Page 30 of Lies like Rubies, Part Two (Savage Jewels)

“Allow me.”

I waited for her to nod before kneeling in front of her, gently unbuttoning the shirt and slipping it down off her shoulders, careful not to let my fingers touch her skin.

Lava poured through my veins at the sight of the bruises that covered her, the imprints of fingers on her neck and arms, dark splashes on her ribs where that asshole had hit her.

“Can you take your bra off?” She nodded and slid the straps down her arms, revealing breasts covered with yellow and green. I shoved down my fury at Accardi, only for it to be replaced by an odd pressure in my chest—worry for thisintense woman who’d suffered so much, including at my hands.

I’d promised her I’d protect her daughter, and instead, I’d delivered her straight into a nightmare—Sofia in the hands of her ex, and Lizzie in the hands of her parents. But guilt wouldn’t help her now, even if the sight of what he’d done to her made me nauseous with it.

Regret gentled my movements. I handed her the robe, helping her pull it on over her arms. She wrapped it around her chest, crossing her arms over her stomach.

“Stand up,” I said, moving backward. I slid her pants and underwear over her hips, drawing them off at the same time as her shoes.

Still on my knees, I reached my arms around her to grab the ends of the belt. She flinched when I touched her to tie the knot, and the hurt that sliced through me came as a shock. I moved away, only to be stopped by a featherlight touch in my hair, delicate fingers brushing through my curls.

Hope burst out of my chest. “Sofia,” I rasped up at her from my knees, only for her to sit back down on the bed, putting distance between us.

I’d tolerate this for now, but eventually, she and I would have a reckoning. I wasn’t ready to let her out of my life. Not yet. Not without a fight.

Nico walked in the door with bags of saline and nutrients and his black medical bag, and she pulled the robe tighter across her chest, as if it could protect her from his insights.

“Sofia,” I growled.

Nico met my eyes. “I’m going to take your vitals first, all right, baby?”

I stood, brushing off my knees before taking my placebeside Sofia on the bed, leaving a sliver of space between our thighs. My weight on the mattress drew her to me. The relief that rushed through me when she allowed our thighs to press together astounded me, creating the tiniest crack in the weight I’d held in my chest since Sergio took her.

I wanted to take her in my arms and promise nothing ugly would ever happen to her again, sweep her away to Sicily and lock her up at my estate so no one else could ever hurt her, lay the entire damn world at her feet and ask what else she wanted, then provide it for her.

Foolish thoughts, the emotions of callow youth, not a grown man who was in Yorkfield on a mission of murder, and certainly not helpful to Sofia, whose vengeance I vowed to make swift and sure.

That didn’t stop me from relishing the heat of her skin pressing against mine after a week of absence.

Loath as I was to admit it, I wanted to endear myself to this beautiful, strong woman. If handing her Sergio on a platter instead of murdering him myself was the price of her regard, I’d pay it in a heartbeat.

Nico swore softly when he saw the marks on her skin, but quickly schooled his face to impassiveness as he checked her blood pressure and heart rate.

“You’re severely dehydrated,” he said. “I need to take a blood sample, so I’m going to put the IV in now and draw blood at the end, okay?”

Sofia furrowed her brow. “Why do you need to take blood?”

“Am I wrong? Do I not need to do a full STI panel?”

She jerked her head to the side so she wouldn’t have to look at either of us, her cheeks flushing.

“Baby,” Nico said, taking her hands in his.

She pulled them away, still refusing to look at us.

“Sofia, look at me,” he said, giving his voice an edge of command.

He slid a finger under her chin and turned her head until she faced him. Her eyes were closed, tears leaking out the sides.

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I can’t do this.”

“Baby, you can. Let me check you out. Let me help you heal.”

She scoffed. “Help my body heal.”

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