AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So you liked it?” she asked, breaking the silence.
He dragged himself higher on the bed, collapsing on her breasts instead. “Love you,” he mumbled, closing his eyes.
The joy of her laughter slid inside him as she hugged his head close, and his body slipped into sleep.
Chapter 30
Vespa shifted nervously as she gripped the container Nera had given her in one hand and knocked in two hard jabs with the other. The door opened quickly, as if the person had been waiting for her arrival, which was true enough. Vespa had called ahead.
Nerves skittered through her as she grunted out a ‘hello’ and considered running.
Alina smiled at her, pulling the door open wider. “Come in.”
Vespa crossed the threshold to Alina and Luka’s house, pushing the container toward Alina. “Here. Nera said these were Luka’s favorites.”
“Strawberry tarts then.” Alina led them into a cozy living room. “He’ll love them. Would you like one?”
“Hell no.” Vespa cleared her throat as she cringed. “Sorry. I’m just not hungry.”
“That’s okay,” Alina said.
Luka materialized out of a doorway to take the container from her, his gloved hand brushing along Alina’s fingers as he did.
“Hey, you!” Vespa called when he would have disappeared. “Thanks again for all you did. Seriously.”
Luka hesitated, his gaze not landing on her. He gave a firm nod, then slipped toward what looked like a kitchen.
“You’ve already said ‘thank you,’ Vespa,” Alina reminded her. “A few times.”
“Yeah, I know.” Vespa gripped her bun as she prowled away from the woman, her gaze drawn to a painting. It was of Giovanni Di Salvo, and it looked strikingly accurate. His eyes even had that cold, distant feel he wore, though Vespa had noticed they always softened for his wife.
“I’m just really fucking grateful,” she said. “Luka went above and beyond for us.”
“It’s okay, Vespa. You’re not indebted to us. I was the one who wanted him to protect you.” Alina’s smile fell, and she looked more remote but still so serene as she moved to where she’d set up an easel. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to save the man I love.”
Vespa sighed. “You keep saying that, but I barely did anything. I should have gone with you and provided backup. I regret that, and now, with all Luka did, things have gotten all upside down.” She gestured toward the easel. “Are you sure this is what you want from me?”
Alina had asked her to visit so she could paint her likeness. It weirded Vespa the fuck out, but she found she had trouble saying no to this woman when Alina had cornered her at the Di Salvo estate to ask.
Vespa had been staying over there more often lately, often enough that Antonio had cleaned out a few drawers for her and a couple of her suits hung in his closet. She tried not to think too hard about it or about how his own suits had made it into her closet.
Alina and Luka didn’t come to the Di Salvo estate as frequently as she’d thought. Vespa had been wanting to do something for the couple in repayment, and being asked to model for a painting was fitting in a way. Repaying a debt should always be a little uncomfortable.
Alina gestured to the opposite wall of the living room. “I haven’t been able to get you quite right. It’s been driving me crazy.”
Vespa turned, her brows drawing together as she saw the lined-up canvases. She approached them more hesitantly than she would an enemy with a gun. Seeing her own likeness was disconcerting. “I don’t look that soft,” she muttered.
Alina stepped closer to study them as well. “I have that problem with the people I like.”
“You like me?” Vespa rubbed at her nose as her cheeks flushed. Being told that made her feel warm and nauseous all at once. “Look, me and Antonio are a thing now, and you’ve got that assassin.”
Alina laughed. “Not like that. Luka is the only one for me. I’m grateful toward you, that’s true, but every time I run into you, I realize all over again how great you are. I’m nothing like you.”
Vespa barked out a laugh. “Alina, you don’t want to be like me.”
“No. I’m learning to like who I am.” Her soft smile returned. “It’s easier when someone loves you.”
The words pierced Vespa, and she thought of Antonio. The man had a permanent space in her mind. “Shit. You’re right,” she mumbled.
