Page 228 of Safe Word

I’d never felt more wrecked and more at ease. And I’d never wanted to be touched again so badly. Cain D’Angelo had destroyed my damn reality, infused his own, and now I was utterly addicted to the man.

The vibration of my phone disturbed the stillness. I leaned forward, rubbing my face before pushing myself off the bed, the cold floor biting against my bare feet. My dress lay in a careless heap.

His clothes were gone so… he went out.

I bent down, one hand brushing the fabric, the other grabbing the phone. The screen glowed, the time flashing at me – past eleven in the evening. A deep frown settled between my brows.

I swiped to answer, my voice hushed. ‘Hello?’

‘Hey, Paula. Did I wake you?’ Vinnie’s soft voice drifted through the line. There was something grounding about it – something that, for a fleeting moment, made me feel less alone. And also, less guilty after the dinner.

Earlier, it had comforted me that he’d come to check on us, even if he had dragged Ezi along with him. There was still a soft kind of warmth in knowing we could lean on him. Even now. Even after everything that had happened. But I couldn’t stop feeling as if we were on the precipice of something new. All of us.

I glanced at the empty bed, my stomach twisting at Cain’s absence. The unease that had been gnawing at me grew stronger.

‘Ah,’ I murmured, gripping the phone a little tighter. ‘No, I wasn’t really sleeping.’

‘How are you holding up?’ he asked with measured concern.

‘As best as I can, I guess.’

Back on the bed, my thumb brushed over the sheets inattentively before I stilled. ‘Is Cain with you?’

A pause.

‘No,’ Vinnie said. ‘Did he leave you by yourself?’

My throat constricted at the accusing tone.

‘Yeah, I guess. But he did just lose his home,’ I argued. ‘He probably just went back to the penthouse.’

I swallowed.

I pulled the phone away from my ear. No messages. No missed calls. Just Vinnie’s name glaring in the dark.

Vinnie cleared his throat lightly, filling the silence. ‘I was going to drop off some clothes for him. You know how he is about his fancy shirts. I didn’t want to wake anyone. Meet me somewhere?’

I hesitated, glancing at the window, at the dark city stretching beyond it.

In the distance, my eyes zeroed in on a small iron cross illuminated by reflector lights.

‘Do you know where the Church of Santa Lucia is?’

I heard the soft tapping of keys on the other end.

‘In Aventino?’

‘That’s the one. I’ll meet you there in a few?’

‘I’ll see you there, sweetheart. Do you need anything?’

I let out a slow breath. Thank fuck for Vinnie. Despite everything, he was always there, always steady, always patching up the cracks before they could split too wide.

‘I’m good. Thanks, Vinnie.’

The call ended, leaving only the sound of my breath mingling with the low whisper of wind outside.

I moved quickly, throwing on my clothes, tying my hair back into a ponytail as I stepped out into the night.