Kiss de La Notte - Book III (Mafia Romance)

Chapter Thirty: Sweat It Out

When I'd woken up, I'd opened the blinds of his bedroom window, and the white light from the snow on the ground made his hazel eyes look green today. "Not that kind of cardio," he answered, and it came out a little raspy.

Lucius neared closer to me. His attention slid down my body, taking in his clothes I'd selected to wear. I shuffled back a step and tripped a little, accidently sitting down on the bed. He was so deep in thought he didn't seem to notice and already had his back to me as he leafed through his drawers.

It was sick. Lucius should have smelled like dirty gym socks, but the musky, masculine scent of exertion permeating off his tall frame, just like the devilish heat from his soul, seemed to lure me in. My eyes wandered their much too curious over his broad back, how he was sweating through his sweatshirt a little bit. I wondered if his body would glisten underneath and tried to imagine all that ink covering.

"Did you...workout too? Or just the shoveling."

"I got up early and worked out with G."

"You didn't tell him about Marcus, did you?"

Lucius turned to face me on the bed with some clothes in his hands. "No, I didn't say anything about it." His hand reached out, his fingers brushing my cheek so softly I barely felt his touch, and my heartrate picked up a notch as I looked up at his face. His eyes held a lethal heat that promised violence.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"It's a little tender, but I'll live." I wet my lips. "I, um, wanted to thank you. For last night. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell my father about all of this."

Lucius let his hand fall to his side, his jaw tight. "It's not my story to tell."

Lucius inclined his head to the side, for me to follow him into his bathroom. I stood up from the bed, the silent communication thing making me feel like a magnet at his disposal. It was irrefutable that something had changed between us last night and brought us a tad closer. I wasn't so sure I liked the thought of that.

I watched Lucius search through the medicine cabinet over the sink. "I have this makeup stick I picked up at the pharmacy for that black eye I had. No idea if it's your color or whatever, but here." He handed it to me.

I looked down at the "makeup stick" in my hand in bewilderment.

"I got it cause' it looks like a bullet." Lucius wiped the sweat off his forehead again with the collar of his shirt again put his hands on his hips, clearly having no idea what he was talking about, but a little bit proud in his purchase.

I tried to hide my amusement and failed. "Um, Lucius?"

"What, bambina?" He leaned over me, scratching at his facial hair above his lip. "Did I break it or something?"

"No, it's just...this is lipstick."

He frowned. "What? No, this is that magic shit you used on my face. The eraser stuff."

"Lucius, this is lipstick."

"That's lipstick?" Lucius motioned to the stick, getting frustrated now. "But it's tan."

"Some people wear tan lipstick." I tucked my lips in to hide my amusement. "I think you were looking for a cover up stick. Concealer to cover discoloration and blemishes and whatnot. This is lipstick."

Now he looked tremendously confused. "So you're telling me, I put lipstick on my fucking face? Come un clown?" Like a clown?