Page 73 of Scorching Sienna

I can’t even bear the thought, and with one quick move, I lift herin my arms and gently place her on my lap.

“What the—” I cut her off with my lips, and seconds later, she clings to me, melting against me like she always does. We pull apart, and the look of awe on her face is picture fucking perfect. Kissing Sienna was timeless.

“I like your dress.” She smiles, running her hand down the figure-hugging silk red dress I arranged for her. I had already picked it out before the incident atSinwith Luciano, and now, after seeing the challenge in his eyes when I staked my claim, I was thinking about how it would only serve as a further enticement. I didn’t want to lose his business, but if it came to it, I would. There was no way he would ever get his paws on Sienna.

He had a propensity for violence when it came to his lovers. The rumor mill was far too detailed, and this aspect was frequently spoken about, making me doubt it was a fabrication.

My delicate little rainbow likes pain, but only with me and in a way that heals rather than tears down. I could see it tonight as she screamed out all her bottled-up emotions. It wasn’t the sting of the whip that she cried for. The tears running down her face carried with them a trauma release so powerful, she felt it now still with every shift of satin against her raw skin.

“What kind of party are we going to?” I can read between the lines, her softly asked question laden with much more.

“Not like Lady Chatman’s. Jordan and Kai have already hacked into the security system at The Barcelona, and Bob swept the premises earlier. Nothing out of the ordinary. He will also be there as a guest. For your protection.” Sienna nods and then looks away, tears brimming in her eyes.

“I wish it wasn’t like this. Why is he doing this to me? I don’t wish this on anyone, but there are loads of women out there. Betterwomen. I just don’t understand.” She wouldn’t. Because she couldn’t see herself through everyone else's eyes. She couldn’t see the light that she exuded, which called to bad men like us. The ones that danced and lived in the shadows. The ones that killed in the darkness. She was what we desired.

“The why is irrelevant. We will find him soon, and I will make him and everyone involved pay.” I run a thumb over her cheek and then pull her towards me for a light kiss.

Her phone pings, and she sighs, pulling it out of the small matching clutch bag discarded on the back seat.

“It’s my brother. He wants me to come over there tomorrow for lunch. He wants you to come, too.” She scrunches her face as if this request is problematic for me.

“Ask him what we must bring.” She blinks a couple of times, and then a slow smile transforms Sienna's face into a fucking masterpiece. Not that it wasn’t a paragon before. But when she smiles, it is incomparable. I realize it is because she is made to do this. Created for joy.

“Really? Thank you, Damon.” She hugs me and then messages her brother, the smile still stuck on her flushed face.

“I want to be part of your life, Sienna. You don’t need to thank me for this.”

She looks up and then tilts her head to the side, a question brewing.

“What are we to each other, Damon? How long do you want to be part of my life?”

“Everything and forever.” We stare at each other as she processes the words, and then she jumps, a knock on the window outside the culprit.

“Oh my. I didn’t realize we had even stopped. I swear I get lost in you sometimes,” she mumbles, scrambling off my lap. She smooths her dress and pulls out a small mirror from her bag, her flushed face staring back at her.

“Look at the state of me.”

“You look fucking delicious.” She laughs and rolls her eyes, pulling lipgloss from her purse and applying it before giving me the all-ready.

The valet stands poised as I exit the vehicle and escort Sienna out. A couple of cars behind us are under the porte-cochère, one belonging to a man I hoped to see here tonight. Marcello.

“Oh look,” Sienna exclaims, also just spotting them. “I didn’t know they would be here. At least I will know someone.”

Marcello notices us as we approach, his large smile matched by one on Sienna's face.

“Mia figlia! You are here. At least you and Lucy will have company. These things can be tedious.” He opens his arms, and Sienna doesn’t hesitate, stepping in for the embrace. She likes hugging him. He has a fatherly way with her that she misses from her own. She never talks about him, but I know about his death. It came up during my initial investigation of her.

He was stabbed to death seven times in his home over ten years ago. Sienna was the one who found him. And even after that, she has remained pure and gentle. It can’t have been easy. I saw the crime scene photos. Blood was everywhere. Even splattered on the ceiling. The rest of the place was ransacked. Whoever did it was looking for something. I venture they never found it.

One photograph stuck with me. The one of Sienna as she sat on the curb of the pavement outside their house, her bloodied hands wrapped around her and vacant eyes staring at the tarmac.

It gutted me. Whoever created that look in her eye was also on my ever-growing list of people I would unalive on her behalf. They never caught the fucker responsible. But then the department investigating it was understaffed and overworked, so the case wasn’t giventhe attention it required. I would. I had a team investigating it, but after so much time had passed, it was like starting from scratch. But it was fine. I had the time and resources for it. It was only a matter of time.

My eye catches the ring she always wears on her right index finger. Her father's ring. One of two possessions she still has of his. The other is a gift he must have given her tucked in her diary under her bed. A pen engraved with the words, ‘lux tata vitam.’ Light of Daddy's life.

“Mio figlio,you look stressed. Could it be Luciano? I heard about the incident at your club.” Marcello laughs heartily as he shakes my hand while Lucy and Sienna hug behind us.

“You know, this will not be the last time it will happen. That one is special. Everyone wants a piece. Or all. Whatever they can get.”

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