He chuckled, low and knowingly.
I stared hard at the towel rack like it held all the answers to the universe.
And then I felt him.
Felt his warmth at my back. His shirt brushing against my dirty, damp cardigan. The barest graze of his lips near my ear.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he murmured.
A violent shiver ran through me. I wanted to lean back. Wanted to see if he’d?—
He brushed past me and walked out of the bathroom.
CHAPTER18
MIA
I walked down the stairs in my pajamas, a bathrobe thrown on top, still shivering from the ice-cold shower I’d taken.
Painful? Yes.
Worth it? Also yes.
My head was officially screwed on straight again after seeing Romolo naked. And it was a good thing, because I could hear voices drifting up from the main floor.
My friends were back.
Romolo sat sprawled on the living room sofa, a book in hand, looking completely at ease, while Fabi, Nina, and Zo stood across from him, their expressions ranging from confusion to shock, and in Nina’s case—outright hostility.
Romolo’s eyes flicked to me the second I appeared. “There she is. Alive and well. Mia, mind catching them up? I’ve already been subjected to a slew of accusations.”
Fabi stumbled toward me, unsteady and eyes glassy. She was drunk. So was Zo, who was grinning at me like a fool, her eyes twitching—was she trying to wink?
I glanced away from her, trying not to laugh, and caught Nina’s eye. The scowl on her face told me she was the most sober one of the three.
“Mia, are you okay?“ Fabi slurred. I steadied her, already knowing exactly what this looked like.
Freshly showered and in a robe.
Romolo, equally showered, lounging like a king who’d just been thoroughly satisfied.
God. Kill me.
I hesitated just a second too long—long enough for Nina to narrow her eyes and stab an accusatory finger at Romolo. “What did you do to her?”
Romolo barely lifted his gaze from the book. “Nothing she didn’t want me to.”
I glared at him. The bastard was enjoying this.
Fabi and Zo let out simultaneous gasps, their faces a mix of scandalized and intrigued.
I raised my hands. “It’s not what it looks like.” Then, quickly, before Nina combusted, “And, yes, I’m fine.”
She wasn’t buying it. “What ishedoing here?”
Zo’s brows knitted together. “Is your stepmom okay? I thought you were driving back to her in Manhattan.”
“I was. But one of my dad’s assistants was able to go there instead to keep an eye on her. So Romolo and I turned back. It was raining really bad. I invited him to crash here.” I looked at Fabi, hoping she wouldn’t mind.
