Page 30 of The Silence Lies

I narrow my eyes on the man who should have broken the Governor’s hands—because that’s what I would have done. He shifts, but it’s not because he’s nervous. I can already tell that his defiance is because of something else.

“I’m sure she had it handled,” Luca mutters beside me.

She probably did, but that’s not an excuse. Giovanni and I need to have words about what his job entails because today he showed he can’t listen to instructions. And for someone less inclined to speak, I thought that would have been an easy task, even for him.

I decide that conversation can wait because I’m still rolling in the aftermath of our argument. Sera thinks being a leader is about showing strength, but it isn’t. She needs to learn to make the right decisions at the right time. That’s why I’m here, to ensure she doesn’t make stupid mistakes. Marching up the stairs towards her room, I make a mental note that from now on, she doesn’t go anywhere without me. Clearly Giovanni can’t be trusted to do the one thing he was hired for. Orders from his leader or not, he fucked up.

I can hear the music playing in Sera’s room as I approach, Taylor Swift’s “Lavender Haze” playing through the speakers. Normally, I would knock on the door, but I’m too pissed off to give a shit.

The door slams against the wall as I barge through, Sera spinning around with wide eyes as she clutches her dress to her chest. “Levi!”

“You’re fucking infuriating, you know that?!”

She backs away from my approach, but she has nowhere to go as I close the distance between us. Her back hits the wall beside her bathroom, her chest heaving as she stares up at me.

“Knowing some fucker had his hands on you…”

I know I’m speaking out of turn. I’ve already realized that the words coming out of my mouth come from a place of jealousy. So far though, my interactions with Serafina have sparked something primal within me. She doesn’t seem to mind, she hasn’t stopped my advances thus far.

“Levi, I—”

I slam my lips onto hers.

I don’t care what she has to say because right now, I need her to feel this. I need Sera’s kiss, the caress of her tongue. I desire her and the delicate whimpers that escape her pretty little lips.

Capturing her mouth with primal force, I tip her head back. Her mouth opens with a gasp, and I use the moment to slide my tongue past her lips, dragging it against hers. I completely own her with this kiss, which is totally out of character, but Sera has made me like this.

I don’t know when, but somewhere along the way, my attraction to her became more than just admiration. Being my cousin’s best friend was the only thing stopping me from making a move before. Not because he was always around, but because I had more respect for his own damn feelings for her than my own.

With her hands in my hair, I feel her nails dig deep, scratching at my scalp. It’s both painful and deliciously euphoric. I groan against her, feeling everything in that moment. Her lust, my desire. Her submission and my desperation.

Her leg lifts, hooking behind my calf and drawing me closer. There’s nowhere else to go but to fall into her, and fuck do I want to do that. But I can’t.

I pull away, pressing my forehead to hers while our messy breaths collide.

“What was that for?” she pants, running her nails down the back of my neck.

I groan out at the sensation, her touch sparking more than desire in my slacks. “Because… if I didn’t do that, I’d be tearing this room apart.” It’s honest and brutal; frightening, yet she seems to understand.

She runs her nose along mine, smiling and blushing at the same time.”What’s happening?”

I shake my head, a choppy breath falling as I admit, “I don’t know, Bianchi. You’re driving me crazy.”

Raking her nails through my hair, she worries her lip between her teeth. Her bright brown eyes lure me in, her eyelashes fluttering with expectation. But deep in those depths, I can see it; the sadness that surrounds her, the guilt that anchors her. Every time she looks at me, I see those emotions warring with her and I know why.

I’m all too aware of the similarities Enzo and I shared. The eyes, the nose, the jawline and hair. There are very few things that kept us apart in likeness; his tattoos, my carefree attitude. I’m also aware of the pain Sera harbors. Enzo’s death was barely a month ago. Nobody gets over a death in that amount of time, especially with how close the pair were.

It’s that particular thought that steers me away from Sera, earning me a frown. As much as I want this–her– she needs time. I can’t be the one to heal her because she needs to do that herself.

Her uncertain gaze calls to me. It’s silently asking for answers, and with a sigh I give them to her. “I know you miss him.”

She takes a deep breath, her eyes glazing over as tears threaten to spill at the mere mention of her best friend.

“I miss him too, but—”

Realization widens her eyes and she steps forward, taking my hand. “I do miss him,” she whispers. “Nothing will make that stop.”

I know.

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