Page 163 of Modern Romance January 2025 5-8

Still Ms Discreet said nothing.

‘Gio doesn’t know I know.’

She met his eyes then, and he saw more than blue. He saw the curiosity that danced in them, and he saw the softness of her lips as they asked an unrelated question.

‘Sev’s the older brother?’

‘The serious one,’ he said, watching her blush as she perhaps recalled her comment last night. ‘What about you?’ he asked, those blue eyes steering him off track and forgetting his intention to be more direct.

‘Me?’ Susie checked.

‘Do you have siblings?’

‘Two sisters. They’re—’ She abruptly halted and Dante couldn’t fathom why.

‘Older or younger?’ he probed.

‘Older.’

‘You’re the baby?’

‘Hardly.’

‘I meant the favourite.’

‘I wouldn’t go that far...’ She rolled her eyes. ‘You’re an attorney?’

He nodded. ‘My speciality is family law. According to Gio, I do the devil’s work.’

‘Oh!’ Her eyes widened in slight surprise. ‘You must hear some tales.’

‘I try not to.’

‘How could you avoid it?’

‘We have a large practice. I deal with the division of assets. Passing the tissues is not my forte.’

She laughed at that, and he found that he smiled as they chatted.

And not about Gio.

He saw now the honey tint to her pale blonde hair and noticed the pretty curl of her fair lashes. She wore the coat she’d had on last night and the same scarf. Because they were seated outside, he did not know how she was dressed beneath.

He recalled her slight figure as she’d removed her coat last night. And he remembered, because he’d held her hand when she’d pretended to cut it, the scent of her hair.

Dante found himself in an unexpected guessing game, wondering not just about the clothes beneath the coat, but also about what colours they might be. She’d been in her uniform last night, and today he found himself searching for clues.

It was something he did at work, of course, and in the courtroom at times—trying to fathom the person he was about to question or challenge.

Only this wasn’t work.

And Susie was nothing like the women he dated—sophisticated women who knew that his black heart remained closed and that the only place Dante Casadio lasted was in the bedroom.

He caught her gaze and, to his own surprise, when she smiled so did he.

He didn’t usually.

Smile.