Page 141 of The Silence Lies

Her cheeks flush a light pink as she blinks back at me. That innocent way she flutters those eyelashes doesn’t get past me, though. I know the thoughts flicking through that beautiful mind of hers.

“What did you do last night?” she asks, wiggling her brows.

“A gentleman never tells, Bellissima.”

I whip my head around to the doorway, where Levi stands in the same attire as me; open shirt and loose slacks. His brown curls look damp and ruffled, and what I wouldn’t give to run my fingers through them.

“Hmm…” Sera groans, flopping onto her side. She narrows her eyes at me and Levi, and I can already tell what questions she has. She won’t embarrass us here, but I know neither of us are safe. Sera will corner one of us to give her the details. “Was it hot?” she whispers to me, earning her a smile from me.

“I’ll leave that thought to your imagination, Dolcezza.”

She groans out in frustration and Levi chuckles at her.

“I actually came to tell you that Raf says the docks are open again.”

Her reaction is lightning fast as she whips back the covers, exposing her gorgeous body to the sunlight streaming in through windows. “Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll—“

I grab her hand and shake my head. “We still don’t know how safe things are.”

A frown furrows her features, but she nods dutifully, hesitation thickening the tension.

“I’m going to go with Levi and the twins to check it out,” I supply.

“Okay,” Sera mumbles. “I need to go to Haze and check on things anyway.”

I nod in response, still wary that it’s not safe for her. “Call Zeke and let him know. He can send extra men to keep watch.”

“She’ll be safe with me.”

The whole room seems to grind to a halt as we all stare at the man exiting the bathroom in just a towel. His body is ripped, thick with cords of muscle rippling as he walks towards us. He crawls onto the bed, planting a kiss on Sera’s temple before glancing back at me.

“He speaks?” Levi gapes at Giovanni, shaking his head in disbelief.

Sera smirks, looking back at the big, burly bodyguard slick from his shower. “Oh, he does more than that.”

Serafina

“Oh, he does more than that.”

Levi barks a laugh, shaking his head at me. “Only you, Bellissima, could make the silent bodyguard talk.”

I shrug in response, a flush of pride blossoming as I think about his words. Yeah, I did get the big guy to talk. Maybe not under the circumstances I wanted, but I’m still blushing over the fact that his vow of silence was broken from me sneaking into his room in the middle of the night.

I know that’s not the entire reason, and I haven’t told Luca or Levi about mine and Giovanni’s conversations, but surely my visits were the catalyst. Whatever the reason, I’m glad Giovanni opened up to me.

“Come on, big boy,” Levi says to Luca, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. “We’ve got work to do before we come back to our girl.”

Our girl. I feel the warmth radiate through my cheeks, spreading my mouth into a wide smile. Levi has always been known to speak without inhibition. It’s what makes him the perfect second in command. He tells me how it is and I respect the hell out of him for that. The same goes for Luca, though as I’m looking at him right now, I can see he’s still trying to come to terms with things.

“Go on,” I tell Levi. “I need to speak to Luca.”

I push out of bed and grab my t-shirt from the hanger. With the weather right now, it’s dry as a bone—something I’m grateful for, especially after last night's endeavors. Peeling it over my head, I turn to face Luca.

Levi is already heading back into the house and Giovanni has disappeared into the bathroom. It’s just Luca and I now, his body sinking down to rest on the edge of the bed. He’s wearing an inquisitive look on his face, which makes a change from the unsure one he had just minutes ago. It’s strange to know all of his expressions now, when he used to be the guy that made me feel guilty with one look. Like I said before, the past is the past, and we’re all looking to the future.

“You good?” I ask him, stepping towards the bed. I move between his thighs, allowing his hands to roam up my bare legs to cup my ass.

He smiles up at me with his soft blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “Never better, Dolcezza,” he grins, his arms wrapping around my waist like he’s missed me.

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