My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 278

Chapter 278

“Is this a friend of yours, baby?” I asked, as I didn’t look at Victoria.

Dante finally glanced at her, “Something like that. Gianna, this is Victoria, and Victoria, this is Gianna, my girlfriend.”

Victoria’s face tightened. She looked at my dress and her eyes flashed with a bitter, green heat, “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone, Dante. It’s been… what? Two weeks since we last spoke?”

“Has it?” Dante asked, raising an eyebrow. He turned back to me, “I haven’t really been keeping track of the days. I’ve been a little… occupied.”

I let out a soft giggle, “Occupied is an understatement,” I whispered, “You’ve barely let me out of bed long enough to get dressed for this opening, Dante. It’s actually exhausting obsessed you are with me.”

Dante’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second, I had clearly gone off-script but he recovered like a pro. He let out a low, dark chuckle and kissed the top of my head, “You weren’t exactly complaining, were you?”

“Never,”

“I breathed, finally turning my head just enough to give Victoria a small, pitying smile. “It’s so nice to meet you, Victoria. Dante has mentioned… well, actually, he hasn’t mentioned you at all.”

Victoria’s face went through three different shades of purple. She looked like she had just swallowed a whole lemon, rind and all. Her hand tightened on her designer clutch so hard I thought the leather might actually scream.

“I think my husband is looking for me,” she snapped. She didn’t wait for a reply. She turned on her heels and marched off, her back so stiff she looked like she was made of wood.

The second she was out of earshot, I felt Dante’s chest cave in as he let out a massive, shaky breath.

“Holy shit, Gianna,” he whispered, “That was cold. That was ‘bury-the-body-in-the-basement’ cold. I think I actually saw her soul leave her body when you mentioned the bed thing.”

He had it rested firmly against the small of her back. His fingers were spread wide, one of his fingers slightly caressing her skin. It was the exact same spot where I could still feel the phantom heat of his touch from our private moments.

Seeing those long, capable fingers guiding another woman through a room felt… strange.

A sharp, cold twinge of unease sparked in my chest. It wasn’t just a bad feeling, it was a bitter, metallic taste in my mouth that made the champagne turn sour on my tongue.

This is why the rules mattered!

We had a deal. An arrangement that kept the world simple. But seeing him out here, in the bright light of the gallery, playing the part of the perfect gentleman for someone else, changed everything.

Doing what we were doing, sliding into each other’s beds while trying to live separate lives in the sun, was turning out to be harder than I thought it would.

I looked away quickly, my heart beating hard against my ribs.