Page 58 of Mafia And Maid
He rubs the back of his neck and nods. “Sure, yeah. Of course.”
I dart into my room and close the door behind me, sinking to the floor. My heart is racing under my T-shirt. I need to get a hold of myself before I start on dinner.
With a wobbly exhale, I stand on shaky legs. Collapsing on the bed, I stare at the ceiling, trying to calm my frantic heart. ‘What ifs’ bounce around my head before I can stop them.
What’s going to happen if they learn about Ethan? What happens if Grayden finds where we are? I can feel the stuttering breaths and the tightness in my chest. Each inhale is shorter than the last, and I can’t quite fill my lungs.
I squeeze my hand tight enough that my nails bite into my palm. And as the sting of pain slices through the panic, I finally manage to gulp down a lungful of air.
Once my hands stop shaking and I can properly stand back up, I make my way to the kitchen. I just need a distraction from my thoughts, and I’ll figure the rest out later.
I stop in the doorway, my brow puckered. Camillo is sitting at the island and tapping away on his phone. Usually at this time, he’s gone, arriving back just in time for dinner to be served.
Maybe he’s making sure I’m still doing a good job. I busy myself around the kitchen trying to figure out where to start. Luckily, I prepped some food last night, so tonight’s meal shouldn’t be too hard.
Camillo clears his throat, and I nearly drop the bowl of defrosted chicken at the sudden noise.
“What are you making?”
I take a calming breath before answering. “I thought I’d make that paella you said you liked so much.”
He nods and sets his phone down. “Can I help?”
It’s not the first time he’s offered to help me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I can’t help wondering if he thinks I can’t cope with the job. “No. Thank you.”
“Okay.”
An uneasy silence fills the room.
“You didn’t need to come back so soon. We could have just gotten takeout. You should enjoy your day off.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Right.” His deep voice drops off, and he ducks his head, picking up his phone again.
Why is everything so awkward between us now? It’s almost as if our dinner together didn’t happen…
“Rosa?”
“Yes, Mr. Camillo?” I ask over my shoulder as I wash the rice.
“Just Camillo is fine.”
“Of course.”
The sound of the running water echoes around the quiet kitchen. “About earlier.”
I turn toward him, brows pinched. Did I do something earlier? Did I forget something? I run through the possibilities.
“Outside your bedroom.” The way he looks at me sends a jolt of electricity down my spine. My legs squeeze together. I shouldn’t find him as attractive as I do. I shouldn’t think about him the way I do when my mind drifts.
I know what kind of man he is. I should run the other way. But now that he’s shown an interest in me, I can’t seem to move. Doubt plagues me, and I’m almost certain I’m reading too much into the attention he gives me.
“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Rosa.”
My mouth parts, but I can’t seem to find my voice.
“I just… You see, you just looked…uh…” Again, his hand drags through his hair before he meets my gaze again. “Actually, never mind. I’m just sorry.”