Page 132 of A Beautiful Crime

Rico pushes his uneaten plate aside and glances at Pietro’s nearly finished one. “He’ll have your tongue for eating her cooking before him.”

Leave it to Rico, the man who cannot experience emotion to understand my jealousy and possessiveness.

Every first of Carina’s I want to own.

“Surely you can’t be serious?” Carina asks him dubiously.

Pietro snorts. “He’s just kidding.” He then continues to finish his plate before snatching Rico’s like a starved man.

Making my presence known I project my voice in a lethal tone. “Another bite and not only will your tongue be severed, so will your hand.”

Pietro’s fork clambers against the glass plate as it falls.

My haze of green and swirls of red only last so long until Carina fills my line of vision. She comes rushing around the island with the grandest of smiles adorning her face.

Si, mia leonessa. Those smiles only belong to me.

When she reaches me my arms immediately close the distance, pulling her flush against my chest as my hands rest against her lower back.

Her emerald eyes glitter up at me. “Constantine,” she sings my name and it stirs my blood.

I’ve had her once this morning but once isn’t enough. My cock twitches against my briefs as she presses an open mouthed kiss to my lips.

Mark my words, Carina will be the death of me.

And what a sweet death it will be.

Before she pulls away those luscious lips of hers I plunder my tongue in the recess of her mouth. The kiss is possessive. Filled with jealousy and ownership. My hand palms her delectable ass and her mouth opens wider. She moans into my mouth and I swallow the sound greedily.

Her hands rove over my chest before they tangle themselves in the ends of my hair.

She lets me ravage her mouth. Staking claim on what is mine.

We hear a distinct cough in the background and while I am not bothered by our audience Carina shyly pulls away. Still so innocent.

I give her ass a squeeze before placing another kiss on her swollen lips.

The cough sounds again and I stare down the culprit. “You are aware we are still here, right?” Pietro asks.

Rico replies dryly, “I’m positive that was the point, Pietro.”

Pietro pulls a face, eyebrows scrunched together. Lips twisted. “Because I ate her food? Listen, Constantine. I ate her food because she’s the boss and she ordered me to. Aren’t I supposed to listen to her?”

The poor fool sounds sincerely confused.

I return my gaze to my woman whose eyes have not left mine. I run my knuckle down her cheek and she leans into the touch. “You ordered him to eat your cooking?”

She nods her head. “If it was horrible I would rather have had him eat it than you.”

I raise a brow. “So you used him as a guinea pig,” I conclude. Amusement fills me despite the jealousy of Pietro having tasted her food first.

“Si.” She smiles. Her smiles are radiant. Breathtaking. How long have I wanted a smile of hers to be bestowed upon me? How sweet it is to finally have them.

“Next time use me.”

She narrows her eyes. “You would have been biased.”

Dio mio, I’m in love with how lively she’s become. She would have never allowed herself to show such expressions months ago. And now here she is. Allowing herself to live her life freely and willingly besides me.

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