Page 35 of Deception

“We have a theater room, just about any movie you can think of. Maybe you’d care to watch a double feature with me?” His smile is disarming; straight, white teeth and pure arrogance. Worst of all, his lips are way too kissable.

“As long as you have a popcorn maker to go along with it. I’d love to catch a show with you sometime.” I laugh softly into my glass, playing along with his diversion.

“Otherwise, we have a game room. Pool. Darts. The gym. And of course, there’s the library. One of my favorite places in the house. I’ll show you after dinner.”

“Please…I’m very curious what sorts of books you have.”

“Oh, it’s extensive. Decades of titles gifted by generations of my family. What do you like to read?”

“Romance, mostly. Classics, too.”

“I haven’t had much use for romance in a long time.” It almost sounds like a mistake, like he didn’t mean to say it.

“Well, perhaps you can indulge in a bit of romance while I’m here,” I say before I can stop myself, rising to cross the room, mimicking his stance from a moment before. A little grin and a raised eyebrow grace Alessandro’s face at the comment as he looks up at me. “Books, I mean.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t even know where to start romancing a woman like you.” He winks.

“Somehow, I find that completely impossible to believe.”

“I haven’t had that sort of relationship since…” He slips up, the sentence soft and distant.

I see his gaze falter, drifting through memories. “What was her name?

Alessandro freezes.

“I shouldn't have asked that. I'm sorry.”

“No. That's fine, I shouldn’t have said that. Her name was Catalina. We were young. She was lost at sea with both of my parents.”

“Oh …”

My hand is at his cheek before I realize what I’ve done, the ache on his face is more than I can bear to see. Maybe it’s the wine, the candlelight. Or maybe I’ve lost my damn mind. But I feel the pain written all over his face, practically radiating off of him.

He looks up at me from under those dark, bold eyebrows.

Not quite a glare. Not quite a scowl.

It’s … longing.

A sigh escapes my lips as my hand grazes down along his jaw, my thumb caressing the corner of his mouth. His eyes slide closed, his jaw clenching softly beneath my touch.

My fingertips pull just under his chin, raising his face to look at me.

The moment slows to a halt.

Quiet. Tense, but in a way that makes my blood heat.

It shatters in an instant as his face contorts, his mood shifting. He snatches my hand with his, rising faster than I can blink, shoving me across the space to the wall. His entire body shakes, his palm gripped at my throat, pinning me with unbelievable force.

I barely manage a gasp of protest, my eyes bulging in terror.

Alessandro stops dead, dread clouding his expression, like he just processed what happened, the way he snapped. Those raging eyes soften, dropping from my eyes to my lips. His hand loosens, letting me slip back down the wall from my tiptoes.

My breath is short, fast.

My heart is pounding.

He’s horrifyingly, exquisitely close, our bodies inches apart.

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