“Mhm hmm,” is all I can manage, grinning like an idiot.
Chin resting on his shoulder, I guide him until we reach the bottom of Bird Hill.
Stefano stares up at the long stretch of stone steps snaking up the hillside.“Who the fuck are you?Sisyphus?”
“I told you it was—ahh!”
A squeal tumbles out of me, tangled in laughter, when he abruptly takes offrunningup the steps.There are almost four hundred of them, but he doesn’t stop running until we’re at the top.
Downright impressive.Always full of surprises, this man.
I plant a kiss on the side of his neck, then slide off his back.
His hair’s grown out quite a bit, loosely tied back at the nape.His beard is clipped low but ungroomed.Unkempt doesn’t suit him.Stefano Castello has always been the embodiment of flawlessly immaculate.Head to toe.
Did I do this to him?Brought him to a mental state where he doesn’t care how he looks anymore?
Hands braced on his hips, chest rising fast, he frowns toward the left where two ATVs are parked.“Why the fuck are those up here and not down there?”
I laugh.“Because the steps help me build endurance.I rarely use them.They’re more for emergencies.”
“Yeah, no.I’mgonna be using those,” he hustles out, still winded.“I practice my endurance in the bedroom.”
Don’t I know it...
He shifts his attention to the modest two-story chalet in front of us.Adorned with red gardenias and splashes of vibrant seasonal flowers spilling from window boxes, all framed by a white picket fence.
He raises a brow.“White picket fence, huh?”
I scratch a nonexistent itch on my neck.“I figured it’s the closest I’d ever get to...normal.”
“Fuck normal.”He catches my hand and pulls me into him.“What did I tell you?Extraordinary people are given extraordinary lives.Embrace being extra-fucking-ordinary.”He touches his lips to mine, then adds, “Because I’m sheer magnificence, and I don’t fuck with normal.”
This man…
“I see your ginormous ego is still intact.”A silly grin on my lips, I twist out of his arms and lead him toward the house.“We’re clear of staring eyes up here.Only four others are allowed in this area—my two main men, White and Wren.And my assistants, Bran and Holly.”
“Two main men, huh?”
“Yep.”I throw him a mischievous smile.“They service me well.”
He doesn’t say anything to that, but I see the gears turning behind those sharp eyes, the subtle tightening at the corners of his mouth.The weight of the questions behind his silence.
How much did Dad tell him?
Were it up to me, I’d keep all my secrets hidden.Locked away.Anything to keep him here, close,mine.Because what if he learnstoomuch?Getstooclose?What if he sees all the ugly, jagged, broken, defiled pieces of me and decides I’m not worth it?
Dad kept him for a while, so there’s no doubt he knows some things.Probably more than I’d like, considering he hasn’t asked me a single question yet.
“This is me,” I say, opening the front door and letting us in.“Make yourself at home.Kitchen’s there.Coffee station’s in the back nook.Mini bar’s across there.Whatever you’re in the mood for.”I tug at my shirt.“I’m all grimy, so I’m gonna run up and take a quick shower.”
“Yeah.Sure.”
He doesn’t even look at me.His back is turned as he moves through the space, taking it in.Moments ago, he couldn’t keep his hands off me, now they’re buried in his pockets, distant and restrained.
Soft Stefano is gone.
Dammit.My dumbass tried to be all cute and playful, cracking that little joke.But all it did was chase him off.Why did I think that would fly?His ego’s bigger than the mountains surrounding us.
