Chapter 22 : Same Gem, Different Sides  

Renato POV:

The silence after the kiss didn't last as long as I wanted it to.

I pulled back slightly, catching the faint trace of spice still clinging to his skin, garlic, something citrus underneath it, the unmistakable evidence of an actual meal he'd cooked with actual effort. For Jack. I filed that particular detail away with more irritation than the situation probably deserved.

"So." I let my gaze drift toward the kitchen, toward the abandoned plates still sitting there. "Blondy gets a home