Page 66 of Matteo

I'm her boss, but that's not the reason why. Not entirely.

She's only here temporarily. She'll leave, and maybe she'll get a project working abroad or something. Who knows? People have made long distance relationships work. Rio did. Though that was only for a short while.

I get up and pace around my office.

That's not it either. It’s just another lie I'm telling myself.

The truth is, I'm scared.

Scared of falling too deep.

Scared of letting this happen for fear of the worst that could happen. Because this is different, this is something I've never experienced before. I’ve had plenty of girlfriends, and I never cared about getting in too deep. It was mutual respect and good feelings. Great sex, too.

I never worried about the future.

I never thought beyond the present moment.

With Elizabeth, everything feels different. It’s intense. I care about this woman too much, and I shouldn't. I hate it when she skips her lunch, when she puts work in the way of her self-care.

What the fuck is that about?

Rio would piss himself laughing. He'd think I was coming down with something, and sometimes, I wonder what the hell it is that I've come down with ever since Elizabeth Raven walked into my world. I haven't been the same since.

And that's what scares me. To feel this much for her when I don't even know her too well.

What would it be like if we got together?

Love breaks people.

I’ve seen it happen.

Mama loved the old man with everything she had, and it shattered her when she discovered he wasn't the man she’d spend her life believing him to be.

I don’t ever want to give someone that kind of power over me.

And there’s something else, something gnawing in my gut. There's more to Elizabeth than meets the eye. She's the first person we've hired who isn't from an Ivy League college. Hell she doesn't even have a college degree.

There's a piece of information I'm missing, and I'm scared of finding out what it might be.

I hear a knock on the door. My heart jumps with hope as I turn around, but to my dismay, it's only Enzo, and he walks right in.

“What are you doing pacing around?” he asks. He’s too observant for his own good.

“Thinking,” I reply, and sit back down again, before he asks me what’s going on.

“Haven't seen much of you,” he remarks, leaning against the wall, in typical Enzo fashion with his hands in his trouser pockets. Looking like a model.

“Have I missed a Knight family dinner or something?” I ask, mildly irritated that he’s come to see me now when I was just about to make my way to the bar.

“Nothing like that. Father's taking things easy, and I don't expect he’ll host another dinner for a while.”

“With him, you never know,” I mutter, still curious as to the nature of Enzo's visit. “Have you seen him? He looks like death.”

“That’s because he’s in desperate need of a fresh kidney,” Enzo replies, souring my mood because this is one topic I hate talking about. “Jett and Zach are a blood match,” he announces quietly.

My mouth falls open in surprise but I feel a sense of relief all the same, that I'm not the only one. “Me too.”

Enzo straightens, his head jutting forward, like he's shocked. “You as well?”