Page 124 of Ruin Me With Lies

Jaw tightening, he silently fists the phone then slides it into his pocket.“I’ll hold on to this.”

“But Lorenzo—”

“I’ll do the check-ins for you.”

“You’re being—”

“Come on.”He grabs my hand and hauls me over to the massive pit couch in the living area.“Just sit here and relax with me.”He pulls me down with him.“No thoughts of anyone else, yeah?”

Leaning back, he tucks me in tight against his side, like he’s staking a claim.“How are younotobsessed with me yet, Delilah?I’m perfectly crafted.Exquisite.Divinity.One of a kind.A paragon of beauty.There’s no finer motherfucker than me.”

This has me stifling a giggle.“You’re literally a twin.Anidenticaltwin.”

“Well, yeah, sure.ButI’mthe hot one.Even Stevie Wonder can see that.”

“Wow,” I mumble through a laugh.“Your humility is inspiring.”

Calm and relaxed, he gazes down at me, a sinful gleam in his eyes.“I like your smile…and the sound of your laugh.”He sweeps his thumb across my cheekbone.“I like you, little liar.”

Be still, my heart.“Enough that you won’t try to kill me at any point this weekend?”

“As long as I don’t catch you texting other men.”

Ridiculous.

Idly, I trail a finger along the groove of his abs.“What is it you want from me?”

His answering sigh is thick and heavy.Like it’s a question he’s asked himself a hundred times.“I don’t know.All I know is that I feel…goodwhen you’re near.Balanced.Relaxed.I don’t understand it, but...I’m selfish.”

For veracity’s sake, I sweep my gaze downward, and…yep.He’s still hard.Hmm.I’m finding it difficult to believe that a perpetual erection with no relief isrelaxing.Painful torture seems more like it.But what do I know?

Still…I let my guard down a little and allow myself to relax.Just a bit.Just enough to breathe next to him.

Let’s be honest, a leopard doesn’t change its spots, and Stefano Castello is not a gentleman.He’s notnice.Not kind or sweet or tender.He’s not built for softness.

He’s a fighter, not a lover.Mean.Ruthless.And dangerously smart with it.

Trust him?Believe him?Veryunwise.

At the same time, my distrust could be projection.As my dad used to say: “People see others the way they are.”

My feelings for Stefano are true and genuine.My desire for him isreal.Always have been.But I don’t trust him.

Maybe it’s the same for Stefano.He’s made it clear to anyone who’ll listen that he doesn’t trust me.But that doesn’t mean he’s lying about how he feels about me.Two things can be true at once.He can distrust me, and still want me.

Torn between desire and common sense, I draw lazy circles on his abs.“Tell me something about yourself that only those closest to you know.”

He’s hesitant at first, no doubt assuming I have some hidden agenda.But then his chest rises and falls in a long, quiet sigh, like he’s surrendering something.“I…have premonitory dreams.”

“Really?”I shift, pulling back slightly to look up at him.“Like visions?”

“Something like that…” He pulls me right back into his side, as if even a breath of space is too much.“They’re not straightforward.If I said, ‘Hey, I dreamed this,’ it probably wouldn’t make any sense, because they usually have symbols and things that represent people or situations around me.But somehow…I don’t know.I justknowprecisely what they mean.”

“Do the things you see always happen?”

“Always,” he replies with a nod.“Mamma had them too.She even knew when she would die.Age, date, time.”

“Yikes.Sounds like a torturous gift to have.”