Zo yawned. “Maybe we should be a little grateful he got Mia back here safely, regardless of our opinions.”
“Only because he knows if he didn’t, I’d kill him,” Nina muttered. “He never does anything unless it serves him somehow.”
I should have agreed. But to my surprise, I felt the smallest, strangest urge to defend him.
Nina sighed. “I told you it was a bad idea to do this project with him. He’s trying to sink his claws into you. Working for him is not the only way to save your business.”
My stomach twisted. I hadn't told them the real reason I'd taken the job. I knew they’d try to talk me out of it. Fabi would say she didn’t need my help, and they’d all say I was already doing too much for my dad.
But I’d wanted to try. Even if it was starting to feel like I had made a very, very bad deal with the devil.
CHAPTER19
MIA
The glowing red numbers on the alarm clock said it was just after three.
I yanked the pillow from under my head, threw it over my face, and groaned.
I was dead tired. But I couldn’t fall asleep.
My mind kept spinning, replaying a highlight reel of moments from today.
Romolo cornering me at the party.
Romolo on his knees in the rain.
Romolo in the steaming bathroom, towel slung low, voice dripping with amusement—See something you like?
Worst of all was the awareness that he was still here, just one floor below me. The image of him lying in bed, black boxer briefs hugging two sculpted thighs, one arm tucked behind his head… It sent heat pooling low in my belly.
He was the last person I should be thirsting after given everything that had happened.
The absolute. Dead. Last.
I kicked the sheet off and sat up, covering my face with my hands. I wished he’d never had the panic attack. It would have been easier to hate him for everything shitty that he’d done. It would have kept things simple.
Nothing felt simple anymore.
Seeing him so vulnerable had softened my anger toward him. And that attraction, the one that had been there from the very beginning, still burned just as brightly.
I climbed out of bed. My throat was dry and scratchy. I’d grab a glass of water from the kitchen and then get serious about sleeping—counting sheep, meditating, maybe even popping the Ambien I’d found in one of the bathroom drawers.
My palm slid over the wooden banister as I crept downstairs, careful not to make a sound. Nothing less than a bomb would wake Fabi and Zo, but Nina was another matter. I already felt bad for making her worry. I didn’t want to worry her more.
The kitchen was silent except for the ticking clock above the gas stove. I filled a glass at the sink and was halfway through drinking it when I saw him.
Romolo.
He was outside on the back deck, hands braced against the railing as he stared out at the ocean. The black shirt I'd found for him was stretched taut across his shoulders.
I folded my lips over my teeth. Since we were both up, maybe this was the best time to bring up the photo on his phone.
Just get it over with and move on.
Unease danced inside my throat as I crossed the living room and slid the glass door open.
The sound pulled his attention. He turned, just enough for his gaze to land on me. It slid from my face to the messy ponytail atop my head, then down to where the hem of my pajama shorts kissed my thighs.
