AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She showed up today to help her sister find a husband. Zara called me when they got too drunk at the bar.”
I couldn’t explain why I went to get them. I told myself it was to get dirt on Gio. To use them against him.
“Why did you bring her here?” He stared at me, but I didn’t answer.
I’d sent Zara home in a second car. I should’ve sent Ariella with her. But that stupid need to protect her had kicked in. It was so ingrained in me that I was halfway back to Matteo’s before I realized what I was doing.
But now that she was here, I couldn’t seem to let her go.
He must have seen the confusion in my eyes because he didn’t press me. There was an advantage to working with someone for years. There was inherent trust. Understanding, even when you weren’t sure yourself.
“Right.” He nodded, tipping his head towards the stairs. “Bring her upstairs. Let us know if you need anything.”
I didn’t look back as I turned away. Ariella was still sound asleep in my hold. It was natural to have her like this. I barely even felt her weight.
“Who is that?” Emma whispered harshly. “Should we help her?”
“It’s complicated. But she’s safe with him.”
Safe? I wasn’t so sure.
As I carried her limp form up the stairs, it occurred to me I could do whatever I wanted to her. I could squeeze the life from her lungs. I could slit her throat. Hurt her for all the pain she’d caused me. And she wouldn’t even fight. She couldn’t.
Just like I hadn’t been able to stop her from killing my child.
Her caramel hair spread along my pillow as I lay her on the bed. I leaned against the wall, keeping my distance as I tried to figure out why I’d brought her here. And what I was going to do about it.
Her face was serene in her sleep. Gone was the anguish I’d seen in her eyes earlier. It was crazy how she could look the same but also different.
She was rounder than she had been at nineteen. Her curves filled out in the right places. My boots squeaked on the hardwood floors as I crossed the room. I ran a hand through her silky hair.
It was the same, as soft as I remembered. And I remembered a lot. Running my fingers through it. Wrapping it around my fist. Inhaling the scent of her shampoo.
I trailed my thumb down her cheek, skimming along her bottom lip. Her face was free of make-up like it always was. She sighed as I touched her. Her breath skated across my skin.
I should stop. I didn’t even know why I was touching her. Memorizing the changes as I thought about the past.
But this time, it didn’t come with pain. I had visions of our first time together. Of the sweet moans she’d made when I’d taken her virginity. Of how beautiful she’d looked that night.
When she was asleep like this, I could almost pretend she hadn’t taken everything from me. That she hadn’t tossed me aside without so much as a goodbye.
I sat on the bed next to her. My hand moved down until I could feel the pulse in her neck. It beat steady and sure under my touch.
Her body was foolish to let its guard down. To sleep soundly when the devil was so close.
My own heart beat faster as I continued touching her. Trailing a finger between her breasts bared by her low-cut dress. I stopped when I reached the hem. It was short and exposed her soft thighs. Her olive skin seemed to glow in the dark light. Calling to me like it always had.
She was my weakness. The one thing I should’ve stayed away from. My worst mistake.
I stroked her skin gently. It was like having one of my dreams again. Like waking up and realizing she was still here.
But she was asleep, unaware. There were no consequences, so I could play through it without her knowing.
I just wished I could see her eyes. See if they were as sad as they had been earlier. There was a toughness about her that hadn’t been there before. I would wonder why; if I still cared.
Without even really knowing why I was doing it, I stood again. I kicked off my shoes and pants. Stripped my shirt over my head and crawled into the bed next to her.
She moaned quietly as I pulled her to my chest. Her breath brushed my skin as she continued to sleep. I dipped my head, inhaling her jasmine scent as I kept her locked to my side.
