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“Same.” That one word from her lips breaks the tension rising within me as she takes a backward step. “I’ll finish food while you… do whatever it is people do in here,” she states, waving her arm around the room with a twist to her lips.
“You don’t like working out?” It’s clear from her stance already that she couldn’t think of anything worse, but her pinched eyebrows and scrunched up nose confirm it.
“I would rather stick pins in my eyes, Wren. Pins. In. My. Eyes,” she repeats, making sure I get the message.
Without another word, she shuts the door behind her as she leaves, and I turn on the spot, my gaze immediately landing on the Bluetooth speaker in the corner.
If I can’t go with the De Luca brothers and cause mayhem and Nonna won’t let me burn Matteo’s sheets in defiance, then I guess this will have to do.
* * *
I lose myself in the motion of each workout, before Nonna calls me to eat. We sit side by side, our conversation leaning more on the lighter side in comparison to earlier, and I appreciate it. But the second we’re done, I make my excuses and head back to the gym.
Hours pass me by in a blur as sweat beads at my temples and my heart pounds in my chest, but I love it. Even when the sun goes down outside, I continue to push myself a little more before I finally call it quits for the day.
My legs feel like jelly as I head back to my room. The house is silent and I can’t hear Nonna anywhere, which only makes me even more concerned that there’s been no news from the guys. Not that they owe me any, but my concern has me intrigued.
Closing my door, I sag back against it for a moment before using the remainder of my strength to make it to the bathroom. I switch the shower on and undress on autopilot, a soft groan slipping past my lips as I step under the spray and let the water engulf me.
The second it touches my skin, my brain kicks into overdrive. While the shower is the perfect place for me to think, the gym is where I do the opposite. It clears my brain down to nothing, my focus solely on the moves I’m making until there’s no room for anything else.
I can’t believe they didn’t let me go with them. They know who I am, where I was raised, and what I have learned. Surely, that could be of use to them?
Fuck.
I’m not supposed to want to be of use to them, not in any way shape or form. I’m supposed to just want to take care of me,justme, no one else. Just like it’s always been. My resources were wrung dry by my parents, my skills and abilities pushed to their limits, and when I sent them to hell where they belong, I vowed to not play that role again. Yet this feels so different.
Running my fingers over my wet hair, I pull the hair tie from the ends before reaching for the shampoo. Thoughts of the De Luca brothers continue to drown me as I go through the motions of washing my hair before using the coconut and shea butter body wash all over my skin. There’s no avoiding it, and the madder I get at myself for being mad at them, the worse it gets.
Goddammit.
Frustrated, I shut off the shower and reach for the fresh navy towel in the cabinet before stepping out onto the plush bath mat. I wiggle my toes in the fluffy material for a second as I wrap the towel around my body, then head for the door.
Maybe I can find something fun and distracting to watch on television. Just anything to occupy my mind.
Steam seeps out of the bathroom with me as I move to the edge of the bed, when the door handle for my bedroom door begins to twist, shooting adrenaline through my body as I instinctively reach for my handgun on my nightstand.
What the fuck?
My body is on high alert, my arms clamped at my side to keep the towel in place as I aim the barrel toward whoever the fucking intruder is. As the door swings open, I frown in confusion when Enzo stumbles into the room.
His blazer is unbuttoned and falling loosely at his sides, his shirt is half untucked from his pants, and his tie is nowhere to be seen as he looks at me. “Why the fuck are you pointing that at me?”
I assess him, my eyebrows rising in confusion right along with him. “Why the fuck are you coming in here without knocking?” My response doesn’t really seem to register with him as he steps further into my room, shutting the door behind him.
“This is my house.”
I scoff, like hell is that reason enough to barge in here. Hell. No.
“Your house or not, I’m not entertaining visitors,” I bite back, my gun still aimed at his chest, even as he folds his arms in front of him.
Without a word, he takes another step closer, followed by another, until we’re standing almost toe to toe. The only thing between us being the barrel of my gun that presses into his chest. His hand reaches out, his fingers wrapping around the barrel of my XD as he murmurs softly.
“Drop the gun, Wren.”
My heart lurches, my eyes widening ever so slightly at the sound of my name on his tongue, and I gulp.
Fuck.
