There’s acid under the sugar.
Gio doesn’t miss a beat. "Yeah, we weren’t gonna come, but I convinced him." He squeezes my hand when he says it.
I want to scream. She looks between us, head tilting.
"Really? I didn’t know you two were..."
"Yeah... shocking," he says with a dramatic sigh. "Just like you couldn’t keep your hands off me, I couldn’t keep mine off your man."
He squeezes my waist for emphasis.
"Difference is, I actually succeeded."
Damn. Beautiful performance. Oscar-worthy.
And also complete bullshit, because this is fake.
Sophia crosses her arms and scoffs. "Don’t make this a thing. It’s embarrassing."
Gio smiles. "Fuck yeah. Itisembarrassing."
He tilts his head at her. "Foryou. For him, it’s definitely an upgrade."
Something inside me purrs. Watching him drag her like this is unreal. Yeah, he’s evil, but god, he’ssogood at it. I don’t even like him, but right now I love what he’s doing.
His free hand comes up again, this time to the back of my neck. He plays with the hair there, brushing fingers along my skin like he doesn’t know what personal space is.
I can feel her watching every second of it. Sophia flicks her gaze between us. "Didn’t you say Gio gets on your nerves?" she asks, annoyed.
Before I can answer, Gio’s fingers tug hard, like he’s secretly sayingfuck you, Rava,without actually saying it out loud.
He steps closer. "We were always like that. I’m pretty sure he hated how I made himfeel, not me."
His fingers trail down my neck. Then he turns to her again.
"And you definitely know what I mean, since you dove into my DMs while you hadthisnext to you."
Holy shit. He didn’t just say it, he threw it at her. He finishes his water. "Shame is a small word for what I’d feel if I were you."
The look on her face is priceless.
"But sure. He acted like he hated me at first. It was adorable."
"I still hate you."
He grins and kisses my neck. "Sure, baby."
Sophia takes a sip of her drink. "That’s cute."
I’m dying inside. Gio rests his chin on my shoulder and starts tracing invisible shapes on my arm. "He gets shy in public," he says. "But in private? Lord, have mercy on us."
"Gio," I warn, heat flooding my face.
"What?" he says innocently, eyes gleaming.
"I was just saying you’re more talkative when it’s just us." Sophia raises an eyebrow. "I thought you weren’t his… type."
"I’m everyone’s type eventually," Gio says, grinning. The silence that follows is thick.
