“Michelle…”
“Daphne, so help me God—” she starts to say, ready to give me a lecture, but I cut her off.
“Don’t breathe a word to my brother. Cover for me.”
“I’m not a good liar,” she tells me like I don’t already know this. “I’ll buy you some time, but you better get your ass back here because I can only entertain him for so long.”
“Find a way,” I say. “Flirt with him or something.”
There’s a pause from the other end. “I’ll do my best.”
I jam my phone back into my purse as I stand. “I have to leave now. Things are getting too complicated, and someone’s bound to find out.”
Leo follows me to the door. “This is it, then?” he asks, and the look in his eyes tugs at my heart.
“We’re both in danger. This has to be the end.” My voice wavers on the last few words.
Leo moves closer. “I want things to be different.”
I resist the urge to say the same thing. It won’t make this easier or change anything. We can wish all we want, but that won’t do a damn thing. I’ll still be a Gallo, and he’ll be a Conti, making any type of relationship between us impossible.
He snakes his arm around my back and pulls my body flush against his. He’s staring into my eyes, intense as always, and he leans forward. I love being in his arms, surrounded by his scent and caught in his intense gaze. I slide my hands up his arms, gripping his delicious biceps and tethering myself to him.
“Goodbye, Daphne,” he says softly with his lips only a few centimeters away from mine.
My gaze dips to his mouth, hoping he’ll kiss me. “Goodbye, Leo,” I whisper before locking eyes with him again.
His eyes search mine, and all the air inside his penthouse evaporates. My breathing’s shallow as I wait for the moment his lips touch mine, praying he’ll kiss me one last time. The wait isn’t long before he leans forward, bringing me closer, and crashes his mouth down on top of mine.
Any breath I have left is instantly stolen. His kiss is demanding, rough, and makes my toes curl. There’s no goodbye in the way his tongue slides against mine. Only a promise of something more, something better.
I pull away, breaking the kiss before I become too consumed and lose the willpower to walk out the door. My grip on his arms increases as I hold him at a distance and gasp for air.
He stares at me, breathing just as heavily as I am, but he doesn’t say a word. I can’t bring myself to say goodbye again, but I know I have to leave. Without speaking, I back up, waiting until the last moment to pull my hands away from his body and open the door. Leo stands in the hall, watching as I walk backward into the hallway, eyes locked on his for only a few seconds before turning my back and heading toward the elevator.
Why is it so damn hard to say goodbye to him? I don’t love the man, but the lust is there and totally undeniable.
A week ago, I barely knew the name Leo Conti, but now… Now, I can’t seem to get him out of my system.
11
Daphne
One monthlater
“Daphne!” Vinnie yells from the other room as he slams the front door, making me jump. “I’m home.”
It’s been four weeks since Vinnie went back to college and I said goodbye to Leo. They’ve also been the longest thirty days of my entire life. Every few days, Leo has two dozen red roses delivered to my place with nothing but the letter L on the card. They’re constant reminders of what could’ve been if I’d only said yes, but I know I made the right decision, even if my heart doesn’t agree.
I drop the pillow I’ve been holding and run into the living room. “Vinnie!” Flinging my arms around him, I pepper his face with kisses, happy he’s here and hoping he’ll get my mind off Leo for a few days.
“Hey!” Vinnie wraps his massive arms around me, lifts me off the floor, and spins us in a circle. “I knew you missed me.”
“You’re an asshole.” I laugh.
His head jerks back, and he looks hurt. “What did I do now?”
“It’s been a month since you’ve been home. We’ve all missed you.” I squeeze him one more time before finding my footing.
