But it’s too late.
It doesn’t make it out of my purse before I hear the smooth, deep voice I’ve been replaying through my mind, behind me.
“Vincenza?”
Exhaling a shaky breath, I squeeze my eyes shut before opening them and turning to face him. My breath hitches as my gaze sweeps over him, taking him in. He’s in loose athletic shorts, a black t-shirt that’s been cut at the sleeves, and a gym towel hanging from his neck, obviously on his way back from a workout. In his hand is a small duffle bag, and I can still see the sweat on his skin.
Immediately, concern etches his features as he takes me in, dropping the bag on the sidewalk and taking a fast step toward me. His large hands come up to cup my shoulders as he puts himself directly in my line of vision, forcing eye contact. His gaze hardens slightly as he waits for me to speak, growing impatient when I’m not instantly telling him my reason for being here.
It’s only at that moment that I realize the reason why I’m here—the reason why I went into auto-pilot and was still able to make it to this building.
He makes me feel safe.
Even though I hardly know him—even though we’ve both been raised to hate each other, meant to be rivals in every capacity—I can sense he’d never hurt me.
“Vincenza…” he presses, still holding me by the shoulders.
His hand sweeps the hair away from my face, but it doesn’t make my skin crawl like it did earlier, when August did it. Instead, I lean into his touch, if only briefly. For some reason I can’t pinpoint, it steadies me.
I can feel a new wave of tears line my lashes as I look at him, swallowing thickly, before I tell him why I’m here.
Before I tell him the truth.
“I didn’t know where else to go.”
Chapter 16
Sly
Her words break something inside of me, but at the same time, they ignite a rage unlike any other I’ve felt before.
As I stare at her—unshed tears, red cheeks, the look of sheer exhaustion in her eyes—I can feel in my gut something is very wrong.
But her showing up today is a surprise.
“I didn’t know where else to go.”
She camehere. She came to me when she felt like she had nowhere else to turn.
Her words invoke a sense of possessiveness I have no right to feel.
But she came tome.
Which makes me think maybe our last interaction wasn’t all in my head. She’s feeling something too—something unknown and forbidden, something weshouldn’tbe feeling.
A part of me wants to ask her point-blank, but I can’t. Not when she’s here in distress.
For now, I do the only thing I can do. “Come upstairs. I’ll make you a latte and you can tell me what happened.”
Vinnie nods and follows me inside my building. The lobby is quiet—it’s early in the day, just past noon, and the elevator doors open immediately after I press the call button.
Neither of us speaks as we ascend, but from the corner of my eye I can see she’s closed hers and is blowing a silent breath through her lips.
Once inside my apartment, she heads straight to my couch, sinking down on it as though she’s done it a thousand times. Her gaze remains on the floor, lost in thought.
After a few seconds of watching her, I clear my throat. “Will you be okay while I change out of my gym clothes?”
“Of course,” she responds immediately.
