Page 10 of Thin Lines (Donati Bloodlines 2)

Ray Missotti strolled into the living room with aglass of brandy in each hand. “Why don’t you have your mouth full of liquoryet, boss?”

“I’m working on that, cafone,” Affonso replied.“I was waiting on you to correct the problem, and you finally have. It took youlong enough.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Affonso muttered something in Emma’s ear, earning hima quick nod from his wife. Then, the Don was gone from Emma’s side without asmuch as a goodbye to Calisto.

It wasn’t like Calisto minded.

Emma fidgeted, twisting her fingers together as shewatched her husband go. Her restless actions screamed of her nervousness, evenif her expression was a blank slate. It bothered him in a way he couldn’texplain that Emma didn’t want to be near him, no matter her reasons.

“Well, I should—”

“Wait,” Calisto said, stopping her before she couldmake an excuse to leave him.

“Sì?”

Her jade gaze met his, unashamed. She stared at himlike it didn’t bother her a bit that he was here, like maybe it didn’t hurther. She didn’t seem like she was embarrassed at his presence or knowing thathe had spent hours learning what her body looked like when she was wearingnothing but her skin. He wondered how well she remembered what it felt like tobe wrapped up in him.

For the first time in months, Calisto felt better.Like maybe he could breathe again. He wondered all over again why he had beenavoiding this woman when his only reasons for doing so were purely selfish.

Doing what you did with her the first timewas selfish, too,his mind taunted.

Calisto pushed his inner thoughts away. “How are youdoing?”

Emma lifted a single manicured brow high. “Fine, Cal.”

“Just fine?”

“Affonso treats me well, if that’s what you’reasking.”

“It was.”

Emma smiled. “And it wasn’t at the same time, right?”

“Something like that.”

“Don’t worry about me,” she told him.

The words slipped from Calisto’s lips before he couldstop them. “I don’t seem to have much of a choice on the matter. I tried notto, but it didn’t do me much good.”

Emma didn’t bat a lash. “That’s a problem you’ll haveto deal with, isn’t it?”

Damn.

Her words had sliced right through his tough-as-steelexterior, and cut him deep. Calisto supposed, after everything that happenedand all that he did, he didn’t deserve much else from Emma. She owed himnothing.

“I guess it is,” Calisto finally said.

“Have a good evening, Cal. Thanks for coming.”

Emma hadn’t even smiled when she said it. She justwalked away, in the same direction that Affonso had gone earlier, without evenlooking over her shoulder.

Strangely, Calisto was grateful.

Emma’s resentment and rejection were easier to swallowthan her kindness. He could take the girl’s anger and her distance. He’d earnedthose things when he forced her from her life, let her get too close, and thenhanded her off like she meant nothing to him. Her attention and kindness was adifferent matter altogether. They didn’t belong to him now that Emma wasmarried.

They hadn’t belonged to him before.