Page 24 of Lies like Rubies, Part One

“Dante arrived before you did.”

My heart stopped. “You called him before you called me?”

“Is that what I said?” she asked, trying to redirect me, but something in her eyes gave me pause.

I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to shake sense into her or turn her over my goddamned—no, that train of thought wouldn’t get me anywhere.

“Miss Russo, who is that man to you?”

“I would be happy if I never saw Sergio again.”

Fucking Sofia, always playing goddamned games instead of giving me an honest answer.

“And Oscuro?”

Sofia raised a blonde eyebrow, elegant and cool, despite the rapid rise and fall of her chest.

“That’s none of your fucking business, Lorenzo. And hasn’t been for a long time.”

Was she fucking kidding me?

“Dammit, sunshine! This isn’t about your personal life. It’s about your safety.”

The childhood nickname slipped out, and Sofia drew back, as if I’d slapped her. Fuck. I hadn’t called her sunshine since I’d ripped her to pieces for daring to tell me she had a crush on me.

Hiding her pain under a blank expression, she placed her hands on my chest and pushed against me, the heat of her hands blazing through my shirt, burning my skin to ash under her touch.

“No, Lorenzo. It’s about your ego.”

I refused to budge, lowering my nose to her neck, indulging myself, remaining a hairsbreadth away from her skin, inhaling her rose scent, waiting for her to tell me to stop.

Instead, she sighed, softening against me, her hands clutching at my shirt instead of pushing me away. I sank into her, wrapping my arms around her, pressing her body into mine for the first time since before Lizzie was born. I knew I was taking advantage of her vulnerability, extracting a touch she’d never have otherwise given me.

Holding this beautiful, vibrant woman in my arms was the worst temptation. She pressed the side of her face into my chest, then slowly, achingly slowly, dropped her arms to wrap around my waist.

I held her as she relaxed into the hug. “Tell me what’s going on, Miss Russo.”

She shook her head, her cheek stroking against my chest, sending longing crashing through me.

When she pulled back, leaning against the wall and looking up at me, her face was calm again, despite her hands clinging to my waist, as if refusing to release me.

“Lizzie’s watching cartoons on my tablet, but she’s going to want to come out again soon,” Sofia said. “I need to know whether Sergio bribed the receptionist himself or if he’s working with a team. Check the video feeds—”

“Sunshine,” I interrupted her, relishing the feel of her nickname on my lips. “Let me do my job. I have a lot of faults, but beating the shit out of scumbags for information is something I excel at.”

Her wry smile broke my damn heart. “You might find it helpful to work with Dante.”

I cupped her face, and to my surprise, she didn’t shy away from the physical contact. “Tell me why. Please.”

“He doesn’t want to marry me off to Sergio, for one,” she answered drily. “You can’t tell Papà or Luca,” she said.

More secrets.

I kept waiting for her to push me away. Instead, she let me hold her.

“All right, Miss Russo. I’ll invite Dante to the interrogation.”

“And report back to me.”

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