Page 307 of Alessio

Small featured, wide eyes, stained-red lips, and beautiful.

Yeah, it was no fucking wonder to him why this woman had caught his lover’s eye. Because frankly, it took very little effort for her to make Alessio pay attention to the way she looked, too. Although, physical beauty was one thing.

Anyone could be beautiful.

Lots of people were.

What was it about her that made Ginevra different?

That was his question.

He’d thought, maybe stupidly, that he would come here and find out why Corrado had been so willing to lie to Alessio for nothing more than a woman—if he wanted a woman, there were thousands of them all around him, he could go find one.

What was it about this woman?

Why lie for this woman?

And that just pissed him off.

A lot more.

“Where is Corrado?” Ginevra asked.

Her voice was musical, really. Soft, and light. Like a melody floating through the air to reach his spot down the hall. He could hear the nerves working in her tone, too, and yet, she still managed to sound polite.

Why was she being polite?

If she knew who he was—did she even know?—then she would have no reason to be nice. It made him wonder if Alessio wasn’t the only person Corrado had been lying to lately. It wouldn’t be such a stretch, all things considered.

“Well?” Ginevra demanded.

Okay, there went her politeness.

Alessio, who hadn’t moved from his spot against the wall since she opened the penthouse door, tipped his head up a bit. He’d not really met her stare since she found him standing there. Oh, he looked her way, and she looked his. He took his time to check out what made up the woman that his lover seemed determined to hide from him, and he hadn’t missed the way she looked him over, either.

Still …

He hadn’t met her gaze.

Not until now.

Through the longer strands of his shaggy hair, he met Ginevra’s stare head-on, unfazed and calm on the outside. He wanted her to see that—needed her to think that despite her presence here, he was fine.

Even if he was anything but.

He felt like a war, really.

She wouldn’t know it.

Ginevra stilled in place, her milk chocolate-colored eyes widening. No, she didn’t know her presence put him on edge, but he absolutely could see what his company did to her. Not that the beautiful woman wanted him to know, he thought, because she was quick to clench one hand tightly around the clutch she held, and her other formed a fist at her side. That trembling in her shoulders stopped, and she tipped her chin up.

Staring right back at him.

Standing tall.

As beautiful as ever.

God.