Page 292 of Alessio

He’d been wrong.

Ginevra was not a mess.

He was.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Corrado had to physically hold himself back from reaching out to touch her. Because if he did that, there was no telling what might happen next. He couldn’t trust himself around this woman, and as it was, he had already crossed a big line.

Jumped it, really.

“And you look quite handsome,” she said, her hand coming up to flatten the edge of the lapel on his suit. “Your vest and tie matches my dress … was that planned?”

“Probably. I had it sent up by the same woman who picked out your dress.”

Ginevra made an appreciative noise. “Just how much money do you have, Corrado?”

He laughed, grateful for the change in topic. “Me, specifically? Or my Guzzi money?”

“Is there a difference?”

Corrado smirked. “A little, yeah.”

“Which has more?”

“The Guzzi side of me. Saying the Guzzi family is vastly wealthy does not even come close to describing how much money we have.” Corrado tipped his head toward the door, saying, “Come on, then, and we’ll get going.”

Corrado couldn’t help but put his hand to her lower back, all the while becoming painfully aware of the crisscrossed opened back of the dress she wore at the same time. Doing his best to control the darker urges climbing through his body, he directed them out of the penthouse, and toward the bank of elevators at the end of the hall.

Ginevra said nothing as the elevator dropped lower. He figured he should probably give her a heads up about what to expect for the night, or rather … the rules he needed for her to follow so that she was safe, and so was her identity.

“If anyone asks, you give your nickname or first name,” he said, “but absolutely not your surname, do you understand?”

Ginevra nodded. “Sure.”

“Say you come from New Jersey, they won’t know the difference. We’re old friends. That’s all you need to say. I will handle my family, if they ask, and I’m sure they will. Nosy bast—”

“Be nice.”

His gaze cut to her.

She winked.

Corrado chuckled. “You say that now.”

“Actually, I say it because I think you must have an amazing family that they’re willing to throw you a birthday party when you’re … how old are you again?”

“I turned twenty-three twelve days ago.”

Ginevra nibbled on her bottom lip.

Corrado’s cock felt that.

Fuck.

Tonight was going to be hell.

Absolute hell.