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“Right,” he says, as if reading my mind. “That wig wouldn’t fool anyone if they were after you. You’re lucky they didn’t run right into you,” he says.
My eyes narrow. “Bullshit. That wig was perfect. Admit it. They weren’t going to recognize me in that.” As my eyes pan to the shopping bag, all of a sudden it hits me. “You were looking for the blonde wig and that shopping bag,” I exclaim.
He smirks.
I can’t believe how stupid I am sometimes. That little red dress is causing me more trouble than it’s worth. I couldn’t bring myself to toss it in the garbage. I don’t tell him that for some sentimental reason I wanted to keep it as a reminder of our first real date, even though it never really came to fruition.
Never mind the fact it was the one I had on when I learned he was a cheating man whore. I put my drink to my lips again and drink half a glass of the wine without even swirling or inhaling its contents.
His eyebrows raise with ill-concealed curiosity. His quietness throughout the flight and since we got back throws me off balance.
“Don’t judge me. Why don’t you go do what you do normally? I don’t need a babysitter. Go do your thing downstairs.”
But Lorenzo does nothing of the kind. Instead, he places his wine glass on the counter and closes the distance between us in three quick strides.
Chapter27
Lorenzo
I may giveconcession to the fact that Isabella had a difficult childhood. The only role model in her life taught her not to trust, but she’s a grown woman now, and I’m not the man she thinks I am.
She may have every reason to believe that man still lies smoldering beneath the surface, but I’ll do everything in my power to prove she’s wrong.
But telling Isabella that in words is not going to change how she feels…
Isabella meets me with a heated gaze, backing away slowly until her back touches the wall, and my arms cage her to the spot. I push a wayward curl from her face, leaning in and whispering in her ear. “Isabella, you’re not yet ready to hear what happened downstairs earlier, but I wasn’t in the lower level to play with another woman, regardless of what you thought from the conversation you overheard at dinner.”
Her breathing hitches, her pulse beats harder, and then she looks at me with those bright blue eyes that want to believe. She just can’t yet, because her mind is too filled with all the misdeeds, lies, and scars of the past.
My lips brush hers, inhaling the sweetness of her scent.
Isabella’s eyes haze over with that smoky bedroom look that makes my balls tighten. She doesn’t turn away from my touch because she wants this as much as I do.
I barely graze her lips with mine, as tempting as it is to devour her with my need. Her feelings are more important than the short-term satisfaction we’ll have in my bed. It’s the long-term commitment I want for us that she needs to fully understand.
And she won’t learn that on the end of my dick no matter how much we both want it or how tempting it is.
“I need to go out tonight. You can sleep in my bed. I’ll sleep somewhere else.”
I pull the lipstick case she left at the restaurant from my pocket and place it in her hand. “I trust the pictures will stay between the two of us,” I tell her, turning on a heel.
If Great-Uncle knew I just gave her back images of all of us in different poses, talking amongst each other or alone, he would be livid as hell. He’d be shouting at the top of his lungs about protocols and how they were created to safeguard the family.
He may be right, but if Isabella were going to use those pictures she would have done so already and sure as hell wouldn’t have left them with me. And if I expect her to trust me, then a show of my own trust is needed in return.
Especially one as big as that…
I walk to the door feeling the heat of her stare burning through my back. “Sleep well, Isabella.”
“When will you be back?” she asks softly.
I smirk, not turning around. Our sexual appetite is definitely not the problem between us. But trust is not built by good sex alone. “Make yourself at home. If you need anything, let Bruno or his replacement know.”
I close the door. “Make sure she has everything she needs, and do not let her out for any reason, capiche? We may have soldiers staked out at every entrance of this casino, but De Rosa has to know we’re about ready to strike. Every minute that we don’t is going to put them more on edge. It leaves us at risk for them to jump into offense. The woman behind that door? Guard her with your life, Bruno.”
“You know I will, boss.”
I go to the ground floor casino to take a walk, clear my mind, and grab a water before heading to the top floor. Salvatore and Dominic are talking with Arman when I walk in. I make my way through the club and extend my hand in greeting as I reach the group. “Arman. Glad to see you. Salvatore tells me good things are in store.”
