My thoughts bounce around from thinking about my cousin's strange behavior, the upset we caused Sully, and back to Vincenza.
Alwaysback to Vincenza.
Expelling a shuddering breath, I picture her clearly, seeing her future in my mind like a movie. Walking down the aisle on her wedding day. In a hospital bed giving birth to a child, a sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead as she holds the hand of the person next to her. At the park, chasing after a small child as they run toward a flock of geese.
What’s startling is that while I can picture her, I cannot see the man in which she shares these moments with, but I have the unsettling weight in my gut that the man isn’tme.
And it never can be. Not under these circumstances.
They say if you love something, set it free.
Do I love her? I certainly can’t fathom the thought of walking away from her, even though I know that would be the right thing to do—to give her the chance at a future with a man who can give her everything that I can only give her behind closed doors.
Just the thought of this ending sends a stabbing painthrough the organ within my chest. It only took me weeks to fall in love, but it will take a lifetime to let it go.
Ican’t.
Tossing back the rest of my whiskey, I finger the glass, running my pointer across the grooves as I stare out at the city.
My attention is drawn to the crack of the door, where the sound of heels in the hallway nears closer.
“Sly?” her voice floats through the air as her fingers wrap around the edge of the door. She pushes it open further, her head peering inside without entering.
“Come in, piccola ladra,” I rasp, staying in my chair even though I’m drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
She does and shuts the door quietly behind her.
“Why are you sitting in the dark?” she asks, but as she does, her eyes immediately fall to the window, caught on the sight that’s held my attention for the last forty minutes or so. “Wow. The city looks beautiful from this angle.”
I say nothing, still stuck in my head. But she’s perceptive, and walks over to me.
Reaching out to touch my shoulder, she says, “Hey. Are you okay?”
My hand reaches up and covers hers, my gaze following to look at her face.
She’s come straight from the gala, her hair and makeup still done to perfection, with the dress I admired all evening still clinging to her body in the most beautiful of ways.
“Sì,” I tell her, wishing Itruly felt it.
She stares at me, searching my face, but I remain stoic. “I can leave…if you want?”
Her offer is like a punch in the gut after my harrowing thoughts of her future. Thelastthing I want is for her to leave. I want all the time I can get with her—selfishly and greedily.
“That is the last thing I want,” I growl. Her eyes widen, and I take her hand from my shoulder and hold it, motioning with it for her to come stand in front of me. “Come here, piccola ladra.”
Her body moves elegantly, as though her half turn toward me is a dance move she’s perfected in my arms. Stepping in between my widened legs, she drops my hand and crosses her arms over her chest, telling me with her body language that she’s unsure of my mood.
I’m allowing athoughtto dampen the evening.
That endsnow.
Moonlight streams through the windows, making beads of Vinnie’s gown shimmer, as the low-light illuminates off her radiant skin. She’s mesmerizing, but as much as I adore this dress, I am confident it will look much better on the floor.
Straightening in my seat, I reach behind her and find the hidden zipper that rests above her backside, unzipping slowly. When I reach the base of it, I allow my fingers to wander back up against her exposed skin, and my touch is rewarded with a small shiver.
“Take it off,” I murmur, removing my hand from her body and placing it back in my lap. Her eyes shinefrom the glow of the moon, the uncertainty I caused no longer visible.
With careful movements, she shrugs one side of her dress down, followed by the other. Once the straps no longer rest off her shoulders, the gown slips from her body quickly and pools at her feet.
