“I’ll help,” I promised. “You’re not losing that scholarship.”
He looked over at me. That brown gaze darkened to black. Something flashed deep in those inky depths. This time, the ripple of heat skated across my skin, settling low in my belly, curling into something that resembled…fire.
Chapter 25 –Amanda
It might have been the salt breeze wafting into the bedroom all night. The more probable answer was that I slept like the dead because of the bone-liquifying release. Twelve hours of sleep meant my body was brutally exhausted. Which was a mercy because I didn’t have my sleeping pills. I swore I packed them, and nothing else was missing.
“Odd.” I zipped the suitcase closed. “Oh, well.”
If there was more sex in my future of the caliber of last night, I might not need the damn things.
My damp hair left watermarks on the beige shell top. At least the fitted jacket would cover that. I slid my arms into the sleeves, tucked the shell into the slacks, and buttoned the jacket. There. Business as usual.
Battling back the rush of excitement at that prospect of seeing Vincenzo, I tiptoed downstairs. The murmur of a masculine voice floated from the back patio. The cadence was…wrong. Peeking around the corner, my chest deflated.
It wasn’t Vincenzo.
I am not disappointed at that!
Opening the French door all the way, I stepped into the warm morning sun. My heels clipped on the worn wood of the rustic patio.
“Call you back,” Bill said and ended his call.
“Don’t hang up on my account.” I folded into the chair across from him.
His eyes narrowed as he watched me. “Why do I get the sense the word traitor is on the tip of your tongue?”
“Because it is,” I snorted. “Where’s your boss?”
Bill held up a finger. “Partner. Not boss.”
I arched a brow. “You don’t work for Vincenzo?”
“No, and I try to avoid workingwithhim. But that’s becoming less and less possible.”
“Why?”
Bill shrugged. “Being close to him is bad for one’s health.”
Well, if that wasn’t a loaded statement….
“Where is he?” I flicked a glance at the beach, half expecting to see the monster emerge from the shimmering blue depths.
“In Boston.”
My chest fell a little more.
Stop that! You hate him.
Except…he said he didn’t end things. Which meant he wasn’t responsible for my broken heart. If that was the case, all the years of agony were misplaced.
But there was no way in hell my father knew about our secret relationship! It had been forbidden, and I was damn careful not to slip up.
“I see.” I leaned forward. Was this the part in the routine where the good cop offered me a bone, only for the bad cop to stomp on my heart later? “What now?”
“Whatever you want, Signora Messina.” Bill’s smile could blind someone.
Whatever I wanted.
