Returning to the kitchen, she found Teddy and Carrera eating lunch at the island.
“Where’s Slash?” Simone asked.
“She’s taking a shower,” Carrera replied.
“I’m heading out for a few.”
“Dinner’s gonna be a feast,” Teddy said, his mouth full of food.
“I don’t want to intrude on a family?—”
Carrera held up his hand. “Don’t even go there. Dinner’s at seven.”
Teddy raised his bottle of beer. “Happy hour starts now.”
She laughed.
Pointing at her, Teddy blurted, “I remember where I’ve seen you before. Didn’t I interrupt you and Lulu?—”
“I’m out. See you guys later.” Simone bit back a smile as she took off toward the front door. Once outside, she laughed out loud. She’d hoped Teddywouldn’tremember that he’d seen her buck naked and sprawled on a bed with Luciano’s face planted between her legs.
She climbed in her SUV, drove out, and headed west on I-495 toward Great Falls. Thirty minutes later, she stopped in front of the iron gates, rolled down her window.
“Good afternoon, ma’am,” said the guard.
“Simone Redding.”
“You’ve been cleared to enter. Park at the fountain.”
The giant gates swung open. As she drove past the beautiful oak trees lining the long driveway, wonderful memories flooded her thoughts. Jamming on the guitar while Chad pounded on his drums. Friday happy hours where she’d park herself on a kitchen stool and enjoy a glass of wine after a long week at work.
This home—once Mitus mansion—had been her sanctuary, her refuge for three years. She’d made lifelong friends and would remain forever grateful to Colton. There, she’d felt safe. Something she desperately needed.
She parked at the fountain and made her way toward the front door. Self-assurance followed her as she trotted up the steps and rang the doorbell. Last night, she hadn’t known what to do, but in the light of day, she’d made the right decision.
The door opened and she swallowed down a moan. Luciano’s wicked-hot smile lit up his face, but it was the heated look in his eyes that halted her breath. Unless she was fooling herself, he looked genuinely happy to see her.
“Simone, come in.”
As she crossed the threshold, he wrapped his fingers around her arm, pulled her close. While he kissed her cheek, she savored his musky scent. Her heart skipped a beat when he pressed his lips to her other cheek and lingered an extra second before pulling away.
The second she peered into his eyes, the energy shifted. The desire to be close to him, to touch him, to be touchedbyhim, had her heart pounding fast and her insides roaring to life.
His power consumed her and ignited her at the same time.
“You look beautiful,” he murmured.
She wanted to tell him that he, too, looked beautiful. Too beautiful really. As she expected, he was dressed to impress in a pair of tight black pants and a black quarter-zip sweater. Lucky for her, he’d left it unzipped, and she checked out his sun-kissed skin.
In truth, everything about him captivated her. Even the evil.
Especially the evil.
“A glass of wine with lunch?” he asked.
“Lunch?”
“Are you hungry?”
