She blinks twice, and her gaze returns to mine. “How do you know all of this?”
I pour myself another glass. “I just do.”
“Does it have something to do with why you stole me or—”
“Enough.” I push back my chair. “Why are we wasting our evening talking about that ugly man? Come here,bella.”
Her cheeks go pink, but she doesn’t move.
I open my arms. “Come, little doll. And bring your wine.”
She lifts her glass and carries it carefully toward me. The pearl polish on her fingernails is chipped, probably from cleaning the kitchen. When Parker is dead and I’ve hired staff to clean and serve dinner she can get her nails done. Blood red. Or palest pink. She sits delicately on my lap, and I pull her closer, settling her against my chest. “Drink your wine.”
She sips obediently and I watch her throat work, tucking a curl behind her ear. I can’t get rid of her. I will put my rubies around her neck, and she will belong to Velvet House.
She turns her head and inhales deeply.
“Is something wrong?”
“Your cologne…” she whispers, a little slur at the edges of her voice. “What kind is it?”
“Do you not like it?”
“Oh, no I do, it’s just… I don’t think I’ve smelled lavender on a man before.”
“Is it embarrassing,bella? Unmanly? Do you want me to be like Adriano and smell like leather and blood?”
She shivers against my chest. “He hates me.”
“Don’t take it personally. Adriano hates anything that makes him feel and that includes desire.”
She shudders and I wrap my arms around her, burying my face in her neck. She smells clean and sweet and I want to lick every inch of her. Bobby said she mewled like a kitten while she came on his face. I want to hear that soft, slightly pathetic, sound. I skim my hands down the sides of her body and she twists in my lap, soft thighs working against mine. “Mr. Morelli, have you given me that drug?”
I pull away smiling. “Is that what you think?”
Her head tilts to the side.
“Bella, we both know you wanted me from the moment you laid eyes on me.”
“But then why did you give me Orchard last night? I already wanted… I mean… you didn’t have to…” She buries her face in my shirtfront. “I shouldn’t be saying this.”
I shift against her so she can feel my hard cock. She draws in a sharp breath, but she doesn’t move away.
I run a hand up her thigh, toying with the split in her skirt. “We gave you your Orchard because we thought it would be fun to send you into a frenzy. But you’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“So are you.” She taps my chest. “You’re nicer than you pretend to be.”
I tug the split a little wider, exposing more porcelain thigh. “Is that right?”
“I think so.” She swallows. “Will the others be okay? Doc and Bobby and… and Adriano?”
“Are you worried about them? Have you changed your mind about us?”
“No. I mean,you’rethe ones who want to get rid of me.”
I laugh. She’s sassy tonight. Maybe it’s her natural state, emerging with wine and a sense of safety. I slide my palm between her thighs. “I could have changed my mind, now I know you can cook?”
She inhales. “I was so nervous. I’ve never cooked for men before.”
