanna sent swimsuits for me, but didn't tell me where they were. I assumed he would stash them in his closet, but I can't find them."

Struggling to keep from fidgeting, I skirt around him and head to the kitchen.

"Maybe he has them in the basement by the sauna. Did you try looking there?" He asks as he follows me.

Distracted, I head straight to the refrigerator and grab a couple of bottles of water. I turn to hold one out to Gio, which he takes.

"Thanks," he replies.

"I went down there to check out the space, but didn't think to look for the suits there. It makes sense, though." Uncapping the bottle, I shrug before taking a drink.

Gio does the same as he turns to go to the living room. "Since I stopped by to hang out, let's skip the sauna or Luca will kill me." He grabs the remote as he flops down on the couch. "Let's watch a movie. What do you like? Action? Horror? And please, have a care for my man card, and don't say romance."

Chuckling, I lean against the kitchen island and set the water bottle down before regarding him. "Are you my babysitter tonight?"

I can't help but wonder if it's why Luca warned me Gio could walk into the house at any moment.

He glances at me with a smirk before swinging his gaze back to the tv, still flipping through channels. "Nah. I'm bored. Luca and Rafael are busy, so it's now your duty to keep me company."

I snort, then pivot to rummage through the kitchen cabinets. "Does Luca keep popcorn down here? We can't put on a movie without popcorn. I saw the machine on the third floor, but I don't want to climb those stairs again."

"Take the elevator. The popcorn's better in the machine than making microwave popcorn, anyway."

"Elevator?" Pausing, I glance over at Gio, brows dipped. "There's an elevator in this house?"

"Yep." He stands and places the remote back on the coffee table. "Come on. I'll show you."

I shut the cabinet door and rush to catch up to him. He opens the pocket doors to Luca's office and proceeds to the paneled wall that seperates his office and the garage.

He presses on the underside of the sconce on the wall, and I tilt down to see a button hidden there. Huh. I never would have seen it when I was checking outLuca's office earlier. Not that I lingered. I didn’t want to invade his office space. Still, I never saw signs of an elevator on the other floors either.

When a section of the paneled wall pushes in about an inch and slides behind the side panel, revealing the elevator, my jaw drops. "Well, I'll be damned."

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