Page 115 of Jude

Still brazen, he stared at Sofia like a prime rib-eye he’d let slip off his plate, making his attraction to her ridiculously obvious.

Sofia explained our trip in Italian, switching back to English to keep me in the loop.

She seemed oblivious to Gio’s unmasked lust, but I recognized a man-whore on the hunt because I used to be one.

When they shared an intimate laugh, I drew the line in the sand.

‘We need to get on,’ I grunted, spinning Sofia around to cut the interaction short.

Gio leaned in for one last cheek kiss, but the death glare I pinned on his eyes stopped him dead in his tracks.

He swallowed hard, raising both palms in surrender.

‘Ciao, bellissima,’ he murmured before turning his eyes onto me. ‘You’re a tiger, man. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t try anything with your kind of energy.’

‘Grateful,’ I growled.

A touch of genuine respect for me gleamed in his eyes as he offered us a quick bow, blew Sofia a kiss, and retreated to his entourage.

‘Who the fuck was that?’ I growled the second we cleared earshot.

‘We dated a long time ago. He’s a major star on Italian soap operas, Jude,’ Sofia explained as we made our way down the narrow street.

‘How’d you even cross paths with a guy like that?’ I murmured, my jaw clenching tight.

‘In Naples, years ago,’ she murmured, waving her hand in dismissal while dodging the details.

I sensed she was keeping something from me, keeping her lips sealed.

Brooding about it, I fell silent, oblivious to the look of concern Sofia shot me.

As we passed an ancient, carved fountain, she stopped without warning.

Spinning around, her hands encircled my waist while gazing up at me.

‘Forget Gio,’ Sofia whispered, her eyes shining in the moonlight. ‘Jude Valenti, you’re the only man I’ve got the hots for.’

I dragged my eyes over her face, searching for secrets.

I came up empty, wrecked by the pull she had on me.

‘Well, Mrs. Valenti, that’s what I need to hear.’

She pulled my neck down, her mouth claiming mine in a thorough, scorching kiss that wiped every trace of my irritation.

I molded her soft body to mine right there in the middle of the street, deepening the kiss until my head spun.

A group of tourists wandering past us burst into loud whistles and hoots, breaking our trance.

We parted, our soft laughter echoing off the ancient stone walls as we wrapped our arms around each other and walked away into the warm Roman night.

SOFIA

Bumping into Gio threw me off.

Years ago, we’d dated for six months until his clingy, overly obsessive behavior threw me off.

We lost touch after I fled Naples.