Page 22 of Till Death Do Us Part

“I’ve eaten it before, but it’s not good enough to make the violence behind it worth it. And I don’t like what it does to our bodies. My mamma died of a massive heart attack.”

“I attended her funeral.”

“I don’t remember you being there.”

“I didn’t remember seeing you. I would have.”

I nodded. “There were a lot of people.”

“She was well-loved,” he said. “I went to pay my respects to Corvo.”

Again, he said one thing, but I could’ve sworn he meant another. There was no ignoring the hard coldness behind the sentiment.

“How long have you known my family?” I cleaned my plate, then set it to the side, making a neat pile with my trash.

“Longer than you’ve been alive.”

“How old are you?”

He sat back, eyeing me. “Take a guess.”

“You won’t be insulted?”

He put a hand to his heart. “That’s fucking cold.”

I laughed. “It’s not that! You just seem…”Distinguished, but underneath the clothes, so ruthless.“Mature.”

“Forty-one,” he said.

He seemed older by the way he carried himself, but not by his physical appearance. I had a feeling he would always look fine at any age. Time would be kind to him. And I quickly did the math—there was an eighteen-year age gap between us.

“You age well.” I went to stand, to throw my trash out, but he slipped it to his side. I walked around, to the front of the table, but this only gave him better access. His hands, strong as they were massive, grabbed me by the hips. His touch seemed to be better than cardio for my heart.

“You ready for your gift, Dino?” His eyes were looking up into mine.

All I could do was shake my head.No, I wasn’t.

He chuckled. It was deep and dark. The sound of it hit me between the legs. A grin stayed on his face as he collected my trash and dumped it. He kept my hand in his, my bag in the other, as we walked back to the museum.

He walked me in, and we stopped underneath Gonzalo. I held out my hand for him to shake. I was going to leave him with anice lunch, but I’m booked up for the rest of my lifeline, but he derailed my thoughts.

His hand slid down my face, and my eyes closed. I concentrated on every inch of skin he touched. His palm stilled against my cheek, his thumb touching my bottom lip.

A breath or two later, his lips touched mine, and all I could do was stand there and let it happen. It was more of a brush, but it felt like it had branded me for life.

He pulled away before I wanted him to.

He left me standing in the middle of the museum, hand tucked in his pocket, my first kiss his.

It took me a moment to break out of the trance. To pick up my bag from the floor, along with my heart, because it felt like it had fallen at his feet, and head back to the office. It wasn’t until I was sitting at my desk, Elsa with a million questions in her eyes, that I realized he’d never given me the gift.

Something told me he hadn’t forgotten. I’d find out soon enough.

I didn’t know if I felt anxious or excited about it. When it came to Felice Maggio, they were almost one and the same.

Chapter9

Felice

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