Page 62 of Vicious Vows

The hurt in her expression didn’t surprise me. I expected it. What I didn’t anticipate was that hurt being powerful enough to shatter me.

FOURTEEN

Lissia

I had waited sucha long time for my life to feel so right. But now that I had it all, why did it seem like it could be snatched away in an instant?

Marchello loved me. As long as we had one another, no one could come between us.

At least not today.

“Ricardo.” I skipped down the hall like a giddy schoolgirl who needed to share her news. “The most amazing thing just happened to me.”

“Tell me.”

“Marchello loves me.”

“Did you recently figure this out?” he asked. “Because I knew when he was by your side waiting for you to wake up after you were shot.”

“You did?”

“Anyone could see it.” Ricardo kept pace with me as I danced through the hallway. “I mean, he was still scary and unapproachable, but when he looked at you, I saw how he felt.”

“He finally admitted his feelings today. He’d been keeping them to himself.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because of what happened with his mother. He thought that admitting how he felt would put me in some kind of danger.”

“It’s understandable.”

“No, it isn’t.” I stopped when we got to the bottom of the staircase. “I was shot before he said the words, so I convinced him that loving me was not dangerous.”

“Depends on who you asked.” Ricardo laughed.

“Hmm, true, but bad things will happen whether he loves me or not. We shouldn’t be wasting valuable time hiding our feelings. We should be embracing every second of our love together.”

“I’ll say a prayer to Saint Valentine for you.”

“Thank you.” I kissed his cheek. “Marchello and I could use all the help we can get.”

“I don’t think you need any help at all.”

“Why not?”

“You’re the most determined woman I’ve ever met,” he said. “You never give up on Marchello, no matter what occurs in your crazy lives.”

“I never will.”

“That’s why your love will make it.”

“Come on.” I pointed up the stairs. “I need to see him. I miss him.”

“We weren’t gone that long.” Ricardo hurried after me. “I don’t think the tour is over.”

“I’m tired of the tour.” I hustled up the staircase that led to the offices. “I’d rather go for a ride in one of those cool cars. We can go find Milo after I steal a kiss from Marchello.”

The hallway that was full of people a little while ago was quiet, and strangely, no one sat at the desk around the corner from Nico’s office.

---