Page 87 of Lies like Rubies, Part Two (Savage Jewels)

“Good plan,” I said. “I’m going to take a nap.” I shoved away from the table, only for Lorenzo to do the same. “I actually intend to sleep,” I said, but couldn’t keep the smile out of my voice at the heat in his eyes.

Ginevra walked me to the guest room where she’d stashed everything I’d need for the gala that evening. “Sofia, are you sure about these men? About Dante?”

No.

Absolutely not.

I’d never been less sure of anything in my life.

I’d fucked up Lorenzo’s relationship with my father forever.

Nick had lost his clinic and his shot at the normal life he’d wanted, far from the violence of the mafia.

And Dante—Dante might have whispered sweet words to me this afternoon, but my value to him was primarily to draw out Sergio, and once that was finished, I didn’t know what the fuck he wanted.

“I’m absolutely sure,” I told Ginevra, smiling widely, kissing each of her cheeks. “Now let me take a nap and sleep off the excitement from finishing my last final.”

I awoketo delicious pleasure winding through me as Lorenzo licked and lapped at my core, two fingers already deep inside me as I moaned and thrashed on the bed.

“Fucking gorgeous,” he said as he stroked that sensitive spot inside of me that drove me wild. “Come for me, sunshine,” he commanded, sucking hard on my clit.

I lost it, my limbs seizing, a soft keen escaping me as I clasped my hands to my mouth, desperate to capture the sounds before my sister and her husbands heard. As my field of vision narrowed, I gasped Lorenzo’s name.

He chuckled from between my legs as he held me to his face through the aftershocks of my orgasm, prolonging the bliss as long as he could, then crawled up to drag me into his arms. When I pulled his face down for a kiss, the taste of myself on his lips, salty and tangy, fueled the fire of my need.

I groped at Lorenzo’s shirt, wanting skin against skin, as I realized he’d pulled off my panties.

“Time to get up, sweet sunshine,” he murmured against my lips. “I promised Dante I’d only edge you, and I already broke that promise.”

Languorously, I stretched, not missing how his eyes tracked the movement of my breasts under my tank top. “Come shower with me,” I commanded.

“I’ll shower when you’re done,” he answered, settling back down into the pillows. “Otherwise, you’ll never finish getting ready.”

He grasped my extended hand and smiled, following me in despite his protests. The water ran cold by the time we were finished with each other.

Two hours later, I sat anxiously in the living room, waiting for Dante and Nick to arrive in the armored limo.

These charity events were neutral territory because they drew everyone—organized crime, politicians, and wealthy businesspeople, and that meant that we could relax. A little. Relaxing would make me better bait, in any case.

“You look great,” Lorenzo reassured me. Of course I looked great. I was SofiafuckingRusso. I wore a ruby-red tulle dress that trailed on the ground behind me, the skirt full, but with two slits up the sides that showed off my long, toned legs when I walked. The top was sleeveless, two layered strips of tulle that rose up from my waistline, over my shoulders, and back down my back, attached in the front and back with chains that were so delicate, I felt like I’d break them just by stretching. My hair was up in an elegant twist, and I wore long earrings that accented the elegant line of my neck.

Looking great was not the issue.

Ginevra shot Lorenzo an amused look, then took her seat beside me. Her dress was a classic satin number, a gorgeous navy dress with slender straps on her shoulders that hugged every curve.

Finally, the doorbell rang. When I sprang to my feet, Liam shook his head, checking the door, then opening it only when he’d confirmed the face on the other side.

Dante and Nick stared at me, staring at them. God, they both looked good enough to eat in their tuxes. My heart hammered in my chest.

“Push that drool back in your mouth,” Lorenzo teased.

Nick rushed forward and took me in his arms. “You look like a goddess, baby, like Aphrodite rising from the sea.” He kissed my forehead, and then my nose, careful not to mess my makeup.

Dante just stared, then shook his head before striding forward and standing behind me, capturing my bodybetween him and Nick. “Athena, soaked in the blood of her enemies, perhaps. You’re beautiful, Sofia.”

Nick nipped my earlobe, then pulled me to the door. “We’ll bring her back in time to shower and change for graduation tomorrow morning,” he promised Ginevra, who watched us with laughter in her eyes.

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