Page 86 of Lies like Rubies, Part Two (Savage Jewels)

Ginevra watched us with calculating eyes. “I’ll drop your dress in a guest room.”

“There’s more in the car,” I said.

“I’ll walk you out to get it,” Dante said, tracing circles on my hip with his fingers.

“No, let me,” Ginevra hauled me to the door by my other hand.

“Hey,” I said, digging in my heels and refusing to let go of Dante. “I’d like Dante to help me, please.”

Ginevra raised an eyebrow, then acquiesced gracefully.

I dragged Dante outside, only for him to slam the front door shut and press me up against it, cupping my cheeks with his rough fingers, stroking his thumbs over my face.

“I’m so fucking proud of you, slut,” he said, dropping gentle kisses all over my face to punctuate his words. “So fucking proud.”

When I snaked my arms around his neck to draw his lips to mine, he drew back to stare into my eyes, searching intently for something. He must have found it, because his gaze softened before he brushed his mouth over mine. When I hummed my pleasure, he tangled his fingers in my hair and devoured me.

He claimed me, conquered me, flayed me alive with the force of his passion as his lips moved over mine. When our tongues met, he scraped against mine with his teeth, pressing our bodies together until I gasped with need, arching my back against the door.

As his lips worked their way down my jaw and across my collarbone, he whispered sweet words of praise against my skin. “So fucking determined, so fucking clever, so unwilling to let anything stop you.”

I melted against him, unable to hold on to my rage as this cruel and angry man recognized everything I loved about myself.

“You’re fucking perfect, Sofia Russo,” he said finally before leaning his forehead against mine. “You’re an amazing woman. No matter what happens next, I want you to remember that.”

My eyes filled with tears, and I threw myself into him, burying my face in his chest, pretending that I could hide how deeply his words affected me.

“Let’s get your stuff out of the car,” he said gruffly, his arms hard bands around me, not letting me go, not letting me move.

By the time we made it back into the O’Conner house, they’d set the table and waited for Dante and me to return before digging into the sandwiches. Instead of blushing, I held my head high, reminding myself that I’d dealt with much more awkward situations when I was supporting my father. I was SofiafuckingRusso, I was going to graduate university at twenty-seven and as a single mother, and nothing was going to get in the way of that.

As if sensing my mood, Cormac pulled out a chair for me. “Ginevra loves it when we come back to Yorkfield, and she can eat all the junk food she wants.”

Dante raised an eyebrow. “It must run in the family, then. Sofia’s shit at eating her vegetables.”

I would have sputtered my outrage if he hadn’t taken my hand in his under the table, running his finger over the pad of my thumb and sending electricity sparking through me.

Ginevra and I let our men have their moment of smug superiority.

“More importantly, we need to finalize security plans for tonight,” I said, digging into my sandwich. “And secure my house.”

“Myhouse,” Dante murmured into my ear, so quietly no one else could hear his protest. I ignored it.

Cormac shook his head. “No, you should move to one of our buildings until we’re able to lock down how Sergio got in.”

Dante growled. “I have buildings.”

“You have a rat,” Cormac argued.

It would be so easy to agree, so easy to allow these brutal, powerful men to go back to making decisions for me, to telling me what they thought was best.

“I want to stay with my men tonight,” I said, lifting my chin. “Lizzie will be safer here, with you all, than with me.”

Cormac signed. “Fucking Russo women. You’re going to choose getting laid over staying safe?”

“Yes.”

Dante’s fingers tightened over mine before drawing away. “We’ll stay in one of your buildings,” he said, meeting Cormac’s eyes. Cormac nodded sharply.

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