“And you thought being in my father’s orbit would give you that?”
“Not just him.”
My voice lowers, the truth slipping past the usual bravado I wear like armor.
“You, too. You’ve got this thing about you, Isabella. This presence. You don’t take anyone’s shit. You demand the best from people. And for some reason, I want to be the guy who meets those expectations.”
Her lips part slightly, the surprise flickering across her face before she recovers. The silence stretches between us, filled with the soft lapping of the water and the distant hum of a boat’s motor.
“I don’t know what to say to that.”
She’s uncertain, turning slightly away from me toward the shore.
“But I think you’re overstepping. I don’t want my father dragged into whatever this is.”
“I know,” I say, letting out a breath. “And I’ll apologize to him if you want me to. I didn’t mean to put him in the middle.”
Her eyes snap back to mine, a flash of something unspoken passing between us.
“But you did.”
“You’re not exactly approachable.”
I half-smile, hoping to ease the weight of my admission.
“It’s one step forward and three steps back. Not that I don’t understand. I get it. It’s why I brought you literally to World’s End, pun intended, to show you that I take your need for privacy seriously.”
It’s not any one thing, but I feel her wall going back up and racking my mind on how to stop it.
“Diego.”
There is so much in the way she says my name. So fucking much, it twists my gut in the worst way.
“Come here.”
Leaning against my motorcycle, I guide her to stand between my legs, her back pressing against my chest. My arms wrap around her, providing warmth against the nippy air. Her breathing slows until she slowly rests her head against my shoulder. The edges of her hair are soft against my neck.
I’d never have guessed I’d be here with her.
Not in a million fucking years.
Now that she is, I’m not fucking this up. She wants this to be a secret, worried about her job or her dad. That’s fine by me. I tend to be a more private person. Not as private as Dom, but not as extroverted as Holli. No one in the world is more extroverted than the twins.
“I’m not sure how I feel about any of this.”
She stirs a bit, her eyes gazing at the blue horizon of the water.
“Not about you and not about my father.”
Boy, do I know she’s unsure about me.
She’s giving me whiplash between allowing the kisses and then pushing me away, both physically and mentally. The challenge, the climb Dom alluded to, has me thinking how right he is. I decide to start with the safer conversation first.
“Not sure about your father? How?”
She sighs long and hard before answering.
“He’s been alone a long time. He won’t leave Princeton to stay with me. Says it’s his hometown. But how do I take care of him from afar?”
