I paused with the cup against my lips, my pulse quickening. Had they seen Romero walking into my room? Or maybe even leaving it in the morning? “Why?” I asked hesitantly.
Gianna snorted. “Because you look fucking tired. There are dark shadows under your eyes.”
I thought I’d put enough concealer on it. Damn it. “I’m fine. I dreamed of Mother, but it wasn’t bad.”
Aria wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “Is it still about what she said to you?”
“Yeah,” I said evasively. “I can’t get her words out of my head.”
“Don’t take everything she said too much to heart. She was sick. It’s not your job to undo her mistakes. She was unhappy at the end but it was her own fault,” Gianna said.
“Gianna,” Aria said in warning.
“It’s not like Mother tried to guilt me into anything. She only wanted me to be happy.”
“And you’re going to be happy. We’ll make sure of it,” Aria said, squeezing my shoulder lightly before stepping back. “Let’s start to eat. Who knows when the men will show up. They had something to discuss.”
“Oh?” I asked nervously as we went over to the table and sat down. “Business?” If I was already a nervous wreck when Romero and I hadn’t even really done anything yet, how much worse would it be once there really was something going on?
Aria gave me an odd look. “I suppose. It’s all they ever talk about.”
“You’re acting kind of odd,” Gianna said as she grabbed a Danish from the bread basket. She scanned my face. “Did anything happen?”
“No,” I said too quickly. I grabbed a bowl and some cereal and milk. Gianna’s eyes seemed to bore holes into my skull and I could tell that she was going to push it, but male voices began to drift over to us from the entrance hall. I almost sighed in relief when they entered the dining area because Gianna’s attention moved on to Matteo who gave her a grin. I froze as my eyes settled on Romero. His brown hair was in slight disarray and the white dress shirt hugged his chest in the most distracting way but his gaze barely brushed over me as he, Luca, and Matteo headed for the table. Despite knowing that we had to act normal and not draw any suspicions toward us, his blatant refusal to look my way sent a stab of worry through me. Things didn’t improve when first Luca leaned down to kiss Aria and then Matteo did the same with Gianna before they settled on chairs across from them. Romero gave me a small nod and tight smile as he sank down on his chair. I grabbed my spoon and started eating my cereal. I could feel my sisters’ eyes on me. They knew me too well but I wouldn’t give them a chance to suspect anything. I didn’t want them to have to keep a secret from their husbands, especially not that kind of secret. The rest of breakfast I made sure to keep my eyes away from Romero regardless of him sitting opposite me, and instead talked to my sisters. Romero didn’t seem to have much trouble ignoring me, that was for sure. He and the other men were deep into an argument about the best way to handle a drug dealer who attracted too much attention from the police.
After breakfast, Aria and Gianna decided to head to the pool again. The weather was nice, barely a breeze and only a few white clouds adorning the blue sky. I went to my bedroom to change into a bikini, a cute pink thing with white dots with a halter top that accentuated my breasts. When I stepped out of my room, I bumped into a hard chest. Strong hands on my arms steadied but released me the moment I stopped swaying. I pressed a hand over my heart, not having expected someone to be in front of my door. “God, you startled me,” I said with a small laugh but it died when I raised my head to Romero’s face.
He didn’t say anything and his jaw was locked tight as his eyes roamed my body. His lack of reaction made me feel self-conscious. I had never been around Romero half naked like this, or any man really. Romero had seen many women naked and I wondered if he compared me to them.
I took a step back, my cheeks heating under his steadfast attention, and I self-consciously crossed my arms in front of my body.
He checked the corridor before he moved closer, and said in a low voice, “You look breathtaking.”
Dropping my arms, I couldn’t hold back a jibe. “You didn’t seem to notice at breakfast.” Despite my attempt to sound flippant, my voice revealed my hurt, and it annoyed me.
Romero met my gaze, expression softening. “I did notice, believe me. It’s impossible not to, Lily,” he said quietly. We were alone in the corridor and standing close enough that I could smell his aftershave. “I didn’t want to ignore you, but we don’t have a choice. This has to stay a secret.”
“This?” I asked. “What exactly is this?” We had hardly done anything yet. We’d kissed three times but that was it.
His shoulders tensed as if he didn’t want to put a label on us. “I don’t know. Maybe nothing. But I want you, Lily. I can’t get you out of my head. No matter what I do there’s always you.”
I exhaled. It felt as if a huge rock had dropped off my shoulders. So it wasn’t just me. “You want me?” I echoed, tilting my head up to peer at him through my lashes.
Romero’s eyes travelled the length of my body again and it made me tingle all over. How would it feel if he touched every spot his eyes had wandered? He let out a small, dark laugh. “Oh yes.”
“I want you too. So what are we going to do now?” I took a step closer until there was barely room between us and I dipped my head back to stare up into his face. He didn’t touch me, even though I wanted him to but his eyes lingered on my breasts, and now that he wasn’t masking his emotions I saw the hunger in his expression. “What I want to do is take you into your bedroom and rip off your bikini, then taste every inch of your skin. I know you’ll taste absolutely perfect.”
I hadn’t expected him to be so direct and my face exploded with heat. “Why don’t you find out?” My attempt at a seductive whisper came out breathless, almost shy.
Romero touched his fingertips to my heated cheeks. “So innocent.” He shook his head and I could tell he was about to pull back physically and emotionally. I leaned against him, my breasts flush against his strong chest. “I don’t want to stay innocent, Romero.”
“Damn,” Romero muttered. He cupped the back of my head and tilted it to the side, then he bent down and pressed an open-mouthed kiss over my pulse point before he traced my jugular with his tongue. I let out an embarrassing moan as my core tightened with arousal. I tipped my head further to the side, giving him better access, but he had moved on from my throat and kissed my lips. I pressed myself against him even harder. His shirt felt cool against my naked skin. A noise from somewhere in the house made us jump apart. There was no one in the corridor but it was a good reminder that we needed to be careful. After another glance down the corridor, Romero cupped my cheek again. “You do taste as perfect as I thought.”
I smiled. “You haven’t even tasted all of me.” My cheeks flamed when I realized what I’d said and how Romero would understand it.
Romero’s eyes darkened with what I suspected was desire. “I intend to, trust me.”
I shivered. “You do?”
“God yes.” He sighed, then took a step back. “But we need to be careful. This is a dangerous path we’re on.”