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“What are you doing?” I asked after my eyes had done a quick scan of Nevio’s marvelous body as I always did. It was impossible for me not to check him out, but I made sure to only skim the tattoo on his back because I simply didn’t want to see it grow.
“I’m grabbing a quick shower.” The way he said it made heat rise into my cheeks.
“You could sleep in the bathroom. Maybe there’s room in the tub.”
Nevio moved into the bathroom with a low chuckle. “Are you scared of sharing a bed with me, Rory?” He threw me a look over his shoulders, his dark eyes full of challenge.
I held his gaze. “No,” I said firmly. “I simply don’t want to.” It wasn’t the truth. Part of me was scared of being in a bed with Nevio, not because of what he might do—no matter what Nevio was, he’d always respect my no—but of what I might want him to do. I didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole again. I felt like I was finally making some progress with my emotions and didn’t want to ruin it all. Nevio disappeared in the bathroom but left the door about an inch open.
I wasn’t sure if he did it because he was vigilant or as another way to unsettle me.
I sank down on the bed, suddenly tired. Battista rolled over on his belly in his sleep but didn’t move apart from that. He’d definitely have to sleep between Nevio and me so he wouldn’t fall off the bed and also to act as a barrier between us.
I took my phone out of my purse, which I hadn’t done in almost two hours. I had gotten eight texts. Three from Carlotta, one from Adamo, one from Alessio, two from Mom and one from Dad.
I replied to Dad first because he was the one who’d send out the cavalry if I didn’t. Like Mom, he was just generally checking in like he did every day. Adamo’s and Alessio’s texts had arrived after Nevio’s message to them. And Carlotta was worried Nevio had done something because I hadn’t replied to her first text from almost two hours ago.
I wondered how much I should share with her, but a message or even a phone call seemed too risky for the news. She would eventually find out, and I knew she wouldn’t be impressed. I simply messaged her that I was okay but needed to talk to her urgently tomorrow regarding our move into our shared apartment, then I put my phone down on the nightstand.
I didn’t have any spare clothes to change into. They were all in the campervan, and there was no way I was going to sleep in my underwear next to Nevio, even with a baby between us.
Not going to happen…
Since there was only one cover and Battista was lying on top of it, I’d probably just sleep with today’s clothes on top too. It wouldn’t be a restful night I supposed. I wasn’t sure what Battista’s rhythm was but I assumed he’d wake for a bottle at least once at night.
Not to mention that Nevio was in a bed with me.
I slipped off my sneakers, then stretched out beside Battista. This felt surreal in a way I could hardly describe. When I’d thought I might be pregnant, I had been terrified of the responsibility of raising a child. Now I was in the same situation, only it was another woman’s child.
I turned my head to Battista who had his chubby cheeks turned to me as he slept on his belly. It was hard to believe that Nevio was a father. He was responsible for this boy. I didn’t think he really understood what that meant yet.
I closed my eyes, allowing myself to rest even as my nerves were too frayed to fall asleep right away. The creak of the door told me that Nevio was done showering and had entered the bedroom again.
“I really hope you’re decent,” I muttered, keeping my eyes closed just in case.
“I’m many things, Rory, but not decent,” he said, and from his voice, I could tell he was coming closer. My pulse spiked as it always did when he was near.
“There’s nothing you haven’t already seen.”
“For your information, I didn’t really pay close attention to that part of you.”
“That’s a great loss.”
“Your drunkenness and obnoxiousness were kind of distracting.”
The bed dipped. Definitely on my side and I felt a light pressure against my hip where some part of him touched me. “Then why did you have sex with me?”
My cheeks burned. I had asked myself that question hundreds of times since that night. It wasn’t even that it had been my plan to sleep with him. Not that night. I’d always wanted to be in a relationship with Nevio and take one step after the other. I opened my eyes and glared at him. “Because I thought—”
Nevio perched on the edge in his boxers and nothing else. His muscled back was turned my way and he was twisting around to look at me. His dark eyes weren’t mocking as his tone had suggested. They were curious.
“You thought?”
“Never mind,” I said with a shake of my head.
Nevio braced one arm beside my other hip, leaning half over me. “If you wanted to have a good time, you could have asked.”
I pursed my lips. “You would have never touched me if you’d known it was me that night. And what we had was far from a good time, so no thanks.”
