Why that was what convinced her, she couldn’t say. But she believed him.
All her life, she’d been unwanted. Tossed aside in every way and in every way treated as though she were horrendously unlovable and it was, somehow, her fault. It was hard not to internalize that after three decades of consistent, all-encompassing treatment. So hard that, in a twisted way, it actually kind of hurt to hear someone say words that meant anything else. Let alone with such fierce emphasis.
There was just one problem, she realized.
I have to tell him…No. She would have to show him. He wouldn’t be pacified, or convinced, any other way.
“Shit, beautiful,” Guerra was saying somewhere above her while her mind scrambled. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. It’s not like I expect all of that to happen today. I’m not that irrational, I promise.”
When had her head landed on his shoulder?
When had she migrated to his lap?
Reiko dragged in an unsteady breath and was mortified to realize she’d entirely zoned out in her overwhelmed emotional state. It was a bad habit she’d developed, but shewasusually good at restricting herself to only losing such control of herself when she was in a safe and contained environment.
She refused to consider that there might be any implications in that.
She closed her eyes again for a moment and gave herself another second to breathe him in. His arms were around her. He was so strong and warm and sturdy, and she could hear his heart beating beneath her ear. “Your heart’s racing.”
He huffed out a quiet laugh. “Can you blame it?” He gave her a gentle squeeze.
Reiko flushed but didn’t sit up. “I’m usually much more composed than this, I’m sorry…” He had no reason to believe her. She hadn’t shown him her best sides.
“I threw a lot at you, beautiful,” he said, keeping his tone at a whisper. “I think it’s okay for you to feel overwhelmed. I should’ve known better.”
Slowly, Reiko shook her head before pushing herself up enough to meet his gaze again. It was more intimidating, looking into those eyes while sitting in his lap, but also more exciting. For a deranged second, she found herself wondering if he would lean in and lick her tears away again—and she refused to worry about why she was disappointed when he didn’t. Instead, she pushed forward. “Can we go somewhere private?”
Both of his brows arched up his forehead.
That was fair. She heard it as soon as she said it. “If you’re serious—”
“I am.”
She smiled on some reflex she couldn’t identify. “I can’t accept promises like those … without making sure you know what you’re signing up for.” She swallowed and pushed the words out, knowing full well he would never let her take them back. “I need to tell you about my scar.”
Guerra’s expression settled into something more somber. “Okay.” He pulled one arm from her and she heard the faint click of a button before he spoke again. “Home, and tell Guiseppi to prepare lunch for two. Something light.”
Reiko looked to the side as his arm returned to her. He’d hit a button on the side console. She turned her gaze to his again.
His smile returned. “I did promise you lunch.”
It hadn’t been his plan to bring Reiko home on their first date.
More precisely, when he’d left the house that morning, he hadn’t yet known for certain he would succeed in getting her out on a date with him that day at all. So, he hadn’t taken for granted that he might be bringing her back with him.
He wasn’t worried about the state of the house or behavior of the staff, and anything she didn’t seem to like could easily be replaced. The strange struggle he found himself facing as he led her through the foyer was the idea that he would have to let her leave. She was there for a visit, essentially.
Not to stay.
He wanted her to stay.
He wanted to just smile and declare he was sending men to her apartment to pack up her things, and did she want to go shopping for a new wardrobe after lunch? Because actually, come to think of it, no way in hell could he let his men rifle through her clothes. He’d have to kill them all. And he tried to not be that guy.
Not that it mattered, because if he made such a statement, Reiko would panic. He’d overwhelmed her enough when he’d confessed the vision that had been keeping him awake at night since they’d met. She needed time to catch up to him.
None of which was going to happen if he couldn’t first get her off the phone.
Her gaze met his as she listened to whatever was being said in her ear and offered a sheepish, apologetic smile. The smile was pretty and he wanted to kiss it off her lips. While he crushed her phone beneath his shoe.
