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“Aida,” I called, my voice rougher than I intended it to be. Both of their heads whipped around as they got to the bottom of the stairs. “I need to see you in my office.” I turned, not giving her the chance to tell me no. I was done with her defying me. She was going to listen to what I had to say whether she wanted to or not.
I walked across my office and to the bar cart, poured myself a whisky, then leaned against the front of my desk. I was calm, calmer than I had been for weeks. Maybe it was because I’d come to a decision? Maybe it was because I knew I couldn’t pretend I didn’t feel something for her. Or maybe it was because I was done listening to her silence.
My stomach rolled as her footsteps neared, and when she paused in the doorway, it took all of my strength not to stand and go to her. I was trying to act like this was just a normal conversation, but it wasn’t.
“Yes?”
Silence spread out, permeating the air with tension.
“How was your day?” I asked, lifting my glass to my lips and cursing. Why the hell did I just ask her that?
“It was fine.” She shrugged, her gaze moving to the desk I was leaning against. “I hope you cleaned that.”
I frowned. “What?” I stood, looking behind me. “Cleaned what?”
“Your desk.” I turned back to her, seeing her lips lift at the corners, but I knew it was one of her fake smiles, the ones she used when she was trying to put on a facade. But I saw through it. I always saw through it.
“Aida.” I let out a breath and placed my glass on the desk, trying not to remember fucking Veev on it. It had been an asshole move, I knew that, but nothing could change it. I was who I was, but maybe…maybe I didn’t want to be an asshole anymore, not to Aida anyway.
“Come with me to the gallery opening tomorrow night.” I stepped toward her. “We can go for dinner afterward.”
She snorted. “Hell to the no.” She planted her hand on her hip. “I’m sure Veev would like to go.” She winked, a move that I both hated and admired. “She’d never turn you down.”
“I don’t want to ask Veev,” I rushed out and stepped toward her. “I’m asking you.”
Aida stared at me, her light-brown eyes filling with fire. That was what I wanted. I wanted her to fight. I wanted her to have a reaction. Hope built in my chest. Hope that I hadn’t fucked things up completely. It was ironic. I’d spent over a month pushing her away and pulling her in just enough to keep her sated, but all it had taken was one moment in time to change everything. To change the way I saw her, to change the way I’d been taught to feel.
I advanced toward her again, getting so close that if I reached my arm out, I could just about touch her. But the move had her stepping back into the hallway, her eyes shutting down everything they’d displayed.
“I think I’ll pass.” She tilted her head and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Have fun, though.”
“Aida.” She spun around, her feet carrying her as fast as they could to the stairs. “Aida,” I ground out, frustrated beyond belief. “I swear to God, Aida.”
“You shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain,” she sang, climbing the stairs and looking back down at me. “Even Mafia bosses don’t have sway over the big guy up there.” She pointed at the ceiling and hiked her backpack higher on her shoulder, her gaze stuck to mine. I prayed that the fire and fight would come back, but it didn’t. She was blank, not giving a single thing away, and for the first time, I wondered if I’d gone too far.
Had I blown my chance? Had I pushed her too far away? I scraped my hand down my face, not knowing what to do. I’d tried to talk to her. I’d tried to ask her out nicely. I’d tried. Fuck, I’d tried. What else did she want me to do? What else could I do?
“Be yourself,” a voice said, and I spun on my heels, cursing myself for not being totally aware of my surroundings. I never let my guard down, but because of Aida, I had. This wasn’t good. None of this was good. But I couldn’t stop it.
“What?” I asked Sofia.
“Just be yourself.” She said it like it was so easy—like it would solve all of my problems. “You’re so used to having to prove yourself. You did it with Dad since you were a kid, and now that you’re the boss, you think you have to prove it to everyone else.” She shook her head. “You have nothing to prove, Lorenzo. Nothing at all.”
“You don’t get it,” I gritted out, trying to keep my patience, but it was wearing thin.
“Maybe I don’t.” She shrugged. “But I know you slept together.” She raised her brows. “And I know she deserves to see the real you. Not the you that you’re trying to portray. She needs to see the Lorenzo we know. The one who is kind. The one who would go to war for the people he loves.” She stepped closer to me, her hand resting over my chest. “The one who thinks with his heart and not his warped mind.”
“Sofia,” I murmured, not sure what else to say.
“Think about it,” she said, her voice low. “Think about letting her see the side of you that you keep so well hidden.” She stepped back, her focus not leaving my face. “If there’s anyone who deserves that, it’s her, big brother.”
She left just as quickly as she appeared, leaving me standing outside my office, wondering if I could do it. Could I let Aida in? Could I risk letting her see the part of me I kept locked away? Was she even worth it?
I closed my eyes, my breath stuttering inside my chest.
She was worth it. She’d always be worth it.
CHAPTER 12
