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Jogging down the stairs,I ignore the pain protesting the jolts as my right foot hits every step. I shouldn’t be moving this quickly, risking the chance of ripping my stitches. But right now, I don’t care.
I’m done hiding away in his room. A room that’s been vacant ofhim. He didn’t come to bed last night or the night before, leaving a gaping hole in my chest. I won’t lie to myself and pretend I don’t miss the warmth of Drago’s arms, because I undeniably do. I need them—I need him.
And doing what I’m about to do is certainly not going to bring me any closer to his embrace. That’s something I need to start coming to terms with. I may never have the security I feel when I’m in his arms ever again, but I can’t dwell on that. At least not right now.
Once I reach the bottom of the stairs, Luca’s eyes pop up, landing on me from where he’s lounging on the massive sectional couch in Drago’s living room. Mia, his little girl, has her head laid in his lap. She’s napping while her dad is watching TV.
Does he not have a job? It’s Monday, midmorning.
Looking over, I see Caprice with a paperback book clutched in her hands and an intense look on her face. She’s biting her lip something fierce, so it must be good. But she’s far enough away that I can’t read the title on the cover.
Noise coming from behind me makes me look over my shoulder, seeing the dogs race down the stairs. My eyes follow them as they run past me, jumping onto the couch and both plopping down at Mia’s feet. One of them—I don’t know which—lays down on top of the other one. D’s dogs certainly have personality.
“Where’s your brother?” I ask, directing my question to Luca.
“In his office probably.”
I nod, looking around because I haven’t exactly explored much of Drago’s house, so I don’t know which way to head. Luca must read that on my face.
“Down that hall”—he gestures to my right, toward the kitchen—“past the hall bathroom and laundry room, but before the garage. The door will be closed.”
“Thanks,” I offer behind me as I head in the direction Luca pointed me in.
D’s house is big, but it’s not as big as I originally thought. It’s actually quite homey. The living area and kitchen make an open and airy room with a lot of natural light. His bedroom definitely exceeds the standard of any master suite I’ve ever seen. It’s much larger. But what surprises me is that for a house this size it really doesn’t have as much room as one would expect.
I’m guessing it’s custom-built, and well, why wouldn’t it be? He’s the son of a wealthy man and runs a company that, even after all of my investigating, seems to be legit. Drago mentioned he found discrepancies in his logs and I have to believe he wouldn’t have divulged that information if he was the crooked one.
I still wish he had given me access to them. Maybe I could have helped him sort them out. And if I wasn’t able to help, someone in the police department could have. Why D doesn’t want to help me clear his name is beyond me, but like everything else, that isn’t at the forefront of my mind right now.
Gabriel is. And finding him has to be my only priority right now.
Seeing only one closed door, I stop in front of the dark-stained wood.
Taking a deep breath, I raise my fist to knock, when the door flies open and I’m nearly barreled into.
I take a step back, stumbling as I try to avoid being run over.
“Fuck, Bri.”
Drago’s arm reaches out, wrapping around me and then he tugs me to him. Grabbing hold of his bicep with one hand, I fist the material of his T-shirt along his side with my other. When my eyes snap up to meet his gaze, I can’t control the gasp of air that escapes my mouth any more than I can control the heat that rushes to the surface of my cheeks, flushing me.
For a moment, everything swirling around inside my head washes away and only he is left, taking up every crevice of my brain.
Drago’s eyes flick down to my parted lips, his eyes dilate, the brown minimizing as the black overtakes as if seeing food—or prey. His tongue juts out, wetting the lips I’ve so badly missed that I can’t suppress the whimper that releases.
I want him. I want him more than I’ve ever wanted him before.
His palm connects with the bare skin on the back of my leg just under where my cotton shorts stop. His touch is warm, soft, and gentle, just the way I remember. I had started to think the man I witnessed only a few weeks ago—the one that had made me swoon, seeing his son sleeping on his chest—was gone.
He’s not, and whether he realizes it or not, he’s showing me the guy I fell for is still here.
Slowly, his hand slides up, cupping and kneading my ass. I shudder as sparks pass through my body, lighting me up.
We’re locked in a stare until the craving for more contact wins out. Unwrapping my hand, I slip it underneath the material of his shirt, flattening my hand against his heated abdomen. A rugged breath escapes Drago’s lips, fanning my face as his eyes flutter closed.
“Bri...” he says my name on an exhale, making my insides dance with joy, knowing I still affect him the same way he affects me. I knew it was wrong to keep Gabriel’s true identity from Drago, but I did it anyway, and there is no changing the past.
