I rolled off the bed and stood. Tony wasn’t in the room, so I assumed he’d gone to get a washcloth to clean the bed. I found my clothes on the other side of the room and started to get dressed.
I’d just pulled on my jeans when Tony came back in. He stopped short when he saw me standing there. “You’re leaving?”
The disappointment in his voice made me want to change my mind and stay. But I couldn’t. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t get too attached to a man again. And Tony was definitely a man I could get attached to. I gave him the best smile I could muster. “Yeah. I had a long night. I need to get some sleep.”
“You can crash here if you want,” he said.
I shook my head. It was so tempting, but I couldn’t do it. “Thanks. I appreciate it, but I sleep better in my own bed.”
“Oh, sure. I get it,” he replied. “I can call you a rideshare if you want.”
I shook my head. “I’ve got it. I’ll just finish getting dressed and get out of your hair.”
“Okay.” He didn’t say anything else as he cleaned up the wet spot on the bed and threw the washcloth in the hamper. He then took a pair of sleep pants out of his dresser drawer, pulled them on, and sat on the bed.
After I’d finished buttoning my shirt, I went over and stood between his legs. I took his face in my hands and kissed him, barely resisting the urge to run my fingers through his salt-and-pepper chest hair. “I had a wonderful night,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Yeah, sure. Me too,” he replied, uncertainty clear in his expression.
I made myself step away from him. “I’ll see you around.”
Tony walked me to the apartment door and handed me my coat. He kissed my cheek. “See you around, Greg.”
All the way back to my apartment, I kept wondering if I should have stayed. Tony was one of the nicest men I’d ever met. He seemed to be the very definition of a gentleman and definitely not the kind of man who would turn around and be an abusive asshole. My logical brain knew this. My emotional brain, on the other hand, was a gibbering mess of fear that couldn’t be reasoned with. I sighed softly.
This was my life now. I just had to accept it.
CHAPTER SEVEN
TONY
I stood staring at my apartment door for a long time.
“Dammit,” I muttered.
This was exactly what Michael was talking about. I’d broken up with my boyfriend less than two days ago, and here I was considering starting something new with Greg after one night. I growled in frustration and headed back to my bedroom. Maybe a couple of hours of sleep would clear my head. I crawled under the covers, breathing in the smell of sex and Greg before falling asleep to the image of him on his knees before me.
When I woke to the sound of my phone vibrating on the wood of my nightstand, the sun was high in the sky. I picked up my cell and saw it was Michael. I almost let the call go to voicemail, but I remembered he had a lead on Scott Bradley, so I answered. “Hey, Michael. What’s up?”
“I’m heading down to Gabe and Nico’s place in about fifteen minutes, and I wanted to give you an update on Scott Bradley.”
I threw off the covers, preparing to get out of bed. “What have you got? Should I go into the office?”
“No,” he said firmly. “You’re sitting this one out. I told you yesterday, Marco and I are giving you a break. You can’t work all the time.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. I did not like bossy Michael at the moment. “What am I supposed to do with myself? I don’t want to sit around twiddling my thumbs.”
“Anthony Joseph D’Angelo,” my brother began.
“Jesus Christ, do not full-name me.”
“You apparently need it,” he retorted. “You live in New York City. There is something to do twenty-four hours a day. Go to the zoo. Go to the Metropolitan Museum. Go to a show. Didn’t you say you wanted to seeHamilton?”
“Not by myself,” I muttered.
I heard him sigh. “Tony, I’m sorry. If you want in, that’s fine. I was only trying to help.”
I got out of bed and stretched, hearing lots of popping noises from my joints. I let out a defeated sigh. “No, you’re right. I do need a break. And you were right about me trying to get with a guy before really knowing him. I almost did it again last night—Well, this morning. I brought Greg home and tried to get him to stay afterward. I can’t seem to break that habit.”
