I’m relieved I didn’t.
I want to protect him, not only from Ryan, but from every threat the world might throw his way. Including me.
That’s why I kept my distance.
Antonio deserves to make a choice that isn’t tangled up in adrenaline or gratitude or fear. If he wants me in his life, he gets to choose that. If he doesn’t, he gets to choose that, too.
The possibility of him never wanting me hurts, but it’s not something he should worry about.
I can manage pain when it’s my own.
Right now, I’ll just wait.
Let him take the next step. I can take every step after.
I can move at the speed that is safe for him. Keep my hands to myself until he asks for them. God, how I want him to ask. To want me like I want him.
More than anything, though, I want him to feel safe.
CHAPTER 31 – ANTONIO
Grateful that my parents aren’t home, I climb the stairs slowly. The Antoniowho left the house isn’t the same one in the stairs now. I feel raw. Like someone’s peeling me open.
Maria’s door is ajar, so I knock and step inside.
She looks up from her laptop, and that’s all it takes for my tears to start pouring.
Immediately, she pushes her laptop aside and pulls me into a hug.
“What happened?”
“Ryan.”
She goes rigid.
“What did he do?”
“He came to the library again.”
She pulls back, scanning me from head to toe.
“He’s stalking you now? I can’t believe this. Did he hurt you?”
“Not really.”
Not in the way she means, at least.
“He cornered me. Taunted me. The usual.”
I didn’t push him away. The usual.
Maria’s arms tighten around me. She’s always been so solid and safe. She shouldn’t have to be. I should be able to protect myself.
Hell, I should be the one protecting her.
“But then Caspian showed up,” I say, struggling to keep the words coming. “He threw Ryan across the floor like he weighed nothing.”
“Caspian was in the library?”
