I whirl around in alarm to find Rocco standing below us by the front door.
That crooked smile flashes despite the fact that his shirt is covered in blood.
11
ROCCO
Icould absolutely get used to coming home to that face, even if her expression is a delightful combination of alarm and disgust.
“Are…are you…” Cas seems to choke on the question as she stares at my chest.
I glance down. Ah.
Rubio’s underling had needed a little more convincing than I’d anticipated. A shame, really. I quite liked this shirt. “If it’s any consolation, the blood is not mine.”
Her face immediately hardens. “Monster.”
My carefree expression masks the jolt of pain at her words. In the cold light of day, there is no way I can hide my true nature from her anymore, and it’s clear she isn’t pleased with what she’s found.
Instead of addressing her, I turn to Donatella. “Set the table for two tonight. I would like Cassandra to join me for dinner.”
“Absolutely not.”
I raise an eyebrow at her. “Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. Youwilljoin me for dinner.”
Something about my tone seems to infuriate her. Fire dances behind her eyes as she dips low into a curtsy, her pale shirt doing nothing to conceal her dark underwear beneath.
“My apologies, sir, I forgot my place! Would you like me to present myself entirely naked, or would you like the honor of unwrapping me yourself?”
Despite the sarcasm leeching through every word, my cock twitches at the thought.
“Donatella, please remind Cassandra that she is my guest, not a commodity?” I shoot Cas a warning look as I ascend the staircase toward them. “Despite what she might be so eager to think.”
“It’s hard not to think such things when that’s all you seemed to care about when you traded me for my boyfriend’s debt.”
Finally, I reach the top of the stairs and can stare down at the defiant young woman before me. “I’m offering you the opportunity to negotiate your own terms,Angioletta.I suggest you take it.”
I allow myself one blissful moment to soak in her closeness. The fresh scent of her still-damp hair almost floors me.
“Or what? One day, you’ll come home with my blood on your shirt?”
At her side, Donatella tuts under her breath but doesn’t intervene.
“I did as you asked, Cassandra. You may not like my methods, but they were effective. Now, you can either spend the nextmonths sulking around this house, resenting me for it, or you can join me for dinner to discuss how you’d like to proceed.”
Though she doesn’t break eye contact, I watch her swallow. “I want my phone back.”
“Then I’ll see you at seven.”
I hold her gaze a moment longer, transfixed by the way her lips part just so.
But I force myself to turn toward my own room and close the door behind me.
I try not to think about her as I strip off my ruined shirt and step into the shower. Try not to imagine what she’s doing, only a few measly walls away, as I don fresh clothing.
After the last few days of fruitless investigations, tensions were beginning to rise again in the Guild. Esther’s departure had been an effective distraction, but it hadn’t prevented the whispers and conspiracies for as long as I would have liked.
Right now, my best lead is Claudio Lazzaro. But in order to get to him, I now need something from Cas.
