She quickly tried to hide how impressed she was with a scowl. We walked into the lobby, and I exchanged a nod with my head of security at the front desk before we reached the lift.
“Before you get any ideas about running to another apartment for help, youshould know they are all empty. I own the building and live here alone.”
“Of course you do.” She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the mirrored wall as the doors closed.
I gripped the metal bar and perched against it as I pressed the button for the penthouse. She was trying so hard to look anywhere but at me, yet I couldn’t take my eyes off her. There was still an underlying thrum of fury beneath my skin at the fact that she had nearly married another man today. Having her in my sight, no matter how much hatred filled her eyes, kept it contained.
My gaze travelled over her with possessive hunger, enjoying how she fidgeted and how her skin pebbled under my phantom touch. Whether it was fear, excitement, or desire, I wasn’t sure. Probably all three simultaneously. Her body was so receptive to me, even when she refused to acknowledge it or tried so hard to fight our chemistry.
“Stop staring.” Her voice was a breathless whisper away from a moan as I leaned my head back against the wall, keeping my gaze pinned on her.
“Does it make you uncomfortable… how I look at you?” I husked, clenching my jaw as she squirmed again.
Her eyes finally snapped to mine, and I saw it. Desire disguised as hate. “Yes.Youmake me uncomfortable.”
I tilted my head a fraction, holding her gaze as the sexual tension between us became so intense it infected the air. “Why?”
She swallowed and broke our gaze to save herself. “Because…”
I could see her fighting her own thoughts, searching for a plausible lie rather than the truth we both knew. I pushed off the wall and crowded her, running my hand along her jaw to force her to look at me. Fuck, those eyes. So wide and vulnerable, filled with fear and fury, but mostly just longing.
I lowered my face to hers, letting my deep voice caress her lips. “Because? I make you want things you know you shouldn’t want,Bella Ribelle.”
Her next breath stuttered through parted lips, her sweet breath mingling with mine, and I was so close to kissing her. But beneath the desire, there was too much seething anger. She was fighting her own feelings as well as me.
“I don’t want you,” she snarled, placing her hands on my chest and pushing me back. I let her. The doors opened, and I smirked, showing her I could see right through her lie.
She followed me into my penthouse as I sorted the security system. I leaned against the wall and watched her take in the space, her curious eyes sweeping over every detail as if it might give her some clue as to who the hell she’d just married. Surprise was the most dominant expression, and I knew why. Mymammaand Elle had designed and styled this place a few years ago. They both had a flair for interior design, andMamma’s love of neutral tones, contrasting with Elle’svibrant paintings and furnishings, shouldn’t work so well, but it did.
“What were you expecting?” I asked, kicking off my polished shoes, slipping off my tuxedo jacket, and undoing my bow tie, leaving it hanging around my neck. She wandered a little further into the space. “Let me guess. A bachelor pad with a stripper pole in the living room and a rotating bed?”
“More like a torture chamber and a display of skulls.”
“That’s in the basement.”
Her head whipped around to me, trying to decide whether I was joking. I was. That’s what my sanctuary was for.
“Let me give you a tour.” I strode past her, grabbing her hand while she was too frozen to react.
“Where I sit and relax.” I showed her the open-plan living room, which had a massive terrace with a hot tub and an outdoor bar, before turning to the kitchen and the dining table on the other side of the room. “Where I eat.” I pulled her along the corridor, opening the doors to the guest bedrooms. “Where my family stays when they visit.” I pointed to my office door. “Where I work.” Then took her past the gym and cosy cinema room. “Where this god-like body is made. Where I fall asleep ten minutes into every film.” When we finally reached my bedroom,our bedroom, I opened the door and let her walk in first. “And my church, where I plan on worshipping you every night.”
Her cheeks turned an adorable shade as she ran her hand along the edge of the enormous bed. She turned towards the walk-in dressing room, already half full of her clothes. She froze and all the colour drained from her rosy cheeks.
She swallowed and slumped on the edge of the bed. Unexpected tears shone in her eyes, and my chest tightened. Fuck, I really couldn’t handle seeing her cry. Especially when I knew I was the one who’d caused them. I was the villain in her story, but so be it. Something didn’t sit right about Callum D'Ardenzi, and until I knew what or who I was dealing with, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight.
I stepped closer, every instinct in my body urging me to comfort her. But with her rage back in place, she shot to her feet and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door in my face. I closed my eyes and exhaled.
Pulling out my phone, I marched back towards the living room and called Nero to check whether he’d found any more dirt on D'Ardenzi.
“Nothing we don’t already know. Callum D'Ardenzi, thirty-two years old, was born in the UK. His father was British and a wealthy London stockbroker worth millions. His mother was originally from Italy but moved to the UK a few years before Callum was born. He lived in London with his parents until his father fell ill and died. He moved to Italy in his early twenties, using his father’s inheritance, and set up his real estate empire in Rome. His mother stayed in the UK. He became one of Piero’s key backers in his mayoral campaign and seems to have themayor’s ear. It all checks out.”
I groaned, running my hand through my hair. “And Damiano. There has to be a link. I’m convinced Callum was the one who pushed Damiano into Piero’s sights.”
“Damiano applied for the security job just as all the others had. But someone helped cover up his past. He’d lied on his application, claiming military experience, when he’d actually been bouncing around the underground scene for the last ten years, taking hit jobs, dealing, fighting, and betting. Piero may have unknowingly hired him without any input from D'Ardenzi, though.”
I shook my head, clenching my fist around the phone. I didn’t believe that for a second. Damiano implied he had a deal with someone. He’d be allowed to do whatever he liked to Aria after she married Callum. If the deal wasn’t with Callum, then who?
“Just keep digging. Have them followed. Don’t stop until you find something.”
