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I couldn’t hold back anymore and reached out for him, laying one hand hesitantly on his arm. It was ridiculous for me to be worried about touching him. We’d been closer than that, but I didn’t want to push something onto Nino if he didn’t want it just because it would have helped me.
His eyes zeroed in on me, and he lifted his arm so I could move closer, and I snuggled up to him, my hand coming to rest on his hard abs. I wished I knew if this was something he wanted, something he needed, or if he did it for me as part of his simulated affection.
I didn’t dare ask him what had caused this episode, or what he had seen in his mind to bring him to his knees like that, but the question burned on my tongue. Maybe one day he would tell me.
CHAPTER 21
KIARA
We stayed in bed until midday, and for once, I woke before Nino. I was wedged against his side as usual, and he looked peaceful sleeping, no sign of last night’s episode visible on his face. His cheek bone was swollen with a bluish tint as expected, but it didn’t make Nino less attractive. For some reason this small blemish on his perfect face made him even more beautiful.
He stirred and opened his eyes. I smiled at him. “How do you feel?”
He remained silent for a few heartbeats. “Different.”
“Different?” I echoed, confused, but he didn’t elaborate. He untangled himself from the blankets and sat up with a slight wince, his palm pressing up against his ribs.
“Do you need something for the pain?”
“No,” he said. “It’ll fade. And pain is a good motivator. Next time I’ll have to be better so my opponent doesn’t land hits like this.”
I climbed out of bed as well and hovered beside him. “Will you go swimming?”
Nino nodded. “It’ll help with the tiredness.”
I grabbed my book and put on my bathrobe while Nino put on his swim trunks. He didn’t bother going into the bathroom anymore. We were past that point. We headed outside in silence, and I took my usual place in the lounge chair while Nino dove into the water. His movements weren’t as rhythmic or as smooth as usual. He drove himself harder than ever before, swimming fast and almost angrily. I wasn’t sure how one could swim angrily, but it sure looked like it.
I put my book down and stood to get a better view. Nino’s breaths were short, less controlled, as he swam one round after the other. This was a much longer swimming session than his daily thirty minutes. Worry gnawed at me as I watched him overexert him as if he was trying to swim away from something.
Finally, he stopped and held himself against the wall of the pool, his chest heaving, panting. He pushed himself out of the water, inked arms flexing, and staggered to his feet. I handed him his towel, and he pressed it against his face. When he lowered it to dry the rest of his body, the calm returned to his expression, but it looked wrong. Off. I couldn’t even pinpoint why.
“Let’s go inside. I’ll make us something to eat.”
Nino didn’t bother changing out of his swim trunks, and he followed me into the kitchen. I began to gather everything needed to make pancakes. The sounds of the clanking pots had Remo joining us. He was dressed and looked surprisingly well rested despite my intrusion last night.
His eyes darted from me to Nino, who was reading the news on his phone without looking up. Remo moved to my side, as usual ignoring my personal space as his hip bumped against mine. He watched me whip together the batter.
“How’s he doing?” he murmured, his dark eyes filled with worry.
I paused because that sight still got to me. “I don’t know. He’s still acting weird.”
Remo moved to the kitchen table and sank down in a chair across from Nino. “So are you up for work today?”
Nino put down his phone and looked up. “What do you have in mind?”
“We caught two Outfit bastards. I thought we could get some information out of them. When we’re done, we can send them back to Cavallaro in a few nicely wrapped packages. What do you think? Will a nice round of torture lift your spirits?” Remo smiled twistedly.
Was he being serious? Did he really want to involve Nino in something this brutal when he wasn’t quite himself? “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Both Nino and Remo glanced my way. Nino furrowed his brows in an almost confused expression while Remo had murder on his face. I was growing used to it.
“You better remember your place,” Remo said harshly.
Nino met my gaze. “Your worry is unnecessary, Kiara.”
I doubted it, but I kept my mouth shut and prepared the pancakes, dividing them between three plates, and carried them over to the table.
