Page 29 of Blood Lust
“It’s the woman from the book signing,” I admitted.
“What?” he shouted as his mouth fell open and his eyes bugged.
“You heard right.”
“Holy fucking shit. But that’s crazy. How?”
“Fate? Divine intervention?”
He scoffed.
“Do you have a better explanation?”
“No,” he admitted in defeat. “Christ, she’s never going to forgive you for this. What are you hoping is going to come of it?”
“Vittorio, I know it sounds crazy. You think I don’t realize that? We had one night. One. Single. Night. Yet when I saw her again, I knew one thing with absolute certainty.”
“And what’s that?”
“She’s mine.”
He gave a humorless laugh and shook his head. “You can’t make a woman love you.”
“Who said anything about love?”
One brow winged up as he stared at me.
It had been a long day, and it was already getting dark when I took the elevator up to my penthouse. It came out through the hidden door behind a matching bookshelf in my smaller home office. I was met with silence, so I went looking for my little bird.
I found her in the living room. She stood at the floor-to-ceiling glass, staring out at the same view I had from my office downstairs. It was probably my favorite thing about this building.
“It’s a stunning view, isn’t it?” I asked.
She didn’t turn around. “It is.”
“Did you get settled into your room?” I slipped my hands into my pants pockets as I studied her.
She spun. “Why are you acting like I’m your guest?”
I sighed and walked over to the bar where I made myself a drink. After some consideration, I poured her one too. Then I glanced up at her and motioned to the glass as I sipped from my own.
Her jaw worked for a moment, then she approached cautiously and picked hers up. Except rather than sipping the expensive whiskey, she downed it like a frat boy and slammed the glass onto the surface of the bar. “I think I’ll need another,” she choked out with her eyes watering.
My lips twisted to the side as I tried not to smile at her boldness. I poured her another and placed the bottle back on the shelf. That one she sipped.
Finally, she took a seat in front of me. Staring at the amber liquor, she slowly spun the cut crystal glass. “Why did you lie to me?” she murmured.
“I never lied to you,” I replied before lifting my glass to my lips. I let the luxurious whiskey smooth over my tongue as I savored it, then swallowed.
“You didn’t tell me who you were.” She still refused to look at me.
“That’s not lying. That’s an omission. And if I remember correctly, we agreed that because it would be one night, our full identities didn’t matter. Right?”
It was her turn to sigh. Then she pressed her lips together. I allowed her to process what she needed to.
“I suppose I should thank you for sparing my father.” It was begrudgingly offered. Therefore, I didn’t acknowledge it immediately.
“In my world, a world in which your father has spent the better part of his life, what he did was punishable by death. Something he was fully aware of, yet he still stole from me.” My words were softly spoken but made her swallow with difficulty. Her hazel gaze lifted to mine, and I hid the reaction she evoked.