“JJ’s worried about you, Teddy.I’mworried about you. This thing with Sandro seems to have come out of nowhere and—”
“He wouldn’t hurt me. You don’t have to worry. I promise.”
“He’salreadyhurt you,” Miller insists. “Your neck—JJ told me.”
My hand flies up to my throat despite myself. “No, that wasn’t…you don’t understand.”
“Teddy, even if you two are, you know, fooling around with some kinky stuff...” He trails off, groping for words.
But I can’t stand it. I can’t stand having Miller think badly of Alessandro, just because Jack misunderstood what he saw. “It wasn’t Alessandro,” I say firmly.
Miller’s skepticism is clear even in the shadows. “Right. So who was it?”
“Julian.” I bite my lip after I’ve said it.
“Julian Castellani?” Miller sounds even more alarmed.
Oops.
“I was talking to Julian,” I say quickly, “and…well, things got a little out of hand. But Alessandrosavedme.” I stand up abruptly. “I thought you of all people would understand.”
Miller stands too, more slowly, and joins me as we walk back toward the house. “Teddy.” We’ve arrived back at the French doors that lead into the salon, and he puts his hand on my arm. “I mean it. If Sandro has done anything to hurt you—”
I pull away from him. “I don’t need your help. I’m here with Alessandro of my own free will.”
It’s true enough, after all.
I don’twantto be rescued. I’m right where I want to be.
“Things worked out for you and Jack,” I tell Miller. “Why can’t they work out for Alessandro and me? Until you started questioning me, tonight was wonderful. Wasn’t it? We had fun, all of us; we were laughing and enjoying ourselves.”
“We were,” Miller allows, “but—”
Stubbornly, I talk over him. “This is what I want, Miller. If you can’t respect that, we can’t be friends.”
He hesitates, but he gives a nod. I swing open the door and gesture for him to go through. Saying all this to Miller over the last few minutes has helped me make up my own mind. What I’ve told him is true, absolutely true.
And now I just have one little thing I need to confess to Alessandro. I’msurehe’ll understand.
After that, we can be together.
CHAPTER27
SANDRO
We leaveTeddy and Miller to their tour of the grounds, and I take Jacopo into the study.
“So, tell me, Sandro: what the hell is that kid doing here at Redwood?” Jacopo asks, as soon as he shuts the door behind him.
“Me.” I wait for that to sink in and then add, “Is it so unbelievable, Jacopo, that someone might want me, even after you destroyed my face?”
“For God’s sake,” he says wearily. “That wasn’t me, and if I could go back in time… But that’s a different conversation. And Teddy is not Renny fucking Caruso. You shouldn’t be screwing around with him. He’s an innocent.”
“And your boy is, too,” I shoot back. “So don’t be a hypocrite.”
“That’s…fair,” Jacopo says after a moment. “But what exactly is going on with you two? Is it serious?”
“Yes.” The word bursts out of me before I can stop it. But it’s true, this situation Teddy and I are in—it’s serious. Just not in the way Jacopo means.
