Page 43 of Fortress of the King

ANGELO

A smile tugsat my lips as I stare at the woman before me.

Those earrings and the necklace she wore for me turn me the fuck on. It’s hard to tell if she’s affected by me, she doesn’t show the usual signs, which could be one of the reasons I seem to be falling hard for her.

Something’s up with me lately. I don’t bring women around here like this, to my home, to cook for them. Only I find myself wanting to know more about her. I want to find the reason she has my full and undivided attention that very few women ever receive.

I drain the pasta and place some into each bowl, then pour the carbonara gravy over the top and mix it, this is a full-proof dish and I know she will love it. I bring the bowls around to the other side of the wide island and place them down. I’ve already put out the parmesan and cutlery. I top up our wine before sitting down.

“Angelo, this looks amazing,” she says with a big smile.

I encourage her to dig in. I’m interested to see if she is, in fact, a woman with a healthy appetite, she’s going to need all the energy she can get tonight… My dick aches with the thought of fucking her on this very benchtop, bunching that skintight dress up to her armpits while I suck on her plentiful tits.Jesus fuck.

I take a forkful of pasta to distract myself as she smiles across at me.

“So, tell me about yourself, Rayne. I don’t know much about you, other than your auctioneering skills.”

She glances up, swallowing and reaching for her wine, she seems a little nervous about talking about herself, but I am curious and want to know more.

“There’s not much to tell, really. I grew up in New York, I’ve been there up until recently because I wanted to get away from my soon-to-be ex-husband. I got into the art world early on, I’ve always loved fine things. Though I have been told from an early age by my parents that I had champagne taste on a beer budget.”

I smile back, noticing how timid she seems on this subject. “What about your parents? Family?” I probe.

Her eyes flick down then, she instantly looks uncomfortable, and I think I’ve asked her the wrong thing. She takes another mouthful of food, and I wait.

“I can’t really talk about that,” she says quietly after a few moments.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be pushy.” I do, but this is the first date.

She takes a long, deep breath. “It’s a long story.”

“I’m sure I can keep up.” Yes, I’m being a nosy prick.

“Ummm...” Those big green eyes flick up to mine under her long lashes. “I don’t want to get into the details, but I lost them a long time ago.”

Fuck.I know just how to put my foot in it.

I observe her as she eats some more pasta, I put my fork and spoon down and tilt her chin up when she’s finished chewing. “Rayne, I’m so sorry. Is it just you then, do you have any other family?”

“It’s just me,” she sighs, “my parents and my, um, my sister were killed in a car crash.”

I close my eyes momentarily, and for a few seconds, I’m at a complete loss for words. “I’m so fucking sorry, that must’ve been devastating.” I can see now why she doesn’t want to talk about it.

“It was. I guess that’s why I’m a bit of a loner and have been ever since.” She downs some wine and keeps eating slowly.

I take a sip and we eat in silence for a while.

“I too lost my wife in a car crash,” I say. The minute the words leave my lips I could curse myself. There’s no turning back now. “She was carrying our unborn child.”

She looks up at me suddenly. “Angelo, I’m so sorry.”

“I’ve rarely spoken of it, but it’s safe to say I know a little bit about loss.”

“How long ago was the accident?” she asks.

I circle the rim of my glass with one finger. My skin prickles. “Fifteen years ago.”

“It never gets any easier,” she whispers.

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