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She didn’t want them to fall in front of an audience so she quickly glanced around the table as she searched for an escape. It registered that both Dante and Lucia watched her, but she ignored that as she stood and without a word to anyone, walked out of the kitchen. It took all that she had not to run up to Mateo’s room. She walked quickly though, once she was out of sight.
Inside the room, she closed the door and slid down it. Tears ran down her cheeks and she let them run. She took in the breath that she couldn’t catch in the kitchen and tried to wipe her face clean to no avail.
Why did she have to accept the job with Mateo in the first place?
You know why! College tuition.
All her heartache could have been avoided if she hadn’t needed a job to stay in college. Even having her college fees paid via a scholarship, she still had to live. The engaged gig paid far more than the job she’d actually applied for. She’d brought everything on herself. She shouldn’t complain, or act like a child having a tantrum when she was ignored because of her past behavior.
Chapter Seven
“I’m not doing that again.” Dante placed his arms on the table and snagged one of Emelia’s hands in his own. “Caprice didn’t look the same woman who usually gets our backs up. She looked…hurt.”
“But—” Emelia started and Dante shook his head.
“Em, honey. You didn’t see her face before she left, but I did. She looked seconds from having a melt down.”
Mateo glanced around the table and realized that none of his family looked happy about what they’d done. He was so tired of everything. Until the accident, he hadn’t really been home much, so other than the engagement announcement, he hadn’t lied to his family about Caprice.
They weren’t stupid and knew something else was going on, but he’d never given anything away. Sometime, he wondered if the hassle of being engaged was worth it after how she’d been with them.
“I agree,” his mom added. “She looked and acted differently than she had in the past. She even looked younger than twenty-seven.” She raised a brow at Mateo.
“Don’t look at me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t you know how old she is?”
He gave a noncommittal murmur as his mom carried on, “She looked like a young girl who we hurt with our rudeness… In the morning, I want everyone to give her another chance and see how she is. Eric and Sylvia arrive tomorrow as well, so I don’t want anything getting in the way of this wedding.”
“Mom, you sure you trust her?” Diego asked.
“All I know is that young woman who just left this room in tears was not the same woman who was here at Thanksgiving…Mateo, it hurts to see her in tears and knowing that she’s alone up there.” She frowned at him.
He groaned inwardly at the reproach in his mom’s eyes. She probably wondered why he hadn’t gone after her straightaway.
“I hear you.” The last place he wanted to go was upstairs, but since he’d picked her up at the airport, he’d felt like he was in the twilight zone. Nothing about Caprice felt right this trip and he didn’t know what to do to change that. Not that he wanted queen bitch back, but he felt unsettled and he hated it sitting heavily on his stomach. Plus, his dick wanted out to play when he was around her, which really screwed with his head.
He ran his hands through his hair as he approached the bedroom door with apprehension. He’d never done well with a woman’s tears and he certainly never expected to have to deal with Caprice’s.
On a heavy sigh, he shoved his bedroom door open and caught the back of Caprice as she disappeared into the bathroom. He was too quick for her though and propped his foot in the door. A ripe curse left his lips when it banged against his knee.
“Oh God, Mateo.” Caprice dropped to her knees in front of him and cradled his injured knee. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think you’d come after me.”
He clenched his teeth together, screwed his eyes tight and tried to ignore the pain that ran from his knee up to his thigh and back again…as well as the vision of her kneeling in front of him.
Moments later, his eyes snapped open when he finally registered the gentle caress of hands over his scarred skin.
So gentle.
He watched Caprice as she continued caressing his knee. His eyes strayed to her gaping top, which gave him a good view of her voluptuous breasts. He told himself that the twitch behind the zipper of his shorts was a natural reaction to having a beautiful woman on her knees in front of him…but it was hell.
“Does that feel any better?” Caprice sat, nearly wrapped around his leg, her face wet from her tears, eye level with his dick.
At least he didn’t have to calm a crying woman.
“Fine,” he quickly snapped and backed up to the bed before he dropped his ass down onto it. He rested his elbows on his thighs, his hands loose between his legs with his head dipped, but his eyes remained on Caprice.
He didn’t take them off her and watched as a blush started to coat her neck, running up to her face and her lovely smooth skin. Even after crying, she still looked beautiful.
