Page 29 of Dreadful
I have no idea what kind of hold this woman has on me, but as soon as I left the bakery, I knew that couldn’t be the last time I saw her. Thanks to the security cams I’ve set up all over the city, tonight isn’t the second time I’ve seen her either. Hell, if dreams count, I’ve been spending every recent night with her.
For the first time in over a decade, I haven’t had a single nightmare, but I still haven’t gotten any sleep. In my mind, I’ve given Tallie pleasure in every way imaginable. The only thing I’ve hated about my visions of us together is the fact that every time I wake up, I’ve had to come in my hand rather than inside the woman of my dreams. I’ve been looking forward to tonight all week so that I could see her in person and maybe quench some of that thirst.
I wasn’t sure whether I’d see Tallie or not, but I made sure to get both me and Gertrude backstage passes to the afterparty just in case. The only security I’ve seen was one bouncer who checked our VIP tickets. All I had to do was wander around and glance inside the open, empty dressing rooms until I found her. I nearly passed this room because the door was only cracked. But once I heard her voice and its tremor, I couldn’t help but barge in. Seeing thatbastardo’shand in her hair was enough to make me murderous.
Now it’s just me and her, the way it ought to be. She’s just as fiery as she was at the bakery, and getting under her skin is quickly becoming my favorite pastime. I lean against the wall and pretend to lazily take in our surroundings.
“I’m here with someone.”
“Who?”
A slow smile spreads across my face at her accusatory tone. “Sei gelosa?Jealous,vipera?”
“No, of course not,” she hisses. She spins away from me to organize her sewing desk. “And whatever you say, it’s not like I’d believe you anyway.”
“And why’s that?”
“Capisci l’italiano.”You know Italian.It’s the language mynonnarefused to let me forget, and I translate it so easily that it takes my mind a second to register that she’s still using it as she continues to accuse me. “Vipera? You knew that ‘fai la brava’means ‘be sweet.’ And you understood mynonnoGio when he talked about me working at the theater.”
“Colpevole,” I admit with a grin. “Guilty.”
I push off the wall and step toward the sewing desk she’s pretending to focus on. Everything is already in its place, something I realized after she picked items up and moved them around a little bit before putting them right back where they were. One sewing kit has been “organized” by length at least twice.
She’s nervous around me for some reason…but not like she was with Percy. I watch her for a moment longer when a needle with a curved and tapered point catches my eye and I pick it up.
“What kind of needle is this? It looks painful.”
“It probably is. Want to find out?” She snatches it out of my hand before I can answer and points the curved metal at me like a finger. “It’s a surgical needle, and they’re good for leather if you must know. Quit changing the subject. Why would you hide that you know Italian?”
Because I don’t want you to figure out who I am.
It’s why I paid in cash and not a card. I’m not a high-ranking member of the Vincelli crime family, but her family is in Claudio’s territory. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been shaken down for protection money before. Having to pay people to stop harassment tends to leave a bad taste in most people’s mouths.
The thought of them being on the wrong side of one of my uncle’s men makes my jaw tic. I have to shake my head free of the image before answering her question.
“I didn’t admit that I’m fluent because yournonniweren’t exactly subtle. I thought feigning ignorance would keep you from blushing. Although…” I step closer. “I missed it when it was gone.”
She scowls at the sewing kit in front of her, as if it’s the needle’s fault that a rosy tint shades her cheekbones again.
“Oh, look. It’s back.” My voice is reverent, just above a whisper, and my fingers itch to feel the warmth reddening her skin. I step forward again, and a thrill shoots up my spine when she doesn’t retreat. “Before, you blushed because yournonniembarrassed you. Why are you blushing now,dolcezza? Is it embarrassment? Or something else?”
She’s perfectly still, waiting for me to touch her, no doubt.
It’s obvious she can feel whatever this is between us, but she’s determined to ignore it. I like to chase, but I can’t force thisviperainto a corner. I want this little snake to come to me.
“It’s just hot in here, is all. I don’t feel anything.” She swallows past her lie.
A dark chuckle rumbles from my chest. “Is that so?”
I lean in until I’m inches away from her cheek. She tilts her head, and our lips nearly touch, just like they almost did when I caught her in the bakery. Will she close the distance this time?
My gaze drops to her mouth. She bites her plump bottom lip, and my cock throbs in response. As much as I want to taste her, though, I stay completely still.
Her brows furrow when she realizes I have no intention of making the first move. I give her a cocky smirk, and she scowls.
“What’s wrong, Tallie? Expecting something?”
A low growl emanates from the back of her throat, and she whirls away to pretend to be too busy for me again. Once again, she’s trying not to face me and the tension between us. I don’t take it as a slight, though. She was afraid to let Percy out of her sight, yet she trusts me enough to show me her back.
