Page 64 of Lies like Rubies, Part Two (Savage Jewels)

SOFIA

“Do you have to study?”Lorenzo asked me.

I nodded again. “Finals start in a few days, and I’m determined to graduate summa cum laude, despite everything that’s happened.”

“Come here,” he said, patting the couch beside him. I wandered over, bringing the list and my laptop. Instead of curling up to him, I propped a cushion against the arm rest and swung my feet up into his lap.

Lorenzo cocked an eyebrow in mock suspicion. “Do you want something from me, love?”

“A foot rub,” I hummed, balancing my computer on my lap and inputting the addresses into a spreadsheet.

Laughing softly, he massaged my feet. “Anytime you get tired of being ordered around and need to tell someone else what to do, you let me know, all right, love?”

I groaned as he hit a particularly tense spot, lolling my head back with pleasure.

“I wish we had better insight into the Costa properties outside of their territories.” Closing my eyes against the pleasure Lorenzo’s talented thumbs elicited as he rubbedmy foot, I continued. “It’s a dumb idea. There’s a reason they keep that shit a secret.”

“No, love, it’s not a terrible idea. You know who could help? Cormac Wallace.”

“No,” I corrected gently. “The hacker Nick’s in contact with, the one who tried to help you all find me. I need to build my own contacts, not continue to depend on my family.”

Lorenzo grunted but didn’t contradict me.

I thumbed open my cell to reach out to her.

Dante must have slipped into the house while I was distracted by my phone, because when I looked up, he stood over me with a bouquet of lilies.

My breath caught, my heart pounding out of my chest. Dante Oscuro, the ghost of Sicily, arms manufacturer, a very,verybad man, stood in front of me with flowers, myfavoriteflowers.

He snatched my phone out of my hands with a raised eyebrow. “Making your own deals now, kitten?”

I shrugged and grinned. “Maybe. An empire needs an information security expert, doesn’t it? And all that money we liberated from Sergio’s just sitting in my accounts.”

Dante frowned, then tugged me up from the couch. “Let these men make dinner for you. I can think of something better to do with our time.”

“What’s that?” I asked, breathily, hoping he meant dirty, filthy sex.

He looked me up and down, a smile teasing at the corners of his mouth. “Crawl, slut.”

I didn’t hesitate, just dropped to my hands and knees and followed him down the hall.

“Mamma?” A voice pepped out from upstairs. With a rueful sigh, I sat against the wall and gestured for Lizzie tocome join me. She tottered down the stairs, and I enveloped her in a big hug, relishing the feeling of her tiny body in my arms. She should have been fast asleep at this hour, but I guess we’d been louder than I thought.

“Hey there, sweetheart. What are you doing awake?”

“I don’t want to sleep!”

I looked up at Dante from where I sat on the floor with my daughter. He smiled ruefully. “Hey there, Lizzie.”

“Hi, Uncle Dante,” she said, curling up on my lap.

“Nope, nope, nope,” I said as she snuggled into my chest and got comfortable. “You are going back to bed, young lady!”

“Mamma! I don’t want to!”

“C’mon, I’ll read you a story,” I said, gently setting her on the ground so that I could stand up.

To my surprise, Dante knelt down to her level and asked her, with his thick accent and gravelly voice. “Miss Lizzie, may I read you a bedtime story?”

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