“I don’t need to. You already know that you do,” he says matter-of-factly.
A warmth floods my core, and I reprimand myself for getting fluttery over something so small.
“If you actually want anyone to believe this charade, you’d better compliment me more like a real boyfriend would, andplease,be friendly with others,” I grit through a smile as I make a point to look at him lovingly.
“Despite what you might think of me, I haven’t lived in a cave all of these years,” he says, sliding my hand into the crook of his elbow.
My breath hitches at the gentleness of his gesture. It’s embarrassing how acutely aware I am of his every touch. Even when I shouldn’t be. Even as I beg for it not to be the case.
The flutters of nervousness creep back in as concerns about how tonight might play out begin to pile up. I know Ara said it was necessary, but right now I’m thinking I’d rather risk the idea of a hitman at my back than my father’s disappointment. That in itself is all sorts of messed-up.
“It’ll be fine. We’re just going to go in and be seen for a bit. Unless you want to leave right now. And if that’s the case, we can get back in the car and go. I really want to leave,” Lorenzo says, and it brings me back to the now. I realize how torturous this is for him, and a feral smugness ripples through me. If I have to be stuck with him in this fucked-up situation, then I’m sure as hell going to do my best to make him as uncomfortable as I am.
“No. I’m ready.” I straighten my shoulders, and I can see him die a little more inside. He expects me to crumble so easily, and I refuse to give him that satisfaction. Even if he’s still attempting to soften his features to be friendly as we’re approached by a photographer, I can see right through him.
He’s dressed as a gentleman, yet still looks like a wolf stepping through a herd of sheep. No matter what mask Lorenzo is wearing, I’m certain that will never change about him. The threat of danger simply oozes off of him. He knows who he is; it’s deeply ingrained in his DNA. I might not know yet exactly what kind of man he is, but I know he’s as beautiful as he is deadly.
I also know that right now, I have my part to play. And so, I resort to what I’ve been trained to do.
I push down my emotions and… I smile.
9
LORENZO
Ican’t stand the people in this room. They have an air of entitlement and a conceited existence. I was raised to serve the Armani family, and I chose to stay because there is one thing I appreciate about the shadows we live in. Everything is black and white. Respect is earned, business is direct, and consequences are harsh. People here stand behind fake smiles and facades.
I know almost a quarter of the room's deepest, darkest secrets, thanks to the side deals they've made with Luca and his "unconventional" connections.
I don’t have the patience for these circles, and although I understand why Luca slithers throughout them, I don’t have to. A perk of being the monster in the dark, which far better suits my role of being the one to hand out the consequences.
“Everyone is staring at you,” Lily says under her breath. “Can you at least try to remember what a smile feels like?”
I finally look at her. It’s a habit of mine to survey for threats in the room, which I've been doing since we walked in. But unless someone is dying from an overindulgence of champagne, the only threat seems to be me. Lily clicks her tongue whenI don’t adjust my expression. Smiling and pleasantries are not something I excel at; I only use them when it's necessary. Right now, my preference is to keep the number of people approaching us to a minimum.
“My God, who told you too soon in life that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy don’t exist?” she grumbles, frustrated.
I refrain from smiling. She’s a brat, but when she’s not holding in her thoughts, she can be a funny brat.
“They don’t?” I ask, feigning surprise. Her eyes grow wide, as if she realizes she just broke a child’s heart. The corner of my mouth twitches.
She lets out a shaky breath. “Please, don’t mess with me right now.” She reaches for a glass of champagne as a server walks past with a tray full of them. I’m inclined to steal it away from her because every time this sweet little vixen gets a little alcohol in her, she turns into a temptation I don’t have the strength to fight tonight.
“It’s you who’s messing with me by bringing me to this party. What’s it for again?”
“Charity,” she says as she scopes out the room. “And don’t pretend like you’re interested in what charity.”
“Didn’t expect to see your kind here,” Dmitri Volkov says, coming to a stop in front of me. His fiancée, Elanee, pulls Lily in for a hug, but Dmitri’s attention is only on me. We’ve worked together in the past, and his hands are no cleaner than mine. That doesn’t make us friends, though. After all, it could be because of our part in ruining his father that we might be being attacked now.
His gaze slides to Lily, and although they’re familiar with one another, and I know he only has eyes for Elanee, I don’t like that he’s looking at her. Maybe it’s because I’m hypervigilant aboutkeeping her away from any threat, and Dmitri himself is capable of being a threat.
“You look beautiful as always, Lily, but care to explain why you’ve arrived with Luca’s bodyguard? It’s unlike you to bring a date,” Dmitri says, his gaze then sliding to me, most likely searching for a reaction. Even after having a tumor dug out of his head, he seems to have kept his unpleasant humor.
“Does everyone know about this but me?” Lily whisper-shouts, and Elanee gives her a sympathetic smile before pulling her away. I go to follow them, but Dmitri purposefully blocks me.
“Want to explain why you’re in this neck of the woods?” Dmitri asks, holding a glass of water. He no longer drinks alcohol after having the tumor removed. If anything, his attending events such as these might already be too soon, but despite the shaved head and glaring scar, Dmitri looks no different than before he went under the knife. I guess some rotten things can’t entirely be cut out.
He acts as if nothing has happened, like only months ago, we weren’t allied in assisting him against the Bratva and his father. Despite his overconfident personality and shit-stirring capabilities, he’s one of the few I might actually hold respect for, but it doesn’t make me any less pissed that he’s so deliberately stepping in the way of my mission of protecting Lily.
