No. She needed a phone. They couldn’t always be in the same spaces. He didn’t evenwanther in every space he had to be in, come to think of it. And he would absolutely want her to have the ability to call for help if she needed to when he wasn’t there. So, what she needed, then, was a new phone—and a new phone number.
One her so-called prospective employers didn’t have.
Her gaze had drifted away again, as if she was uncomfortable holding his stare while she talked to another man. Or perhaps it was the subject of the call that made her self-conscious again. “Yes, I understand,” she said. “I appreciate you explaining everything, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.” She paused one more time. “You, too.”
Santino watched impatiently as she disconnected and tucked her phone away. “No luck?”
She scrunched up her face, giving herself an adorable little button nose for several seconds. “Apparently the listing I applied for had a ‘small error’. The company’s opening a whole new branch in Indianapolis of all places, and they’re hiring forthatoffice.” She gave a small laugh. “Which they were more than happy to offer me an interview for.”
He fought to keep his expression straight. He’d dropped enough on her, and he suspected she would route them back to some unavoidable bombs before day’s end. The least he could do was spare her one more for the time being by overreacting to something inconsequential. No fucking way was she moving to, or even working in, another man’s territory. “Glad you declined that.”
Her next attempt at a laugh was a bit too derisive. “I probablywillwind up needing to move soon, but I’m not desperate enough to look out of state just yet.” Her lips bent in a frown. “Although … maybe that’s relevant.”
It didn’t take a genius to guess where she was going with that train of thought. Santino took her hand once more and guided her deeper into the house. For sanity’s sake, he avoided taking her upstairs. She’d asked for somewhere they could speak privately because she wanted an actual conversation. His dick was going to have stay in his pants a little longer.
“It’s not relevant,” Santino said as they walked. “If finding a job and keeping an independent income means that much to you, we can make that happen. But regardless, there’s no ‘probably’ about whether or not you’re gonna have to move in the future, beautiful.” He shoved open the double-wide doors to the downstairs library, arguably his most underused room and surely best for a quiet talk, and guided her inside.
He glanced over, watching Reiko’s faintly narrowed eyes go wide as she turned her attention to taking in the room. He’d paid an outrageously expensive interior designer to capitalizeon its potential in all the ways a book-lover might prefer, at the time figuring such a retreat may one day appeal to him or someone in his family. The floor-to-ceiling built-in shelving had more slowly filled up with books randomly collected. One tall, pristine window let in the perfect amount of sunlight while smaller windows allowed for filtered angles at other times and strategically placed crystal chandeliers reflected everything, always. The fireplace was fake, but still offered yet more light and a bit of heat when in use. The majority of the walls were occupied by the shelves, and the floorspace was carefully marked with furniture. He even had one of those rolling ladders.
Santino pulled Reiko over to a curved sofa that took up most of the space along one side. There was a low table in front of it, which would be perfect for the food Guiseppi would bring them later.
Reiko dropped onto the sofa as if still in a trance. “This room is magnificent,” she finally said. “You could probably charge more for renting out just this space than what I pay for my entire apartment.”
Santino snorted. “That’s true.” He tucked a finger under her chin and tugged her closer. “But for you, beautiful, the rent’s real cheap.”
Her face flushed a pretty shade of red once more. “You’re going to make me move inandcharge me rent?”
He chuckled. “Ah, so you were paying attention.”
She pouted.
Fuck me.Santino let his thumb stretch up to graze across those alluring lips, then dropped his hand altogether before he could forget himself. “The only one who will bother us in here is Guiseppi when he delivers our lunch,” he said after a beat. “I had the room soundproofed for a better reading experience, and I can tint the windows for privacy, too. It’s just you and me in here, beautiful. Tell me anything.”
Reiko glanced around, licked her lips again, and finally nodded. “Can you … do that? Tint the windows, I mean? Please.”
A gut-churning combination of curiosity and concern began to twist inside him, but Santino obligingly dug out his phone and queued up the app. There was a switch on one of the walls, too, but using that would have required stepping away. A couple taps of his thumb later and the windows had darkened, while the interior lights and artificial fireplace flared to life, creating a moody ambiance. It might have been romantic if he weren’t convinced he was half a conversation away from a murderous rage.
Reiko let her gaze bounce from the tall window to the largest of the chandeliers and back to him, a twitch of her lips revealing her nerves. Then, with a heavy exhale, she set her purse on the floor and stood. Her hands clenched briefly at her sides before she angled herself so her back was to him and set to work … stripping.
There was no preventing the heat that boiled inside him when Santino realized she was loosening her belt and tugging her shirt free. No stopping his cock from thickening at the prospect that he’d vastly misinterpreted her intentions.
Was she awkward about sex? Had she never been made to feel good enough about herself to even be comfortable acknowledging desire?
Fuck, was she somehow a virgin?
Santino cut his eyes around the room again, suddenly second-guessing his choices. The library was fine for what he’d thought she had wanted. It was fine for a private, intimate lunch. It was really not ideal for an underappreciated woman’s first time. He never would have brought her there if that was what was happening.
Reiko made a sound of muted distress, like she was struggling with her emotions and fighting to hide the fact, and his focus snapped back to her.
She still had her back to him. Her arms were curled around herself, though it was clear her pants had loosened and her shirt looked rumpled, as if it had come free of the waistband. A faint, subtle tremor shook her frame.
He was on his feet in a heartbeat. If she was that scared of sex, she shouldn’t have been pushing herself. So, he stepped up behind her and folded his arms carefully, deliberately, over the top of hers as he tugged her back into his chest. He bent forward until his nose was buried in her soft black hair. “Not sure what you’re trying to build up to, beautiful,” he murmured, holding her tight enough that she would feel the words rumbling through his chest as he spoke them. “But you don’t have anything to fear from me. You don’t have to push yourself past your limits. I’m here when you’re ready.” He pressed a harder kiss to the crown of her head. “I’ll be here, regardless.”
Reiko trembled with her next deep breath. “I might never be ready,” she whispered. “It’ll always be hard.” She rotated a wrist from beneath his crushing grip in order to hook her fingers over his forearm. “But I also … I also like you.”
Santino grinned. “You like me, huh?”
She ignored his deliberately juvenile response and said, “So you need to know.” Her grip tightened. “Iwantyou to know.”
