Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
I stared, utterly mesmerized by this man.
“If he doesn’t respect you, then you don’t respect his privacy.” His arms lowered on the table as he sank back into his chair, his dark eyes wreathed in viciousness. “That’s how it works.”
Did these heated words come from experience? I wanted to ask, but it didn’t feel right in the moment. “I didn’t find anything, because he was deleting his messages. We booked this trip a long time ago, and I thought it might be the right opportunity for us to find each other again. But he was more distant than he ever was until he just left abruptly.”
He listened to every word, the candlelight reflecting perfectly in his eyes.
“But he left his watch behind, and those messages weren’t deleted.” I swallowed before I continued. “It ended up being his boss, a woman who’s about seven years older than him, who’s married with two kids.”
His reaction was subtle but distinct, a shift in his eyebrows like even he was surprised.
“Her husband found out, and she wanted him to end things with me so they could finally be together . . . and he did.”
“And not once did he tell you this himself.” It was phrased as a question but more of a statement, like he was the judge about to decide the punishment.
“Correct.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Now I understand.”
“Understand what?”
He held my gaze for a while before he gave a slight shake of his head.
“Understand what?” I pressed.
His eyes shifted away as he considered my question, drafting his meticulous response. The pause was more than a few seconds, almost a minute, and his eyes continued to reflect the candlelight and the flames from the outdoor space heaters. “Why you didn’t fight for me.” His hand absentmindedly massaged the bicep of the opposite arm. “Why you let that other woman have me.”
Chapter 8
Aurelia
We walked back to his hotel, taking the small alleyway to the main road and then the Piazza Duomo. Beautifully lit with the sound of the water from the fountain, it was a serene paradise.
I couldn’t imagine experiencing it without the man next to me. They said people came into your life for a moment or a season . . . and sometimes forever. I knew he was just a moment, but it was a moment I would never forget. A lifeline while I was adrift at sea. Air that filled my collapsed lungs.
Halfway across the piazza, his hand snaked to mine and enclosed it.
Like a girl in middle school who had just touched a boy for the first time, my heart sprouted wings and flew to the sky. I moved closer into his side as we walked, my head rubbing against his shoulder. I could smell the scent of his clean shirt, the cologne underneath, the smell I’d noticed on his sheets.
He helped me down all the different sets of stairs in my heels before we crossed the road to the entrance to his hotel, a stone wall with a small open section in the center so no one could sneak in to the hotel without being checked by security.
I stopped feet away, and Constantine stopped with me, his hand leaving mine as he faced me. He was a behemoth compared to me, even in my five-inch heels. I was tall for a woman, so the dating pool of men was always smaller for me. I couldn’t date a guy less than six feet tall, but most men liked petite girls, not someone who was just a few inches shorter. So that made Constantine perfect because he actually made me feel small. Not just in his height but the pounds of muscle on his colossal frame.
He patiently waited for me to speak.
“I’m gonna go to my hotel . . . I think I need to be alone tonight.”
There was no sign of disappointment. Just acceptance.
“I’m just not really in the mood, you know.” Something I didn’t think was possible, because Jesus Christ, look at the man. I only had so many nights of this trip left, and I shouldn’t squander them being alone in my cheap hotel room.
“I’d still like you to stay.”
My eyes took in his, seeing truth burn bright like the North Star. He could let me walk back to my hotel and then stop by a bar on his way back and pick up someone else for the night. If I didn’t give him exactly what he wanted, he could replace me with the snap of a finger. But he still wanted me. “You do?”
A handsome smile slowly spread over his face, the signature panty-dropper, the smile that made his eyes reflect a sea of candles that were nowhere nearby. It made me feel like the only woman who mattered to him—at least in that moment. He started to step away and gave a slight nod toward the hotel. “Come on, sweetheart.”