CHAPTER SIX
Lily hugged the dress shirt tighter around her frame, well aware it did nothing to hide the expanse of her bare legs as she padded down the short hallway of an unfamiliar apartment. With sleep-tousled hair, weary eyes, and a sinking feeling in her stomach, she kept moving to find the sweet smell of coffee wafting.
She remembered the night before clearly. She hadn’t tumbled into an unfamiliar bed out of drunken stupidity, but instead, climbed under Damian Rossi’s sheets without so much as an argument. Then again, he took the guest bedroom.
Why he just didn’t take his own bed and gave Lily the guest bed, she wasn’t sure.
The tiny kitchenette gave a view of the large living room. Lily damn near tripped over her own two feet at the sight of Damian bare-chested with track shorts riding low on his hips. With every pull as he lifted his fit, muscled frame over the bar set between the doorjamb of a connecting room, his body barely reacted to the exercise. Like it was nothing at all, he did several sets of chin-ups while he watched a news program turned on low.
Lily’s throat went dry.
The expanse of his muscled chest drove straight down over a railroad path of abs into the hard cut V of his groin. Damian’s skin was clean of any ink and other than a small scar on his right pec, his body was unblemished. The slightest sheen of perspiration dampened his skin while his dark hair fell over his gaze glued on the flat-screen. Any female within the vicinity of this man looking like he was right then would probably throw themselves at him. He was the perfect vision of a male personified. Sex on fucking legs right there in flesh and blood.
Even Lily found herself shifting on the spot and rubbing her thighs together to soothe the sudden ache between her legs.
Jesus Christ.
What was wrong with her?
I want you to come to me willingly.
Lily sucked in a breath and forced the sudden desire pooling in her stomach away.
She couldn’t help but wonder how this ridiculously attractive man seemed to go as unnoticed around people as he did. How could he slip into a crowd and disappear when he practically screamed for someone to look at him?
A vibrating sound stopped Damian’s chin-ups. He dropped to the floor without making a sound, crossed the space to the couch in two fluid steps and swiped at something on the cushion. Damian wiped at his bottom lip with his thumb; Lily licked hers in response.
What did his kiss feel like?
She shook her head to rid that insane notion.
“Yeah, Boss. Morning.”
“Ghost,” came a familiar reply.
Terrance Trentini.
Lily had the distinct feeling she shouldn’t be standing there listening.
“You watching this?” Damian asked, his gaze still surveying the silent television. His body blocked Lily’s view of seeing what the screen showed. She didn’t mind. The sight of his muscled back roped with chiseled lines was much better.
“Breaking news,” Terrance replied. “Well done.”
“Something like that,” Damian muttered.
“I did happen to notice the mention of a blue vehicle. What was it they said?”
“A striking color,” Damian said. “Nothing more.”
“Still too close for comfort, my boy. That isn’t like you.”
“I wanted to hit him elsewhere. It worked like this, too.”
“What happened?” Terrance asked.
“Plans changed. It doesn’t matter, the witness couldn’t give an adequate description of the car or license plate. The suburb isn’t well-off enough to have cameras in that area. I did my fucking homework before I decided.”
“Thirty-k has been transferred,” Terrance said.
“I already checked.”
“I thought you would have this done sooner. I’m happy to see it finished either way, but still, you took your time.”
“I did my job,” Damian said drily. “Is there anything else, Boss?”
Lily swore there was a smile in Terrance’s voice as he replied, “Hmm, no. Time to deliver the terrible news to Joel, I suppose.”
“Just keep my name out of it.”
“I always do, Damian.”
The call ended without another word.
Damian didn’t turn around as he said, “Eavesdropping is a bad habit you should break before it gets you into trouble, Lily.”
Lily bit her bottom lip. “Sorry?”
He shot her with a heated glance over his shoulder. The sight alone seemed to strike her in the chest with the intensity. “There are things you are better off not knowing.”
“I didn’t actually mean to eavesdrop.”
Damian smirked. “No, you were spying on me.”
Lily’s arms tightened around her frame again. She suddenly became hyperaware of Damian’s gaze raking over her figure with a slow intent. He didn’t hide his staring at all and his smug grin only seemed to grow into a sight of satisfaction the longer he took her in.
She felt unnerved under his surveying.
“I look like hell,” Lily said, unsure of why she even let the words out in the first damn place.
“You look incredible,” Damian said quietly. “Like you spent the night rolling in someone’s sheets, which I suppose you did.”
Lily laughed. “Just not with someone, huh?”
“Not by my choice, sweetheart.”
She shivered.
Goddammit.
Damian was clearly playing for keeps in whatever game he had decided on.
Lily wasn’t sure she was ready for this.
Needing to get her mind away from the sexy, panty-soaking worthy place it had quickly gone to, Lily asked, “Is this usually what you do in the morning?”
“Talk on the phone?”
“No, work out.”
Damian nodded once. “If I have time, I try. It’s a good stress reliever.”
“What else do you do besides track girls down at clubs, work out, and watch news broadcasts on silent?”
“Are you asking about my job?”
Lily pursed her lips, her stare flitting between him and the spot where he’d answered the phone. “Yeah, I suppose I am.”
“I do what the boss wants me to do, Lily.”
“Anything?” she asked.
“Yes.”
The second shiver that crawled up her spine came for an entirely different reason than the first. It was a hell of a lot colder, too.
Anything was vague enough for Lily’s imagination to run wild but pointed enough for her to understand without him directly saying it.
“So, you’re not like my brothers, right?” she asked.
“And I’m not like Tommas, either,” Damian said.
“Huh.”
“That bothers you, doesn’t it?”
“A little,” she admitted.
“There’s a reason why they call me Ghost, Lily.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, because they never see me coming and they don’t hear me leave.”
Lily thought about Dino and the vague reasons she had been given as to why Damian was his first pick for her. Maybe aligning her with one of the most dangerous men was Dino’s way of keeping her safe. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
“Because you’re invisible,” Lily said.
“In the most important ways.”
“How?”
“The ways that keep me from getting caught,” Damian answered.
Damian turned all the way around and crossed his arms over his broad chest. He nodded at her and said, “You look good in my shirt.”
The statement was so random it took Lily off-guard. His voice had lowered an octave, turning it into that rich, dark tone. An instant heat bloomed in her sex and spread to her stomach.
“Do I?” Lily whispered.
“Yeah. It’s a shame you have to take it off only to put that damn dress back on.”
Good God.
“I don’t know how to do this,” she said softly.
Damian didn’t move a muscle. “Do what?”
“Be okay with this.”
“The marriage thing?”
“No,” Lily said, her gaze flicking away from him. “I’ve been told more than enough times to know I don’t get a choice in the matter.”
“Then what?”
“I don’t like what you do. I don’t like the things you’re a part of. I don’t like that you agreed to this at all, regardless of your reasons.”
“And?” Damian asked.
“And maybe I might like you.”
“Yeah,” Damian said, his laughter coming out like black molasses. Slow, thick, and covering every inch of her it could reach. “That’s a bitch, right?”
Who was this man?
“You’re late,” Dino said, his words coming out as a sharp whisper.
Damian shrugged. “I called.”
“At one in the goddamn morning,” Dino growled.
Lily pretended to ignore the way her brother looked her over like he was searching for some sign of her defilement. She hated to be the one to break it to him, but that defilement happened years ago when she was sixteen on a summer vacation to Germany.
“Church steps,” Lily said quietly, reminding her brother of where he was. “People are watching us.”
Dino scowled. “Why didn’t you call?”
Lily waved a hand in the air. “I forgot. Damian did instead. It was late, Dino. I was having fun.”
Her brother didn’t look like he believed her for a second.
“She was with me, so what is the damn problem?” Damian asked. “Didn’t you call Tommas?”
“Yes,” Dino said.
“And?”
“And I don’t want her at that club again, supervised or not.”
Lily faced her brother. “Why not?”
“Because Tommas does business in that place, Lily, and not the drinking kind.”
“Fine, I’ll take her elsewhere next time,” Damian said.
Dino’s glare turned on Damian. “Make sure it isn’t owned by the Outfit.”
“Will do.”
“Fine,” Dino muttered.
“Perfect.”
Lily sighed, annoyed with the entire day already. “Church, then?”
Damian’s hand found her lower back and Lily tried not to react to the touch. She seriously needed to get her head, heart, and body on the same page.
“Yes,” Damian said. “Church.”
“Okay, now that’s something else,” Evelina said.
“She looks like a well-priced hooker,” Abriella replied, roaring with laughter.
“I didn’t say it was nice. I said it was something else.”
Lily didn’t even bother to hide her own snickers as she took inventory of the slinky silk number in the mirror. It was held together by thin silk and two small straps and was weighted down with heavy jewels along the neckline. A slit at the side cut the ivory fabric all the way to the top of Lily’s thigh.
The wedding dress was sexy, to be sure, but it was not Catholic material.
“Oh, God,” Lily said, eyeing the piece. “Could you imagine Dino or Theo’s face?”
“Can we take a picture just to send for a joke?” Abriella asked.
Lily posed and let her friend snap a quick picture. Abriella typed a message before dropping her phone back into her bag.
“Next,” Abriella ordered.
“Not the style we’re going for,” Evelina said to the store manager. “Think classic, not classless.”
The lady nodded tightly before ushering off to find another dress.
Despite loathing the very idea of spending hours in a dress shop searching for that perfect dress to wear, Lily’s friends had convinced her to give it a try. It hadn’t turned out to be such a bad thing, really.
Lily brushed her hands down the silk. “I do like the feel.”
“You can do silk,” Evelina said. “Just not like that.”
“Or,” Abriella drawled with a leer, “You can do silk for the wedding night.”
Lily turned away from the girls, not wanting them to see the heat in her cheeks. She forgot about the goddamn mirrors she faced.
“Hey, what did we miss?” Evelina asked.
“Nothing,” Lily said maybe a little too quickly.
“Oh, I’ll tell you what we missed,” Abriella replied, her reflection showing her knowing grin. “Sunday morning, Tommy got a phone call.”
Lily spun on her heel. “Mind your business, Ella.”
“You were with Tommas on Sunday morning?” Evelina asked.
“Early before I skipped back to mine and Alessa’s apartment. I had to arrive at church alone, you know.”
Of course, Lily thought.
Abriella was playing with fire and when that happened, somebody always ended up with burns.
“Anyway,” Abriella said.
“Ella, please,” Lily pleaded. “Just leave it alone. It was nothing.”
“All right.” Abriella tossed her hands up in defeat. “The bride is always right. We mustn’t anger the DeLuca princess.”
Lily’s gaze narrowed. “You’re one to talk, Trentini Queen.”
Abriella snorted. “Cute.”
Evelina didn’t look as though she was about to let it go like Abriella had. “What aren’t you telling me, Lily?”
“It was nothing,” Lily assured. “I was drunk, Damian came to the club and didn’t want to take me home to Dino like that—”
“So she ended up at his place,” Abriella finished with a wide grin. “The entire night and then D got Tommy to lie for him when Dino called as a backup about the club.”
Lily huffed. “You tell it like there’s a lot more under the surface, Ella.”
Abriella shrugged. “Don’t blame me for having an imagination, babe.”
“Well, there’s nothing to imagine.”
Evelina raised a single brow. “Nothing?”
“Is that so hard to believe?” Lily asked.
“No,” Evelina replied. “But you look like there’s something on your mind. Talk to me.”
“Us,” Abriella corrected.
Evelina hushed her friend. “Come on, Lily. What is up?”
Lily gestured at the wedding dress. “I don’t want to do this.”
“That’s not news.”
“But he is not what I expected,” Lily added.
Evelina’s expression turned stony. “Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“I like Damian,” Abriella said quietly. “He’s … I don’t know, genuine. That’s hard to find in the people around us. With him, you get what you see. He’s not out to purposely hide things.”
“You know what really sucks about the entire thing?” Lily asked no one in particular.
Evelina smiled but it didn’t ring true. “What?”
“I’ve only spent two meetings with the guy, one of which informed me he was my new fiancé, the second was when I acted like a fool and spent the night in his bed.”
“So?” Abriella pressed.
“Two meetings,” Lily repeated. “And I kind of like him. I don’t know how to deal with that.”
“I think that’s a good thing,” Evelina said.
“Maybe it would be. If I wasn’t so confused and screwed up about my opinions and thoughts, it very well could be. It’s like a fucking hurricane in here,” Lily said, pointing at her temple. “I’m attracted to him because he’s entirely different from what I thought he would be, at least he seems so. I’m bothered by the things he’s involved in. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if I just … let it all go.”
“But?” Evelina asked.
“Feels too easy,” Lily said.
“You’re making it too hard,” Abriella replied with a smile. “Lily, not every arranged marriage works out in a way where the woman gets what she wants.”
“I’m not getting what I want, though,” Lily tried to explain.
“All right, let’s look at it a different way,” Abriella said.
“How?”
“What if you had spent those two meetings with Damian under similar circumstances but with the engagement non-existent? What then? Would you still be attracted to him?”
“Probably,” Lily admitted.
“Would you still be bothered by the fact he’s involved with the Outfit?” Abriella asked.
“You know I would.”
“Would you see him again?”
Lily didn’t know how to answer that or her stupid pride wouldn’t let her.
Abriella wasn’t looking for a response, apparently. “Yeah, I thought so.”
“Give it a chance,” Evelina said with a tiny grin beginning to form. “What will it hurt, Lily?”
Her heart.
Her beliefs.
Lily blurted out the first thing to come to her mind. “He said he wanted me to come to him willingly.”
“What do you mean?” Evelina asked.
“His bed.”
“Well, then …”
“Yeah,” Lily said with a sigh. “I didn’t expect that either. You know what that means, right?”
Abriella nodded. “Means he wants you, too.”
She was so fucked.
Lily’s gaze caught the store manager bringing back a beautiful slightly off-white, A-line dress with intricate beadwork along the sweetheart neckline. The gown, covered by delicate lace and trimmed with personal touches, instantly reminded Lily of the silver screen.
God, it was beautiful.
And she hadn’t even tried it on.
“That’s perfect,” Lily said softly.
Evelina and Abriella admired the wedding dress as the lady hung it on the opened door of the stall.
“It’s definitely classic,” Evelina said. “And you. It feels like you.”
Abriella glanced down at her vibrating phone. “Oh, got a response on the silk number.”
Lily laughed, happy for the joking reprieve from the seriousness. “Yeah?”
“Yep, from Damian.”
Lily’s heart found her throat. “You sent it to Damian?”
“I sent it to Theo and Dino, too.”
“Abriella!”
The girl just shrugged.
A troublemaker; that’s what she was.
Lily couldn’t help herself but ask, “God, what did he say?”
“That particular number is a definite no for the dress. Too showy for the church.”
“But?” Lily asked.
She could hear the but in there somewhere.
Abriella smirked a wicked sight. “He’s good with taking silk off you in the evening.”
Jesus.
Evelina laughed, hiding it poorly with her hand. “Sounds just like a man.”
Abriella glanced down when her phone buzzed again. “But he prefers black lace.”
“You’re awful,” Lily told Abriella.
“You’ll thank me eventually.”
Lily bit the inside of her cheek, considering the choice in lingerie. It wasn’t something she’d given much thought to before. “Black lace?”
“That’s what he said.”
“Huh.”
Evelina grinned. “I know a shop just down the street, Lily. They’ve got some great stuff that would look perfect under that dress.”
Lily made a face. “Don’t encourage me, Eve.”
Her friend didn’t even blink. “You know I’m going to.”
Yeah, she did.
“Lily, you have a guest.”
Lily peeked over the top of the book in her hands as Dino’s form darkened the sitting room. The window bench seat had become Lily’s personal resting spot since she arrived home. The sunlight kept it warm and comforting. She also had a great view of the large backyard property. It gave her private, quiet time to think and read, or just do whatever.
Dino rarely interrupted Lily when she climbed into her spot.
“A guest?” Lily asked.
“Last minute thing, I guess. He’s waiting in the foyer.”
“He?”
“Damian,” Dino explained. “You’ll need to change into something more appropriate. A dress, preferably. It’s for a dinner with the Trentini and Rossi families at one of Laurent’s higher end places. Damian is wearing black on black.”
Lily blinked. “Something more appropriate?”
“When did you turn into a parrot, Lily?”
She tossed Dino a dirty look before shoving her novel under the pillow on the window bench. Upstairs, Lily made quick work of finding a dress that would work for the dinner, silver heels to match and give a pop of color, and then she quickly dabbed a bit of rose tint on her cheeks and lips. Mascara helped to fan her eyelashes and black kohl darkened her gaze.
Lily made her way down to the foyer with a silver clutch in hand to meet Damian. Dino hadn’t lied. Damian wore a fitted black suit topped off with a black vest, tie, and shirt underneath. Even his damn leather shoes were a shined black. He looked really good with his hands clasped together and his head tilted down.
Damian was the total vision of dark, mysterious, and sexy standing there in his suit looking like he was. Her waiting fiancé smiled as he appraised her outfit.
“Perfect,” Damian said quietly. “You look beautiful.”
Lily wasn’t sure how to take his compliment. It seemed honest enough, but Lily didn’t know if she wanted to play his games or not, yet. “Thank you. You look fit to be in the Secret Service.”
Damian smirked. “I like black.”
“I can tell. You could have given me a heads-up that you were coming today,” Lily said.
“It was a last minute thing.”
“So Dino said.”
“You can’t refuse an invitation with the boss, Lily, even if you have a million other things to do. He is the most important thing.”
Lily shrugged. “In his mind.”
Damian laughed under his breath, the sound coming out sexy and deep. “Well, we just don’t tell him that. Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be. What is the plan, anyway? Dino said something about a dinner at one of your uncle’s restaurants.”
“We have a show to go to first,” Damian said. “It’ll help pass the time before the dinner later. I figured we might as well take the chance to go out and actually do something together.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. How do you feel about ballet?”
Lily met his heated blue gaze and searched it for any kind of ulterior motive. Could he possibly know somehow that ballet was one of Lily’s favorite things? Damian didn’t give off a single hint that he was playing at anything again.
“I like ballet a lot,” Lily finally settled on saying.
“Have you seen Giselle preformed?” Damian asked.
“Once when I was a girl.”
“And not since?”
“Nope,” Lily replied with a smile. “But I remember enjoying it the first time.”
Damian flashed a sensual grin. “Let me be the one to reintroduce you, then.”
“Did you know the role of Giselle is considered one of the most sought after roles in a ballet dancer’s career?” Lily asked, never removing her gaze from the stage.
Damian lowly hummed his no. “I didn’t, actually. Why?”
“It’s a classic. One of the most favorite and memorable ballets. It shows true emotion and is an honestly beautiful dance. Even the music is amazing.” Lily caught the sight of Damian’s smile out of the corner of her eye. “What?”
“Nothing. I’m just glad you’re enjoying yourself, Lily.”
“Where did you get the tickets, anyway?”
“Theo, actually. His date for the day flaked on him.”
Lily’s brow rose high. “My brother had a date today?”
Damian laughed. “Hey, don’t come looking for answers from me. He didn’t say who, just that they couldn’t come. Theo’s always been private about that sort of thing, and I’m not the kind of guy who asks questions.”
Lily couldn’t help her curiosity. “I wonder who she is.”
“Someone, obviously.”
“Obviously,” Lily mocked, teasing.
“Like I said, I don’t know who his date was, just that it didn’t work out. Nonetheless, when I called to ask if he got a dinner invite to Laurent’s place—he didn’t, by the way—he asked if I’d be interested in taking you to a ballet. He didn’t want the private balcony tickets to go to waste and apparently you’ve got a taste for these things.”
So that was how he knew.
“I do,” Lily admitted. “I was able to see a couple in Europe, too. They were amazing.”
“I bet.”
Lily sighed, sitting back in the plush chair and folding her hands on her lap. “Thank you for bringing me.”
Damian mimicked her position, except his arm stretched over the back of her chair. “Don’t ever thank me for that, sweetheart.”
Silence covered the balcony, blanketing Lily in a sense of comfort and awkwardness all at the same time. She wasn’t even sure how that was possible. From her peripherals, Damian’s gaze caught hers and he held it. The man didn’t blink and he didn’t even look like he was breathing.
No, he just watched her.
Something warm bloomed in her chest under his heavy regard. It was as if he seemed to get some kind of pleasure from simply watching her. Lily realized then that Damian had no other reason to bring her to the ballet other than to spend time with her and to make her happy with something she enjoyed.
But why?
We don’t have to be strangers.
We don’t have to hate one another.
“What?” Lily asked softly.
“I like it better when you’re smiling at me and not glaring,” Damian said.
“I’m trying.”
“I’m grateful.” His murmur washed over her skin like a slow wave. It slipped over every inch of her exposed skin like her nerves were open for his attention. Lily didn’t have the first clue why Damian had such an odd effect on her. “And you do look beautiful, Lily. Beautiful things should be admired. Let me admire in peace.”
When he said things like that, she found it difficult to gage his intentions. What she did know, was that he clearly liked the influence he had on her. Damian’s grin turned almost satisfactory in nature as his gaze darkened.
“I thought you said you weren’t going to seduce me, Damian?”
Damian’s expression didn’t flicker as he said, “I’m not.”
“Oh, really?”
Why else would a man shower a woman in compliments, take her out to do things she enjoyed, and watch her like she was a precious jewel that might be stolen away at any moment?
“No,” Damian said with a shake of his head.
Those steel-blue eyes of his never wavered from Lily’s direction.
“If not that, then what are you doing?” she asked.
Damian chuckled. “Keeping my promise, dolcezza.”
Which one was that?
“Rossi table,” Damian said. “Damian and guest. Party was undetermined last I knew.”
The woman behind the podium nodded once and waved the couple back. Damian’s hand found the small of Lily’s back as they were led through the restaurant without a word, passing by several tables of well-dressed patrons. The woman veered to the right, taking them into a private section with wide wall-to-wall windows with a view of the quiet street at the side of the restaurant.
“Damian Rossi and his guest,” the woman said with a wave at Lily and her companion. She turned on her high black heels and disappeared back into the common dining area without so much as a smile.
Lily quickly took note of the people sitting at a long table. Several tables must have been pushed together for the meal as it looked more like a board meeting than a private dinner. Lily’s uncle Ben sat alongside Terrance Trentini. Laurent Rossi and his wife Serena sat across from the Outfit boss with Tommas at his father’s side. Lily hadn’t expected to see the Trentini sisters at the dinner, but both Abriella and Alessa sat in their respective chairs beside their mother and father on their grandfather’s side of the table. Joel, Abriella and Alessa’s brother, sipped from a glass of wine beside his father. Even the front boss for the Outfit was there, Riley Conti and his wife Mia as was Evelina and Adriano.
Considering the highest members of the Outfit had been invited to the dinner along with their family members, Lily had to wonder if this was more than just a regular meal. The table was empty of food, but everybody had a glass of something to drink.
“Smile, Lily,” Damian said quietly as Terrance rose from his seat to greet the two newcomers.
“You’re late,” Tommas said, reaching over to grab a bread stick from the basket.
“Lily had a chance to meet the dancers after the ballet and I couldn’t very well let her pass up that offer.”
“Of course not,” Terrance replied as he rounded the table. “Was the ballet good?”
“Very,” Lily said, plastering a smile on her face for Damian’s sake.
Her comment about the ballet wasn’t a lie, but her smile for Terrance was. Lily still couldn’t manage to feel comfortable around this man. He had ordered the hit on her parents all those years ago and her heart wouldn’t let it go.
Terrance grabbed Lily’s hand, squeezed gently, and then leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. She suppressed the disgust and the immediate anger rolling hard in her stomach when Terrance finally released her and took a step back.
Damian’s hand on her lower back pressed gently, reminding Lily he was there. For whatever reason, she was appreciative for his silent, knowing support.
“You look lovely, Lily,” Terrance said.
“Thank you.”
“I’m glad to see you were able to steal Lily away from Dino for the evening,” Terrance said to Damian, smiling widely.
“He was headed to the south end for a pickup, so he didn’t mind me stealing her away for the night,” Damian said.
Lily’s brow furrowed. She didn’t remember Dino mentioning anything about work. In fact, she was pretty sure he had planned to stay in for the night and watch a rerun marathon of one of his favorite TV shows. Then again, Dino didn’t tell Lily a lot about his job as a Capo for the Outfit. Probably for the better, really.
“Sit, sit,” Terrance demanded with a wave at the table. “I’ll have Laurent let the servers know we’re ready for the food to be brought in.”
“You already ordered?” Damian asked.
“A buffet spread. There’ll be more than enough to choose from.”
Terrance took his seat as Damian’s uncle stood from his. Lily accepted the greetings from everyone else at the table while Damian pulled out her chair, tucked it into the table, and then took the open one beside hers.
Serena Rossi sat directly across from Lily and sipped on red wine like it was water. Actually, everyone at the table had a glass of wine, even Adriano Conti who wasn’t old enough to be drinking.
Lily couldn’t help but notice how Abriella and Tommas avoided looking at one another at all costs. While quiet chatter passed over the table as a large spread of food was brought in to be served, the two only spoke to each other if they had to. No one but Lily seemed to notice.
They played their parts well.
How long would that last?
“What ballet?” Evelina asked from down the table.
Lily smiled. “Giselle.”
“Oh. I love that one. How old were we the first time we all saw it together?”
“Eight, maybe,” Lily said. “Didn’t a group of us go? I can’t remember.”
“Yes, we all went,” Evelina replied.
“All?”
Evelina nodded. “A bunch of us—you and Theo, me, Adriano, Abriella, and—”
“Me,” Damian interjected in that dark tenor of his.
Lily stilled in her seat, catching Damian’s stare with her own. Why didn’t she remember that? It wasn’t the first time someone said Damian had been around when Lily was younger, but she just couldn’t find those memories. The truth was, Lily had spent so much time trying to wipe away those first few years after her parents’ murder that apparently, it worked.
“Did you?” Lily asked Damian.
“Yes and I hated it.”
Lily laughed. “Why?”
“I was a teenage boy with better things to do,” Damian said, grinning.
“Did you hate it today, too?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Lily believed him. But if she were honest, Damian spent more time staring at her during the ballet than he did watching the show. At least, it sure seemed that way.
“Damian was staying with us then,” Riley said offhandedly as he reached for a bottle of unopened wine chilling in a bucket. “For a couple of months around that time, I think. Wasn’t he, Mia?”
Mia Conti nodded. “Yes, he was.”
Damian stiffened, shooting his aunt and uncle a look across the table. Neither Laurent nor Serena seemed to notice the tension Riley’s statement seemingly caused for Damian. Lily had.
“You were quiet as a boy,” Riley added.
Terrance laughed loudly. “Ah, yes, Ghost preferred to be in the shadows even as a child, didn’t you?”
Damian’s tense back didn’t relax as he said, “Something of that nature.”
Joel scoffed down the way. “He’s still fucking quiet.”
“Joel,” Abriella chided. “Come on, watch your mouth at the table at least.”
“You’re one to talk,” Joel muttered. “Seriously though, Damian is still quiet now like he was when he was a kid. Makes a guy edgy sometimes; that’s all I’m saying. How far can you trust a quiet man?”
Terrance cocked a brow. “You might learn something from Damian, Joel, if you took the time to pay more attention. Like the fact that listening instead of running his mouth gets him a hell of a lot further.”
“To where, Grandpapa?” Joel tipped his chin in Damian’s direction. Lily felt second-hand offended just at the sight alone. “Where the hell has it gotten him, then?”
Damian reached for two over turned, cleaned wine glasses and handed one to Lily. “Well, I’m still alive, aren’t I?”
“That’s supposed to be a feat?” Joel asked snidely.
“I’d say so.”
“Why is that?”
Damian took the opened wine bottle and poured a glass for him and Lily. His silence only seemed to irk Joel Trentini more.
“Damian, I asked a question,” Joel said.
Lily caught Damian’s smirk out of the corner of her eye before her fiancé said, “How many other men can say the same?”