Page 434 of Reign

“You already thought about that.”

“Of course.” His mouth curves, soft and dangerous. “I’ve been thinking about it since the night I read your answers.”

I push lightly at his chest. “Luciano, please.”

He catches my wrist before I can pull away and kisses the center of my palm, lingering long enough that I feel the heat of it all the way up my arm.

“You asked.”

“I did not ask you to reorganize estate security so you can bend me over whenever you feel like it.”

“You put yes to free use on the questionnaire.” His voice drops another register. “That’s not a soft yes, princesa. That’s you telling me I can walk into any room you’re in, lift your dress, and remind you who you belong to without a single word of warning. And I’m going to collect.”

The doorbell sounds downstairs.

I pull my hand free before he can see how much I’m considering it.

“Bianca is here.”

“Oh, good. I can vet her now.”

I stare at him. “Vet her?”

“I wanted to meet her.”

“You wanted to check her for weapons.”

“Maybe.”

I point at him. “Be normal.”

“I am normal.”

“That’s the most frightening thing you’ve said all morning.”

I take my purse from the vanity and head downstairs before he can turn Bianca’s arrival into an interview conducted beneath one of the newly installed security cameras.

Luciano follows me.

Bianca Moretti is waiting in the entryway when we reach the bottom of the stairs. Her older brother is one of Angelo’s capos. She’s my best friend.

Her thick dark-brown hair falls nearly to her waist, and oversized gold hoops flash against warm olive skin when she turns. Bianca has the kind of wide brown eyes that make innocence look convincing, which would be useful if I didn’t know her.

Then she sees Luciano behind me.

A tiny giggle escapes her.

I stop walking.

In all the years I have known Bianca, I have heard her laugh until she wheezed, snort water through her nose, and once make a sound so ugly in the middle of a college lecture that we were both asked to leave.

I have never heard her giggle.

Girl, if you don’t stop.

Her eyes travel up Luciano’s body and stay there for an offensive amount of time.

“Bianca.”