Promised For Truce

Chapter 15

Bright orange from the traffic light glared in Nina's peripheral vision as she stole a glance at Luciano. It was the same action he had been doing a lot that day. The light switched to green and they continued driving back to their home.

Dinner with Severino and his wife was strenuous – no one showed it though. Luciano and Nina were spectators to the married couple throwing passive-aggressive comments at each other. Eventually, Nina took on the job of diffusing some of the tension and succeeded.

One thing Nina couldn't ignore during their visit was how Luciano's attention stayed on her at all times and while it didn't interfere with her inherent sophisticated front, it did do something on the inside.

Once they arrived at the mansion, Nina climbed the curved stairs while Luciano stayed behind to have a word with a guard. She went to stand by the vanity mirror, took the bobby pins out of her updo and one by one, luscious locks fell down her back. Thanks to the mirror, she caught Luciano walking up to her from behind. She mentally prepared herself, her inner-voice repeating that she stay calm.

"Thank you for what you did at my cousin's place."

Her lashes fluttered as she looked downward. "It's the proper thing to do." She collected the pins in her palm and stowed them away.

"I know plenty of people that would have let the show continue on."

Nina raised a brow. "Like you did?"

"Something else occupied my mind."

"Yes, I noticed."

Luciano wanted nothing more than to break the icy facade she had mastered. He grabbed her by the arm and made her face him. "And yet you don't act like it."

Suddenly, it felt as if there wasn't enough oxygen for her to breathe.

His presence weighing heavy on her.

Their noses brushed against each other, her gaze flickered up to his eyes. They were half hooded, his desire for her almost feeling tangible. She let her own drop and noticed the ticking of his jaw. Then, her focus shifted to his lips. Nina wasn't sure what the cause of her next action was – be it his close proximity or the fact that he looked impeccable – but she closed the gap and gave him a kiss.

It was brief but the touch left a shimmering heat in its wake.

Nina began retreating but Luciano wasn't having any of it and so he stopped her from leaving what she started. "You shouldn't have done that." He cupped her face and let their lips collide once more.

Nina reciprocated, a daze falling over her. There was no denying how the feeling of him against her ignited a fire inside her. After a bit, she broke the kiss, needing to take a breath.

"Drawing the line?"

She brought her hands up to his and gently made him lower them. "I'm going to shower."

"Is that an invite?"

Judging by the tone in his voice, Nina could tell he wasn't serious but still told him that it wasn't.

* * *

Nina spread the newspaper out on the countertop, only reading articles that piqued her interest. She turned the page, the image of a running brown horse with its jockey on the far left corner and recognized him. Lancelot, the horse, had won the last couple of races as well. Nina breathed a sigh knowing the animal would be drugged. The last section of the write-up was left unread when Luciano appeared in front of her.

He didn't leave for work yet?

Her assumption was only natural since he wasn't next to her under the covers – the usual. From her peripheral vision, she noticed him gravitating toward her but kept her gaze on the papers. Not reading a single word yet acting like she did.