Putting aside the fact that his touch is short-circuiting my brain right now, my mind races in a vain attempt at figuring out what the hell is going on. We’ve never been this close, not in all the times I’ve visited the house. He’s never touched me beyond a pat on the back in passing or a hug, and that’s rare enough.
“Tell me what happened?” He sounds like a concerned father. This is good. How he should be acting. With all the drama and my emotions swirling, I almost forget to worry if he’s going to ask me about that night. God, I hope not. I can only pray it was all a figment of my imagination. That he didn’t really see me because if he did…
Shit, he asked me something.
“Tatiana didn’t tell you?”
He releases a sigh. “She did, but I was hoping you would offer more details. Tatiana was in a bit of a hurry when she stopped by to let me know you’d be staying.”
There’s a tinge of annoyance in his voice. My mental state is fragile enough at the moment. I don’t need to bother anyone else.
“I’m… I’m sorry. I don’t want to put anyone out. I can go stay with my father if you would rather have me do that.”
“Stop,” he growls like a dog protecting a bone. “I asked you to give me more details. I did not ask you to leave.”
The depth of his voice sends shivers down my spine, and I struggle to draw a ragged breath. “My boyfriend—well, now my ex—cheated on me. I know he doesn’t deserve the tears, but my heart doesn’t care.”
The words are hard to force out. “After everything we went through, all the moments we shared, he betrayed me. I doubt I’ll ever know how many times.”
“What a fucking idiot. You need to understand this has nothing to do with you,” he says, his voice dripping with a fierce intensity. “Men can be incredibly foolish. Sometimes, we make choices that can’t be undone.”
“I know.” My thoughts are twisted, reminding me that this is what a concerned father would say. It makes me feel like he views me as a child. I cling to that idea, trying to ignore the heat in his gaze and the way his tongue briefly touches his bottom lip.
“Then stop wasting your tears on him.” His voice softens, taking on an almost seductive tone. My breath catches when his thumb brushes a tear from my cheek.
Holy shit. My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it might burst. This can’t be real. I must be misinterpreting his kindness—he’s being fatherly because he feels sorry for me.
But there’s nothing fatherly about the way his voice has deepened or the low growl in his words. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was angry and vengeful on my behalf, but not in a protective way.
No, this feels different. It feels dangerously close to a “touch her and die” vibe.
“Has anyone ever cheated on you?” I have to laugh at myself before he can answer. “Of course not. Not someone like you.” That was a stupid question.
A smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “Why not me? Am I really so elusive that you think no one would ever cheat on me?”
“I don’t think any woman would be foolish enough to cheat on someone as handsome as you.”
Shit. The filter between my brain and my mouth must be gone. I just told him he’s incredibly handsome. I’m trying to forget what I saw and avoid making things awkward, and now I’m blurting out something like this.
His laugh is sharp and lacks humor. “Trust me. I’ve got plenty of scars from past hurts. The difference is, you can’t see them. No one is immune to heartbreak; some of us are just better at hiding it than others.”
Was she blind, or just plain foolish?
At least I keep the question inside my head instead of blurting it out. Another tear cuts down my cheek, and once again, Giannicatches it on his thumb.
My skin burns where he touches me. It’s nothing more than a simple caress, but desire tingles in my belly. This time, he doesn’t pull his hand away and cups my cheek with his palm.Soft. Warm.I’m frozen in time, too wrapped up in the pleasure of his touch. If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up. In fact, because this is a dream, I lean into him. I’m weak for this man, and he doesn’t even know it.
“No, little bird.” His breath is shallow, and the intensity of yearning in his gaze pins me to the desk. “The only time tears should leak from your eyes is when you’re choking on my cock like a good little girl.”