Page 148 of The Art of Ruin

Isabella grabs my hand and squeezes it gently, offering me what she knows I need.

“Adriano is the opposite. He notices everything. If my energy dips slightly, he notices. If I’m cramping, suddenly there’s tea beside me and a heating pad plugged in before I’ve even fully processed what’s happening myself.”

Three nights ago, I fell asleep on the couch while he was working and woke up in his bed wearing one of his shirts because apparently, he carried me upstairs rather than wake me.

The memory still does stupid things to my chest.

“He’s a good man,” Isabella says softly.

I look over at her.

There’s no teasing in her expression now.

Just certainty.

“I know,” I say quietly.

The terrifying thing is—I think I’m starting to feel something for him, to trust him.

When I get backto the brownstone just after lunch, warmth hits me immediately the second I step inside. The house smells faintly of coffee and cinnamon and something sweet Letty has probably convinced someone to bake with her. Before I can even take my boots off properly, a small blur of dark curls launches directly at me.

“Casey!”

I barely manage to catch Letty before she collides fully into me, laughing as I steady us both. “Well, hello to you too.”

“We’re going to the park,” she announces breathlessly, already grabbing my hand. “Daddy said we can get hot chocolate after and maybe feed squirrels but only if the squirrels are nice.”

I blink once. “Aren’t all squirrels nice?”

“No, some bite people,” Adriano says dryly from somewhere behind her.

My pulse betrays me instantly at the sound of his voice.

God.

A week in and my body reacts to him like it’s addicted.

He’s standing near the kitchen doorway, phone pressed to one ear, dark sweater pushed up slightly at the forearms while his expression remains cool and unreadable in a way I’ve learned usually means business. He’s so handsome he makes me dizzy.

“No,” he says into the phone, voice colder than it was a second ago with Letty. “Pull the contracts. I don’t care what it costs him.”

Something sharp flickers briefly through his expression.

Then he looks up and sees me watching and his features morph into a devastating smile. The entire thing happens instantly, naturally, like seeing me brightened his day.

His gaze moves slowly over me, warmth replacing the coldness from before so quickly it steals my breath for a second.

“Call Matteo,” he says distractedly before ending the conversation entirely.

“Hi,” I say softly, suddenly very aware Letty is still holding my hand.

His mouth curves slightly.

Small enough that most people probably wouldn’t even notice it.

I do. I notice everything about this man.

“Hi.”