Matteo steps in front of me, blocking my view of Dante and Layne. His pupils are blown nice and wide, and he’s leaking scents, which he only does when he’s pissed off or aroused. Right now, he’s undoubtedly both. He’s never been a fan of the games Vitale draws us into, and he’s never trusted one thing about Claudia. But his scent is because of Layne. I have no doubt he’s just as eager to get her upstairs as I am.
“I never figured someone like you would stoop so low, Valentine,” Claudia hisses.
I knew it was coming. A woman like her is used to having men fall for her games. But I’m not, nor will I ever be, one of those people.
“Don’t make a scene, Claudia.”
“Me, make a scene? You’re the one disrespecting me with that…that thing,” she bites back, her voice getting squawky as her true ugliness shows through her fake exterior.
“Thatthing?” I look at Matteo.
With a measure of calmness I don’t feel, I take a step closer to Claudia, but my eyes aren’t on her. They’re on her two guards, who are climbing out of their vehicle. If the rumors are true, the taller one is her current boy toy.
Behind them are Ahmed’s people. On quieter feet, with weapons drawn.
“Call off your men, Claudia, or I will cripple your lover.”
She runs her hand through her hair, plumping her curls around her shoulders before she laughs, finally showing her hand. “Don’t act surprised when I come for her.”
I watch Claudia, waiting for her next move. I don’t bother hiding how little I think of her, but she’s all talk, whereas I’m a man of action. I nod, and from out of the shadows, a man appears. Still, I focus on her. “You should know I take threats against my fiancée very seriously, Claudia.”
“Your fiancée, Valentine?” She scoffs before breaking out into laughter. “Now, that is a joke. She won’t last a day in our world. Come crawling to me when she’s run off screaming, and we can have this chat again.”
“I take threats against my fiancée very seriously,” I repeat.
Claudia opens her mouth to say something, but her attention jumps behind us as a man yells and groans in pain. I watch as her eyes flare wide in shock at how quickly I acted. Her current lover-slash-bodyguard is wailing like a fucking bitch about the blade protruding out of the front of his knee, makingit impossible for us to ignore him. At the same time, she doesn’t run to his aid. But why would she? Claudia has only ever worried about herself.
I wait until she’s looking at me again before I speak nice and slowly, an obvious threat in every word I speak. “Let your father know I’ll be around on Monday to collect the money he owes.”
10
Layne
“Ithink we can stop pretending now,” I say, finally putting some distance between me and Dante’s mouth. Just to get some air in my lungs. Although I’m pretty sure if push came to shove, I’d be perfectly content to breathe in Dante’s sweet, nutty scent. It’s like Amaretto—almond-infused bitterness hidden behind juicy, summer-sweetened cherries.
“Nope. We need to keep up appearances. Come here.” He flicks his chin up in invitation, but there’s a small push of his designation that makes my reservations disappear.
God, I could kiss this man forever. The same with his brother…and Matteo. I hope we find ourselves in lots of situations that require us to put on these public displays, because I am so down for it.
My tummy rumbles, kind of ruining the moment, and Dante pulls away to look at me. “You haven’t eaten?”
“Honestly, I was too anxious after this morning, and then work was busy. I brought enough food from the restaurant to share, but it’s in the boxes.”
“What happened to our deal about scent blockers?” I ask suddenly, glaring at him. Now that I have a bit of distance from his distracting mouth and intoxicating scent, it hits me that he’s not following our agreement.
“I think you worded it in such a way that Valentine could agree. He should have clarified that we can use blockers in our home, but outside, particularly in our world, it’s a sign of weakness if you cover your scent.”
“Dante.” I start to argue, but my tummy makes an even weirder noise, and I get hit by a wave of dizziness. I blink, trying to make the spinning stop.
Of course, he doesn’t miss it.
“Let’s get you upstairs. They’ll follow in a second.”
“You’re not worried?”
“About them? No chance. I trained them both myself, plus Ahmed…”
And he stops talking mid-sentence.
