Fear flickered in her eyes, and he watched as the color drained from her face. A faint bruise peeked out from beneath her turtleneck the mark he’d left on her the night before. Marcello's gaze lingered a moment too long, wondering what the scar beneath her collarbone looked like now. She was hiding it he was sure of it.

Behind them, Mattia smirked, openly amused as he studied her too.

“No,” her voice trembled, barely audible, as Marcello silently assessed her. He’d anticipated that ...