Page 4 of Twisted Embrace

“Nonsense!” I said with gusto, plastering on a plastic smile while my stomach formed several knots. “This is a party. We’re going to dance the afternoon away.”

Grinning, she rolled her eyes. “I don’t know how much dancing I’ll be doing. I can’t see my feet.”

“Just pace yourself.”

She didn’t answer, squeezing my arm then moving deeper into the room. The location had been rented for the event, no other customers allowed inside. Another two guards stood outside the door to ensure a wayward man or woman off the street didn’t attempt to crash the party.

I moved toward the bar, flagging down the bartender. “A very large glass of merlot. Very large. Please.” I would need more than one. I’d wanted to do this for her, to make the event special. Maybe I was fooling myself that I could get through the day without breaking down. No. I would force myself to be just fine. Tonight, I’d collapse on the couch with a carton of ice cream.

The bartender smiled, his expression almost flirtatious, but I wasn’t in the mood. Almost as soon as he placed the tall stem on the napkin, guests started to arrive, but no one that I knew personally. However, I recognized several of them. Broadway actresses. Female leaders in several powerful industries. When the mayor’s wife walked in seconds later, I held my breath. I didn’t know my bestie had so many powerful friends. I wondered what else I didn’t know about her.

I guess it was true that every family had secrets.

God knew mine had them. I’d sensed it as long as I could remember. Maybe it was the odd premonitions I’d had all my life fueling my constant badgering in trying to find out what they were.

As I nursed the drink, I milled through the crowd, marveling at the number of gifts already placed on the long table. A part of me wondered how Lucia would get them all back to Italy. Then I remembered she’d arrived in a private jet, escorted by all the men protecting her. The life was entirely different than she’d wanted to lead. I wasn’t certain how she tolerated being shadowed all hours of the day and night. The estate where she lived in Tuscany likely had bars on the windows.

I exhaled at the thought of living in such horrid conditions. From where I was standing, I was able to get a much better perspective on Lucia’s brother. He was even more insanely gorgeous up close. There was something unsettling about his deep blue eyes, as if he’d seen the worst in the world and taken it on without hesitation. Yet they were beautiful, the color of sapphires infused with hints of the Caribbean Sea.

A surge of lust roared through me, which was ridiculous. I could never fall for what society would call a monster. But the naughty vixen inside knew even a single intimate encounter with him would be delicious. I pressed my hand down my dress, grateful I’d decided at the last minute to change. Then I walked toward him with purpose in my step. Why not flirt a little? Maybe it wasn’t allowed but I wasn’t the kind of girl to follow rules.

I moved to within a few inches, shocked how tall he was. At least six foot four and all muscle, the material of his suit jacket straining from his bulging biceps. A girl could easily become overheated if she spent too much time around the glorious hunk.

While I wasn’t directly in his line of sight, the tenseness in the thick cords of his neck indicated he was aware of my presence. Why not shoot the moon and see if he noticed me?

“Hi. You’re Lucia’s brother. Right?”

Enzo didn’t move at first nor did his breathing change. Then his nostrils flared as he slowly turned his head in my direction. He was a consummate professional, his eyes still scanning the facility. “Yes.”

The single word sent flutters into my heart. I wasn’t usually the kind of girl who hungered for a man at first sight. The only exception had been the man Lucia had married. Maybe the water in Italy helped create the perfect chiseled hunk. “Do you like your job?”

I was shocked and rewarded with his expression drifting into full-blown amusement.

“Questa è la mia vita,” he said in a husky voice that oozed filthy, illicit activities.

“I’m sorry but I had one semester of Italian and I sucked at it.”

His chuckle sent a wave of desire straight to my core, the flush of heat cresting across my jaw unlike anything I’d ever experienced. “I said this is my life.”

“Well, I guess you’re lucky in that it never gets boring.”

“Boredom is an aspect the mind can control.”

“Ah. That means you’re a control freak.”

He lifted a single eyebrow then swept the establishment again, allowing me to fixate on his carved features, the shadow of stubble that I imagined brushing across my skin as he French kissed me. Whew. My panties were already damp.

“I take what I want when I want.”

The statement turned up the heat full blast. “I think I’d like a man like that in my life.” I purposely turned my head away but was completely aware he’d given me a onceover. I dropped my head, turning it slightly, my mouth watering at the sight of the thick bulge between his legs. It was good to know I still had some kind of effect on members of the opposite sex. It had been forever since I’d been on a date or even been accosted by some stranger.

Oh, I was such a bad girl.

As Marla came into the restaurant, I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I knew one other person in the already crowded room. She was the third in our naughty group, the woman already searching the restaurant for any sign of a friendly face.

I couldn’t leave without issuing a parting message. “By the way. You’re gorgeous, what fantasies are made of. I thought you’d enjoy some validation.” What the hell was I doing? He likely had women flocking to him no matter where he went. Thank God he didn’t laugh in my face.

Just for kicks and giggles, before leaving, I brushed my fingers down his shirt. That’s when I noticed a dark substance on the side of his neck. Blood. I’d know it anywhere. Another shiver slammed into my spine. While I appreciated bad boys, his dangerous vibe and the electricity roaring into every cell in my body yanked the breath from my lungs.

---