Diavolo

xxxiii

SILVIO

        She was quiet. Eerily quiet. Nothing like the woman I'd watched sneak away from me and enter the bathroom. The confidence, the soft smile and those magnetic brown eyes which always held me in confrontation.

        The woman I was looking at right now, standing in front of me was nothing like her.

I didn't know if I'd done something wrong or even fucked up on some level because I knew I always fucked up whenever I got too close. Cared too much. Obsessed too much about her.

       It was the main reason I'd stayed away for so fucking long because I knew the best way not to corrupt her and ruin her with every single taste of my black, wretched soul was to watch from a distance and not touch.

        And as she glanced at me with a tight lipped smile, fisting the long fabric of her dusty rose dress as she sauntered towards me, curvy hips swaying and stolen glances, I knew something had happened.

        The light in those brown eyes diminished and the smug gaze of Lucia—or fucking Sofia or whatever the fuck her name was told me everything I needed to know.

I had never hit a woman before and I would never but if this girl had done something to Presley, I would make sure to drag her down into the basement, hunt another woman to deliver the same frustratingly small and thin patience I was feeling right now.

        My gaze coasted over her delicate face, scanning her brown eyes for telltale signs of panic or concern or something but all I saw was careful smiles.

"Angel." I placed a hand on her hips when she came close to me, tugging her against my body and loving the softness of her body against mine.

        I scanned her eyes, smiling tightly. "Everything okay?"

She nodded slowly, glancing everything except my eyes. "Yeah. Can we go home now?"

I was a little shocked because I'd expected her to talk and hang out with Beast for a few more minutes but it only checked the boxes of the checklist I'd made ever since I saw Lucia.

That girl had done or fucking said something and I was going to get to the bottom of it.

"I need to take care of something real quick and then we can go home, hm?" I waved Beast over from where he was showing off his dance moves in the middle of the ballroom with some girl I'd never seen before.

She laughed softly, obviously smitten by his moves and clearly understood when he kissed her goodbye on the cheek and walked towards me.

I turned my attention back to my woman, gesturing our interlinked hands to my mouth and I pressed a soft kiss on her ring finger. "Go with Beast, hm?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she scanned my face but I didn't give anything away. After a long moment, she nodded softly and sighed when I lowered my head and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

My gaze met Beast's and I didn't have to say anything, I shifted my eyes to Lucia and his gaze followed mine to where I was staring at and he understood perfectly.

A wide, soft grin appeared on his face and he curled his hand around Presley, walking her away and bombarding her with conversation of just about everything he could think of and playing the role of the perfect distraction I had in mind.

I adjusted my gold cufflinks, glancing down at the heavy watch on my wrist and taking note of the time as I walked over to where Lucia—Sofia was engrossed in a heated conversation with her father.