His hand drifted down her back, and she stiffened. It was the softest touch, but oh, how it excited her, and she could barely keep her whimper to herself as his hand settled on the small of her back. Slowly, carefully, like she was as fragile as porcelain, he pulled her close to him, closer and closer until her breasts were pressed against his chest—
Oh.
Her nipples pebbled against her dress, and she heard Angelo draw his breath at the contact.
“Just one question, tesoro,” he whispered, “before I take you to my bedroom to fuck.”
Eeeeeeh. She squeezed her eyes shut. Did he seriously expect her mind to function when he kept saying the sexiest things? “What kind of question?” she asked nervously. “Because I’m not that good at science and math—”
His chuckle tickled her ear. “Nothing that complicated. I do want to fuck you, you know.”
Her toes curled harder.
“It’s simple, really.”
Thank God.
“Who is Ray?”
Chapter Fourteen
Anyone could have heard the penny dropping at the strangely tense silence that followed Angelo’s question. Disappointment seared Angelo at the time it took Lane to answer, and his hand slowly dropped from her back.
He stepped away from her, and a muscle started ticking in his jaw when he saw her stunned expression. If she was going to pretend she didn’t know any Ray, he might just kill her. That or fuck the memory out of her, and then fuck her some more to make her forget any other man existed.
“Aren’t you going to answer me?”
Lane almost jumped back when she saw the fury that flashed in Angelo’s eyes. What was wrong?
“Well?”
“I’m sorry,” she stammered, his cold tone making her even more nervous, and the worse thing was, she didn’t even know what she had to be nervous about. She asked slowly, “Are you talking a-about my Ray—”
“What did you say?”
This time, Lane did jump back. His dangerously soft tone made such a frightening sound she wished he had shouted instead. Swallowing, she shook her head, unsure of what he wanted to hear—
“Did you say your Ray?” Angelo wanted to rip someone’s head off. He had once been dismissive of crimes of passion, thinking that anyone with genuine intellect couldn’t possibly be ruled by their emotions.
But now he knew it could happen…because it was happening to him this very moment.
My Ray? She had called him my Ray?
Violence threatened to erupt from him, and if that fucking Ray had been in the same room, the other man would have been dead.
Lane almost jumped again at the way Angelo’s gaze suddenly pinned her to the spot.
He said grimly, “Tell me who this Ray is.”
She shook her head.
“Tell me!”
“Not until you tell me why you’re so mad,” she cried out.
“You dare—” Rage and disbelief had him at a loss for words. “Are you seriously asking me that? Why the hell else would I ask—”
“I don’t know! I just don’t know, and all I know is that you’re acting weird—”
“What did you expect?” he spat. “You called him your Ray—”
“Because I wanted to be sure we’re talking about the same man—”
“Of course we’re talking about the same fucking Ray,” Angelo snapped.
This time, Lane backed away until she was at the opposite side of the room. His inexplicable fury making her anxious and terrified for Ray, she tried to sound reasonable as she said, “Just tell me what you think he did first.”
“Why? Because you’re worried I’d kill him?”
“Yes!”
And so the truth was out, he thought grimly. She cared that much for Ray.
“W-what did you expect? That I wouldn’t care?”
“Yes.” He laughed humorlessly. “Stupid of me, isn’t it?”
“He’s my stepfather, Angelo. I can’t just—” She trailed off, noticing the way Angelo suddenly stiffened.
“What,” he asked slowly, “did you say?”
Her lips tightened mutinously. Here they go again, another trick question to make her say something incriminating—
“Did you just say he was your stepfather?”
She gazed at him warily. Was that the trick question? Was this just like his situation with the girl and he was about to tell her he had another skeleton in the closet, and it was a secret relative—
“Answer me.”
“Yes!” She straightened, ready to verbally defend Ray.
“Dio.” Angelo looked at her like he wanted to strangle her. “Do you know the entire time I thought he was your lover?”