The man nodded and backed away.
“I appreciate that,” I whispered.
“I don’t want any trouble, Ciro. Just tell me what you want,” she said, squaring her shoulders and staring me in the eyes. It appeared she’d found some courage, much like the night she ended our relationship.
Not sure how I felt about it, but okay. It was to my advantage to know what I was dealing with. A strong Isla meant I needed to be firm and clearly state my demands.
“Have a drink with me. Tonight.”
“Tonight?” She slumped against the SUV, exhaling a weary sigh. “I’ve been on my feet for ten hours. I’m exhausted, but if it will get you to leave me alone, I’ll have a drink with you.”
Damn, her response made me feel like a prick. “Excellent. Where can we go that’s nearby?”
“Just follow me.” She went back to her car.
“I’ll come with you.”
She stopped and put her hands on her hips. Rolling her whiskey-colored eyes she said, “Whatever.”
I got into the passenger’s side and closed the door. “What happened to the BMW I bought you?”
“I didn’t want anything you gave me, so I sold it.”
“And you couldn’t buy a decent car with the money you got from it?” My large frame was cramped in the front seat. There was a weird smell I couldn’t make out. It almost smelled powdery.
She glared at me. “Still a stuck-up asshole, I see.”
I snorted. “Hard to teach an old dog new tricks.”
“No, joke.” She drove off in a huff.
For the first time in over a year, I finally felt normal, and it had everything to do with breathing the same air as Isla.
Now, I just needed to convince her to give me a second chance and return to Canada with me. After I found out if she had a boyfriend, of course. Not that it would matter if she did. From this moment on, I never wanted to be apart from her, again.
14
ISLA
So much fornever seeing Ciro again. The last thing I ever imagined was having him in my dumpy car. God, I prayed he didn’t look in the backseat. I’d forgotten Pippa’s car seat base was back there and probably a few of her toys.
I’d just have to keep him occupied.
Except, his custom-made cologne assaulted me in the worst and best way as he sat next to me. It made me remember our intimate times together. He was an incredible lover.
Stop! What are you doing?
How could I agree to having a drink with him? Clearly, my exhaustion made me weak around him, which was dangerous. I needed to resist him and at this point, I wasn’t confident that I could.
“What happened to being an interior designer?” he asked, catching me by surprise.
“What? Oh. Um.” I didn’t know how to answer his question.
“Don’t say it was the money. I put a half a million in your bank account the day after the party.”
“I know.”
“So then, what happened?”
