Page 57 of Beautiful Devil

“Yes, boss.” The bastard is still fucking smiling as he downs the last of his drink. This must be a fucking record for him. “Is that all boss?”

I look up at him and nod, my glare trying to burn a hole through his head. “If Luca comes back with any more information during the night, leave it until the morning. I’ll see you here at 7:30 a.m. sharp.”

I wash down the last mouthful of whiskey and take my jacket off the back of my chair, heading for the door. When I swing it open, I’m face-to-face with Gia, her closed fist raised, about to knock on my door.

“Mrs. Moretti, what can I do for you?” I ask, unable to help the small smile that begins to form at seeing her for the first time all day.

She drops her hand, her head dropping with it, and begins to wring her fingers out in front of her.

“I uh…was, um…coming to see if you were almost done for the day.”

I inch forward, bringing my hand up under her chin, and raise her face to mine. “You don’t have to be scared,gattina. I’m your husband. You can look at me when you talk to me.”

Her cheeks flush.

“Now, what is it?” I ask, still holding her chin in my hand.

Her eyes dart back and forth; her tongue peeks out to wet her lips, andfuck,do I want to taste her. It's been too long.

“I wanted to know if you’ve had dinner already?”

“Not yet. It's been a busy day. I was just leaving to get some. Have you eaten?”

She shakes her head and blushes again, registering the anger evident on my face.

“You haven’t eaten today?”

“Oh, no, I have eaten. Just not dinner,” she replies. “I thought we could eat dinner together, maybe?”

I can't hold back any longer. I lower my lips to meet hers and kiss her with as much passion as I can, just shy of fucking her here in the doorway. I pull back, somewhat satisfied after having a taste of her. I don't wait for her to say anything. Instead, I close my office door behind me, take Gia by the hand and lead her to the kitchen.

When we arrive in the kitchen, Gia stands at the island while I make my way around to the oven. I open it, and the aroma fills my nostrils as I see Maria has prepared her homemade stuffed shells. My favorite. No place on Earth can beat this dish. Reaching for the oven mitt, I take out the scalding hot dish, set it down on the top of the stove, and begin plating us both some dinner.

I move toward the island, setting my bowl beside Gia’s and fetching us both two glasses and a bottle of white wine from the fridge.

"Come on,dolcezza, eat," I say, taking a seat beside her.

The moans that escape her as she brings each mouthful to her lips are indescribable.

Jesus Christ.

"Oh, my God, this is amazing," she says once she's finished.

I nod in agreement as I take a sip of my wine, trying to settle myself down.

"So, did you find much to do around the compound today?" I ask to keep conversation going.

She doesn't look at me, but replies with a low voice. "I went for a walk in the garden. It felt weird having Luigi following behind me."

My whole body tenses wondering what the fuck that prick did to make her feel that way.

"He didn't do anything. I'm just…used to having my own space, and now I suddenly need to have a bodyguard with me to go for a walk around the gardens? I'm not made for this lifestyle.”

A pang ofsomethinghits me in the center of the chest. The thought of Gia not being here by my side fills me with dread. I swallow my mouthful of food and take another rather large sip of wine.

Before the silence has the chance to become uncomfortable, Gia clears her throat before chewing on her bottom lip.

“Fabi, so, uh…remember when you said the other day that, uh, you wouldn’t ever stop me from seeing Elle again? Well, I was just wondering if I could see her again this weekend?”