Not My Fairytale

Chapter 24

He pulled a small knife from his pocket and used it to slice an apple into slightly uneven portions. While he worked, I picked up one of the skewers and took a tentative bite. "Does it taste alright?" I looked up to find him watching me again.

I chewed and swallowed, all the while aware of his attention on my face. Something held me back from voicing the sarcastic comment that had flown to the tip of my tongue, and instead, I answered truthfully, "It's delicious."

He gave me a warm smile, "I've never cooked for someone else before, I was worried it would be horrible."

My brows shot up in surprise, "Never?"

"Never," he popped a raspberry into his mouth, then laughed as he caught sight of my face, "oh, don't look so surprised. When was the last time you cooked for someone else, princess?"

"As a matter of fact, just last week," I tilted my chin up indignantly, "my mother has a rather unfortunate habit of dismissing the kitchen staff to do their work for them, even whilst pregnant." The last word was still a little difficult to choke out, but I managed it with only the faintest of grimaces.

Angelo looked as though he were going to ask something more, but instead chose to hold his tongue. We remained in comfortable silence while we ate.

It was so difficult in these little moments of peace, to remember that Angelo was someone to be wary of, that he could just as easily choose to turn on me as help me. I may be his mate, but was that bond enough to turn his back fully on his family? 'I will not betray my family. Not even for you' he had told me nearly two months ago, but was the clue he had given me about Vito DiMaio not a betrayal already? And what of the one in return for this date? Was he showing me that he could be trusted, or was he leading me into a trap? What do I trust, the words he had spoken with such clear conviction, or his actions to the contrary?

My thoughts turned unbidden to my own lies and deceits. Was I any better? True, all of my sneaking around with Angelo had been in the name of attaining the upper hand in the struggle against the Blood Fangs, but just how many lies have I told Franco for the opportunity to sneak off to meet Angelo, or even simply to keep Angelo's existence a secret? To my mother to hide his true relation to me when we were in the city, even at the risk of endangering her brother and his family? To my father when he asked about my sources for the Cazzico tip-off? My stomach sank from the weight of the guilt. It was becoming far too easy to blur the lines between friend and enemy when it came to Angelo, despite how hard I've fought against the pull of the bond.

Driven by my shame, I decide to try my luck and cut straight to the chase, "Who else from Lupia is helping you?"

He clucked his tongue in a teasing manner, "I'm disappointed in you, princess, did your etiquette teacher not tell you that it's rude to talk business over dinner?"

There he is. I knew it would only be a matter of time before Angelo's more aggravating side would return to rear its ugly head. I narrowed my eyes, but held my tongue, angling my body away from him to watch the water flow down the cliffside.

He chuckled lowly, clearly enjoying himself at my expense as per usual, "Come on, don't be angry," he gently pulled on my upper arm, attempting to turn me back toward him, "I promise I'll give you the information you want, just humor me first."

I relented with a sigh, allowing him to tug me back around. He beamed, both dimples on full display, "There's my girl."

My girl.

Two words, and the butterflies that I had managed to keep at bay so far were raging in my stomach. I bit back a retort about how I was not, in fact, his girl, knowing that resistance would only prolong my torture. It was obvious from the gleam in his eye, that he knew exactly what he was doing. I just needed to keep my cool.