Page 77 of Read This Before the Villain falls in Love with You

Matteo takes a slow, loud bite of his apple, chewing thoughtfully. "Hear that, Enzo? Write it down. Freesia, not buttercups. What about the ride there? Paolo wants to take her down the coastal highway on his motorcycle."

Enzo mimes a dramatic clutching motion with his arms. "Yeah, Sofia holding on tight around his waist. Wind in her hair. Her hands slipped inside his leather jacket to keep warm while he hits ninety on the curves."

"No motorcycle," Adrian rumbles, a dangerous tremor vibrating in his chest. "The roads are slick from the mist. She doesn't have a proper helmet."

Matteo shrugs and pops another slice into his mouth. "Paolo will keep her warm. Then afterwards, a walk along the pier. He told me he might kiss her right under the lighthouse. Very sweet. Sofia deserves someone who doesn't treat her like an armed target. We'll order champagne for the table."

"Enough!" Adrian roars.

Adrian snaps. A savage snarl rips from his throat as he lunges across the room. He kicks my wastebasket into the wall, sends an inkpot shattering across the desk, and shoves Matteo back so hard the apple flies out of his hand and rolls across the floorboards. "Touch her and I'll bury him in the cellar! Both of you shut your fucking mouths!"

He spins around, breathing like a wounded bull, and tears down the hall toward the stairs to find her before anyone can stop him.

The heavy corridor doors slam shut behind him with a crash that rattles the paintings on the wall.

Matteo bends down to grab his apple, cleans it off against his shirt, and winks at Enzo. "Told you so. Works every single time."

I bend down and retrieve a pen off the floor. "Is Paolo really out there with her?"

Enzo turns back to the doorway with a laugh. "Not at all. Paolo is working guard duty at the north warehouse. Adrian just doesn't know that."

I shake my head, flexing my bruised hand, and look out the window toward the courtyard. For once, the chaos in this house might actually solve something.

Matteo nudges my arm with his shoulder. "Come on. You don't want to miss this."

The three of us hurry down the service stairs, ducking into the ground-floor gallery that overlooks the lower gardens. Outside on the stone terrace, Nora sits on a wrought-iron bench with a warm mug in her hands, listening closely while Sofia paces in front of her, gesturing with both arms in furious circles.

"He wouldn't even look at me, Nora!" Sofia complains, her cheeks flushed red. "He stood at the door like a marble block and told me his post was at the west gate! After everything that happened in the pantry, after Bellini kidnapping and all he acts like I don't exist!"

Nora blows across the surface of her hot tea. "That's because men are emotionally stunted toddlers. Give him twenty minutes of silent treatment and he'll be banging on your door with flowers and an apology."

Adrian bursts through the garden archway like a battering ram, his chest heaving, his split lip still shining with fresh blood. Before Sofia can finish her sentence, he reaches down, catches her beneath her knees and shoulder blades, and sweeps her straight up into his arms.

Sofia beats her palms against his heavy shoulders. "Adrian! Put me down! What are you doing, you brute? Let go of me!"

Adrian carries her away from the bench toward the privacy of the old lemon grove, ignoring her flailing completely. "You're not going anywhere with Paolo." He holds her securely against his chest like she weighs nothing at all.

Nora scrambles to her feet, eyes wide. "Did he just caveman her off the terrace?"

Matteo waves Nora inside through the cracked glass doors of the gallery. "Get over here." Nora slips inside the archway with us, and the four of us crouch behind the stone balustrade, peering through the leafy lemon branches.

Adrian sets her down beside the stone fountain. Sofia stumbles back a half step and smooths her sweater. "Put me on my feet right now, Adrian Romano! Have you lost your mind?"

"Matteo told me about your date," Adrian says, breathing hard, his jaw set like iron. "Paolo. The seafood restaurant by the harbor. The motorcycle ride along the coast."

Sofia blinks, stunned, before a look of pure confusion crosses her face. "What date? What motorcycle? I don't have a date with Paolo! Paolo is on patrol duty at the north warehouse!"

Adrian freezes. The fury drains right out of his eyes, leaving him staring at her like he just walked into a wall. "You... you aren't going with him?"

Sofia steps into his space until her chest brushes his vest. "It was a lie, you giant idiot. Matteo made it up to make you jealous, and you fell for it! Why do you do this, Adrian? Why do you run away from me?"

Adrian bows his head, fists clenched tight at his sides. "Because I'm terrified, Sofia. I watched Bellini steal you away. I couldn't stop it. If I let myself have you, if anyone figures out you're my whole world, they will use you to destroy me. I'm a killer who cleans blood out of his shirts. You deserve a real life. A safe man."

Tears well in Sofia's dark eyes. She reaches up, cupping his bruised jaw in her hands, her fingers brushing the cut on his lip. "I don't want a safe man. I want you. I have loved you since I was four years old with that stupid pear. Stop hiding behind your gun and look at me."

Adrian shudders under her touch. He covers her hands with his own calloused palms. His voice drops to a raw, ragged whisper. "I will become better for you, Sofia. I swear it. No more hiding. No more pretending that I can walk away."

He leans down and pulls her against his chest, crushing his lips to hers. Sofia wraps her arms tightly around his neck, standing on her tiptoes as the kiss deepens under the shade of the lemon trees.