Page 40 of A Beautiful Crime

Luca regards him with disgust as his nose scrunches.

“I don’t take suggestions from a mere soldier,” Luca sneers.

A soldier.

I would have never guessed the man who stands proudly by Constantine’s side is a soldier.

Luca and papa never treat soldiers the way Constantine does.

With respect.

Because it is as clear as day to anyone who can see that Constantine has deep respect for this soldier.

The soldier takes a menacing step towards Luca but Constantine holds him back by simply raising his hand besides his chest.

And that signal is enough to tame the beast the soldier was about to release.

“Now is not the time, Pietro,” Constantine tells him.

Pietro.

The soldier, a trusted and well respected soldier now has a name.

Pietro takes a step back but continues to glare at Luca. The tension in the air between them is thicker than before.

I wait for Constantine’s next move because make no mistake, this may be Luca’s chess board but Constantine has already calculated all of his moves.

And with that critical knowledge he sidesteps Luca with those whisky barrel eyes on mine. Luca tries to stop him but Constantine merely shrugs and passes him, as if he’s nothing at all.

As Constantine ascends the staircase, drawing closer to me with each step, I stand still where I am and wait with the flutters starting again in my stomach.

His eyes stay intently on mine. He moves as gracefully as ever with powerful strides that are moving with a purpose.

I swallow, my mouth having gone dry and as I take in a deep breath he reaches me.

He stops just a foot away from me. And I am surprised once again by him.

I had thought that he would want to close the distance between us. I had thought he would want to make me uncomfortable with what his touch does to me.

But no.

He stands with distance between us, yet with that distance the air is charged with electricity.

His eyes inspect every inch of my body in a methodical way. They don’t linger, there’s no hunger, just inspecting.

“Turn around.” His voice is a soft yet dark command.

I raise a cool brow. “Why?”

“You question me yet we both know you obey my orders regardless,” he says with the barest hint of a smile on his face. His eyes darken then but not with maliciousness. They darken with something I can’t decipher and it causes me to swallowthickly despite my proud posture. “Perhaps you like to challenge me. Is that it?”

“Has anyone ever challenged you and lived to tell the tale?” I answer with another question.

And that’s when he takes another step closer, closing the distance. The electricity in the air charges as sparks fly between us.

My heart begins to thump against my chest at an irregular pace and my skin prickles.

“Will you?”

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