Page 32 of Dishonored

Caesar’s strong jaw tightened, and she bet his molars were aching from how fiercely he was clenching his teeth. That surprise in his gaze melted away to show a blazing disbelief mixed heavily with anger.

He kept staring.

She tipped her chin up at him.

A silent, Try me.

Caesar didn’t disappoint.

“Ah, shit,” Nico muttered when Caesar pushed off the barstool.

“Relax,” she told her friend. “What’s he going to do? This is what I wanted, remember.”

“Still trying to figure out why, though.”

Because he could help her.

Or, she could blackmail him into it.

Either way.

“Let’s move,” Aria murmured as Caesar came closer.

The two of them headed for the private room where the Cosa Nostra Accardo boss would be waiting for them, but she didn’t even reach the entryway—as she expected—before Caesar caught up with her. His warm, calloused palm wrapped around her elbow, and tugged her backwards. Aria didn’t even get the chance to catch her footing before Caesar was pulling her upright, and moving them down a dim hallway where bathroom signs flashed overhead.

She breathed, and he spun her around. Her back hit the wall hard before both of Caesar’s hands came to land on either side of her head with a hard smack.

Aria didn’t blink.

Neither did Caesar.

God.

The blues of his eyes were amazing this close.

All sea-deep with flecks of black.

“What do you want?”

His words came out through sneer-twisted lips that had kissed and tasted the most intimate places on her body. She was hyper-aware of just how close he was to her. His heady cologne soaked into her lungs with every inhale; a deep, spicy scent that smelled like sex and heaven all at once. He really was a Godly man.

She never denied that.

“Well?” Caesar demanded harshly. “What do you want, Aria?”

“Ah, figured that out, did you?”

“Don’t mess with me, you crazy woman,” he murmured in Italian.

“Your Italian is … heavenly.”

It really was.

Or maybe it was because it was him.

“Stop fucking with me,” he uttered.

“Oh, yes,” she countered, grinning, “I’ve heard it’s usually you doing that to other people. I suppose this is a new thing for you, huh?”