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Without warning, his lips met mine with a tenderness that was unexpected, yet there was no mistaking the intent. His kiss may have been sweet and gentle, but he’d claimed me for his own, dared me to find someone else who could make me hum the way he did.
I moved my mouth against his, desperate, even though I’d basically told him to go be with another woman. My body made a liar out of me, and I didn’t care that he knew.
Daniel peeled his lips off mine, and my neck elongated toward him despite myself. He simpered, and I quickly sobered, wrinkling my nose. Damn, he was a powerful drug.
I shoved at him with both hands and started down the sidewalk. Distance was what I needed.
He didn’t stop me.
Chapter Seven
Daniel
Present
I worked from home.I’d never needed an office since most of what I did was off the radar. I also liked being at the apartment, close to Vivian. Having her near settled me when I spent much of my time frustrated with work.
I tossed the papers I was attempting to go through on my desk and sagged into the chair, pissed off I was still thinking in those terms. I spun and looked out the window without really seeing. There was little greenery, just the concrete jungle buzzing with life. Vivian loved to sit on the floor and watch for hours as people went about their daily routines. Her absence was painfully acute, but I needed to focus. Work and doing right by Vivian were the only things keeping me moving.
Information. That was the primary commodity I dealt in. The collectibles and rarities like the Cézanne were secondary, a sideline with the man who was like a father to me. I didn’t have to stay in that business, but if I were perfectly honest with myself, I did it because I wanted to stay close to Donato. I owed him my life. There wasn’t a day that went by I didn’t think of that.
Donato would probably be surprised to learn that, because I was the one who kept things professional between us. He knew nothing of my personal life, at least not from me. I kept Vivian and Muriella away from the Salvatores because I didn’t want them involved. And it worked both ways. Vivian and Muriella knew practically nothing of Donato. There had been moments I’d experienced guilt at keeping the most important people in my life in two separate corners, but I didn’t take risks when it came to my family. Donato had never betrayed me, but I hadn’t reached the full level of trust with him that I had with the women in my life, though I’d known him the longest. At the end of the day, I wasn’t his blood, though I didn’t put any stock in that any fucking way.
I glanced at the watch on my left wrist. It was nearly four in the afternoon. Vivian would be home soon. I’d taken a serious risk coming back to the apartment while she still occupied it, but I’d needed some of my files.
And I’d wanted to be close to her.
The last four nights without her had been pure hell. I’d barely slept, and when I did, I was plagued with nightmares of my mother and father. When I’d reached out for Vivian and only found a cold spot where she should have been, it fueled my anger. If my father had been a different man, I never would have had Vivian or Muriella in my life. If he’d been a different man, I wouldn’t be forced to give them up.
I couldn’t win. Somehow, he always fucking did.
I didn’t have time for a game ofBlame Daddy For The Shitty Stuff, so I packed up my laptop and made for the front door. Each day I came by, the more difficult it was to leave. Once Vivian was gone, it would be nearly impossible to come back.
Ensuring I left no trace of my presence, I locked up the apartment and took the elevator to the underground garage.
The doors opened and I charged out, nearly running over the doorman.
“Mr. Elliott, my apologies.”
“None necessary. I was in a hurry, Paul.”
The elevator made a horrid continuous blast of the alarm when I blocked the doors from closing. Paul’s face twisted in displeasure, mirroring mine.
“It’s either in or out with this thing.” I held open the door for Paul, who stepped inside. “Please thank your wife for the cookies the other day,” I said over the noise.
I heard him say, “Will do,” as the doors slid shut and the alarm mercifully ceased. I crossed the concrete floor and climbed into my black Maserati GranTurismo, cranking the ignition. “Vasoline” by Stone Temple Pilots blared. I picked up my phone to turn it off, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, like a glutton for punishment, I checked the tracking app for Vivian’s whereabouts.Where the hell is she going?I didn’t like the direction the blue dot on the screen was headed. Unable to stand it, I wheeled out of the garage. I had to see her for myself, make sure she wasn’t getting into trouble.
Part of me had hoped Vivian would crumble from our breakup. I didn’t want her to suffer, but selfishly, I wanted her to need me. She never had, so that I thought she’d start now was purely wishful thinking. The other part of me felt this intense pride in the woman. Instead of holing up at home for a week, she’d been spending her days at the women and children’s shelter that meant so much to her. Hell, it did to me too. If it weren’t for Paths of Purpose, I’d never have met her.
When I caught up to her on Avenue D, I hated the slump to her shoulders, the downcast set of her mouth, the drag of her feet as she walked. I bore the responsibility for taking away some of her spark, and I had to strongly fight the urge to fix it. Doing the right thing by her shouldn’t feel this wrong.
Let her go.I continued moving forward at the same pace she did. This was torture—so close, yet so far away. Now that I’d seen her, I needed to touch her, but that was one desire that would go unmet. I was reduced to this—stalking her, as she’d playfully accused me of doing when we’d first met. It had been true then, and I couldn’t stop myself now.
I knew where she was going, but for the life of me I couldn’t guess why. I wanted to flex my hand, tell Vivian she didn’t belong here. Hell, I wanted to forbid her to be in this neighborhood. I could exhort until I was blue in the face, but that didn’t mean she’d listen. As frustrating as that was, it was one of the things I loved most about her. She was her own woman and not afraid to put me in my place. God, I missed her.
My phone chimed with a reminder that I had a meeting with a client’s daughter as a favor. Damn it, I had to go. I took one last glance at Vivian before I went in the opposite direction. Why was I driving away from her for something inconsequential? Especially when there’d come a day when I couldn’t see her at will. It’s what I had to do, or I’d fuck everything up for her.
* * *
