Mass seems amused as he moves closer to me. His body is big and warm. “Is that a little jealousy I hear?”
“I’m just curious.”
“Women are as reliable as men. Sometimes more so. I don’t have to worry about my female employees running around town fucking everything that moves.” He scowls out at the nearby buildings. “Usually, at least. Are you sure you’re not jealous?”
“No, it’s fine, I don’t care at all.” Which is shockingly only partially true, and I’m not happy about it.
“Of course. You sound like you’re completely comfortable with my staffing choices.”
“Good. Glad we had this conversation.” I hurry to get away from him before I say something else equally stupid.
But he catches my arm. His touch is like lightning on my skin. His stare makes my heart quicken. “There are no other women but you,” he says very softly. I stare in astonishment. I’ve never seen him so intensely serious and vulnerable before. I can tell this isn’t some cheesy line. I can tell he means it utterly sincerely and at face value.
I stay for a moment, lost in the beauty of his hard face, overwhelmed by how gorgeous the whole city is spread out below us.
But then Satya laughs at something Rosie does, and I pull away, hurrying inside without replying. I don’t trust myself to speak right now.
I find Rosie giggling in Satya’s arms. The pair of them are rocking on a chair in the corner. The whole room is airy and gorgeous, and I pause to watch them.
Satya’s surprisingly good with Rosie. My daughter’s always been pretty fussy around anyone but me and my mother. Even my dad and brothers have a hard time getting her to calm down and be happy. That’s why we’re so attached at the hip. She’s my everything.
And there she is, difficult, grumpy, fussy Rosie, suddenly having a great time with a woman she barely knows.
I’m not sure how I feel about it. Surprised for sure. But also grateful.
“You should explore the city, Mrs. Cardone.” Satya beams at me. Rosie squirms and starts crawling around her feet. The older woman gets down and plays with the little girl like it’s nothing.
“I can’t. I mean, I should bring Rosie, and I don’t know what Mass wants.”
She makes a dismissive gesture. “I’m sure your husband can provide for your safety, and Rosie is more than happy here with me.”
I cross my arms, hugging myself, trapped by indecision.
It’d be good to have some time to myself. I’ve never been abroad before, and I’d love to at least go for a walk around the nearby area. But the thought of leaving Rosie behind kills me. I don’t trust anyone with her.
Except this woman works for Mass, and Rosie seems to like her. Mass would never let someone less than completely competent anywhere near his daughter. Even I know him well enough to be sure about that.
“Come, I’ll escort you myself.” Mass appears at my elbow. He’s glaring at me like he wants to either strangle me or destroy my face with his lips. Probably a little bit of both, knowing what he’s like in bed.
“Honestly, I can’t?—”
“We have to talk anyway.” He takes my hand and tugs me with him. “I’ll get you coffee. You’ll like it.”
I frown over at Rosie, but Satya’s already entertaining my daughter. Reluctantly, I let Mass draw me away from them, out the front door, and down into the early afternoon.
I takea sip of the strong Turkish coffee and smile. Light plays through the trees in a small park. We’re in a coastal town, and many of the buildings are brightly colored. People walk past in pairs, going about their lives, and I could almost forget that we’re not back home anymore.
Mass watches me carefully. I notice he barely looks around. He’s so deeply attuned to me that it’s almost disturbing.
“You know, I’ve never let someone babysit Rosie before. Someone that’s not family, at least.”
“She’ll be safe. I swear on my life.”
“I know. I believe you. I just…”
“It must be very difficult.”
“Harder than you’d think. It’s just been me and her for so long.”
