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“If you don’t know where he is, would Sloane?”
I shake my head. She’s the last person Valentino would disclose his current whereabouts to. “Why are you looking for him?”
“Giulio,” comes his ominous response.
“Mierda! When do you expect him?” I have my reasons for not wanting to be in the same room with that man. They pale in comparison to Valentino’s reasons.
“Fuck if I know, but Sloane can’t be at the mansion when he arrives.”
I’m not surprised Sansone knows she’s there, but I shrug because nothing I say will deter Valentino from his decided course. Not to mention, moving her in her current condition will only encourage her obstinacy.
“Your brother won’t see things the same way. He has plans for her and won’t accept Giulio’s interference.”
Neither will I. I’ve waited a long time to put all my cards on the table without worrying she’ll run the second I confess. We’ve been in each other’s lives for so long, the thought of her avoiding me is more painful than keeping my feelings from her.
“That’s why you need to convince him. The older our father gets, the more despotic he becomes. For the time being, I’ve escaped his wrath because I’m still a family man. He’s never forgiven Val for going legit, and he lays all the blame at Sloane’s feet.”
I sneer. Giulio’s only reason for hating Sloane is Valentino’s refusal to cow to Giulio’s power and cut ties with her. If not for my profession, he would continue to hate me, too. His grudging respect will never compensate for the shit he pulled when we were younger.
Sansone stands and adjusts his suit. “I’ll try my best to keep him from the mansion, but I can’t promise anything.”
I study Sansone. He may be younger than Valentino, but he is fiercely protective of his older brother to the point that I question what hell they went through as kids. “I appreciate any interference you run.”
When he leaves, I wrap up the administrative paperwork I came to the clinic to handle. It takes longer than I want, but I end the day satisfied with my progress. My last stop for the night is the mansion…home.
“Any issues?” I ask Hilde the moment I step onto the hospital wing in the basement of Valentino’s mansion. We are in the hallway when my wrist device pulses. I can’t fight my amused smile. I’m not sure how she knows I’m here as neither Hilde nor I have said anything. “Never mind, she seems in good spirits. Thanks for staying late. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“There is one thing…”
I ignore the furious code transmitting to my wrist, demanding to know what is taking me so long, and arch my brow to encourage Hilde’s confession.
“She isn’t eating enough. I suspect she’s avoiding my nagging, but it’s less than yesterday. I worry that this isn’t a one-off.”
“Thanks, I’ll take care of it.” Sloane will have to wait a little longer while I escort Hilde out, but she will appreciate the reason for my delay. I detour to the kitchen where I find the stash Valentino always stores for her. I whip up some shrimp tacos, add my bribe to the tray, and head down to confront my grumpy patient.
“What took you so—gimme, gimme,” Sloane demands when her eyes land on the black sapote on the tray. She extends her hands to open and close her fists in needy demand children do.
Cielo, who had been purring under Sloane’s previous pets, eyes me balefully and leaps from Sloane’s lap.
With an unapologetic shrug for Cielo, I rest everything out of Sloane’s reach. “Eat your dinner and you can have dessert.”
After spearing me with a glare, she shrugs and holds out her hand. Hilde must have exhausted her, otherwise the Sloane I know would have leaped out of bed to get this fruit, injuries notwithstanding.
I relent and hand her half the fruit before bending down to empty a bag of treats into Cielo’s bowl. The cat prances over to me and bumps her head against my hand, forgiving me for the moment.
When I stand, it is to watch Sloane devour the Mexican fruit. I stare. I can’t help it. Her beauty arrests me at the oddest times, but that’s not why I can’t take my eyes off her now. Her simple enjoyment kindles an inconvenient heat within my loins. Knowing I’m partly responsible for her hedonistic moaning feeds my satisfaction and injects an energy surge into my veins like no adrenaline shot can. She always affects me this way.
The simple fruit brings up a poignant memory. During Sloane’s basic military training, Valentino and I surprised her with a one-day road trip to Monterrey, Mexico. It was on her free Sunday, which was hard to plan, but we made it happen just to see her face light up. She fell in love with the fruit, which isn’t easy to come by. And Valentino…well, for Valentino, giving Sloane something that engendered pleasure was more important because he decided back then that he couldn’t be what she needed.
I take the food to her and we eat in silence while I surreptitiously admire her. She has bandages covering almost every surface of her body, and she is still the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. Her brown skin hasn’t returned to its original glowing brown, but she isn’t as pale as she was a day ago.
Once she cleans her plate, I retrieve the second half of her dessert. Sloane spoons the dark, fruity flesh into her mouth and closes her eyes with a groan that causes me to react in a non-platonic way. Again.
I take careful breaths and glance away to clear my face of the effect she has on me. My body is another story, and I will need more time to calm myself. She taps my hand to gain my attention.
“Is Hilde still here? I need to use the bathroom, and I still have trouble with my balance.”
Instead of answering, I clear the dishes from her bed. To her and my body’s unending protest, I help her relieve herself as sweat dots my brow and I wrangle my imagination under control. We almost make it back without incident, but Sloane trips. As we fall toward the floor, I cradle her body and swing us so she lands on top of me instead of the hard floor, taking all impact from the hard fall.
