Page 43 of She Belongs to Me

And someone had died in the building because I’d been at the wrong place at the wrong time?

I couldn’t breathe, flashes of the ugly images rushing into my mind for the tenth time. I didn’t need to relive the murder, but maybe that was my real penance. I had to calm down, but was that possible?

Silly me hadn’t asked if I could have my phone back to contact her. I doubted he would allow it even with a burner phone. There were too many risks. I wasn’t technical per se, but one of the jerks I’d dated for all of two weeks had been a computer nutcase, capable of hacking computers and knowing every trend. Maybe I should have listening to his ridiculous theories on the world’s demise, but I’d gleaned only so much.

Still, what I had carried with me allowed me to know what Nico was attempting to do was smart. Very smart.

While I’d headed inside first, he’d thumped in, slamming the door leading from the garage and without saying anything to me, storming off. I heard another door slam a few seconds later.

“What a fucking child.” My words were harsh, but I couldn’t believe he’d closed down to the point he’d almost become belligerent. Maybe he hadn’t gotten close to another woman before, so he didn’t know acting like a Neanderthal thug after an intimate event wasn’t good for anyone.

I knew he had a lot on his mind. I’d also been able to tell that he hadn’t found it easy to share the horrible news with me. However, the bantering, the sparring we did wasn’t helping the situation in the least. I had to make a pledge to calm down and not overreact to him the way I had.

But sadly, the abruptness of how he’d ended the most incredible moment of passion had jarred me. No, not that I would admit it to anyone, but it had almost destroyed the feminine side of me that I rarely allowed to be seen. Yes, I was his goddaughter, but maybe he saw me as nothing more than a tomboy. I’d been called that before.

I couldn’t do this. It wasn’t healthy and from Italy, there was little I could do to help anyone. But somehow, someway, I’d be allowed to talk to my aunt. Period. Whether he liked it or not.

Mr. Sexy with an incredible mouth and tongue.

Oh, I was so incensed.

No. Back it off. Get something to drink.

Sighing, I decided to explore the kitchen. There had to be a wine cellar somewhere. I planned on trying the family wine, whether or not I’d end up cracking open a two-thousand-dollar bottle.

I found a smaller version of what I was looking for, the small, climate-controlled room stunning like everything else. There was a small tasting table and a gorgeous overhanging light. There were also LEDs highlighting the few racks of wine and from what I could tell, they were all from Marciano vineyards. At least I had a good time selecting a bottle of merlot.

It was from a few years before, likely worth more money than those just bottled. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d acted spitefully, other than when a professor had dared chastise me in front of the entire class, telling me I would be the first one of the year to flunk out.

I’d planned terrible things I wanted to do to him, including slashing his tires, but I wasn’t a stupid girl. I also hadn’t wanted to go to jail. That would effectively end my career.

Instead of acting on my need for violent revenge, I’d excelled in class, my grades much higher than anyone else, even skewing the curve.

He’d loathed me for it and all I’d done was smile sweetly.

My aunt had been proud.

This?

She wouldn’t understand.

If she remained alive.

The thought was debilitating. I’d always heard that things happened for a reason, but I couldn’t fathom what seeing what I’d seen had to do with anything.

At least I could finish out the year. For that, I was more than grateful. I would tell him so in the morning. If he allowed me to talk to him.

I moved back into the kitchen, searching the drawers until I found three different wine openers. He took his wine drinking seriously. There was also a cabinet of various wineglasses from long stems to stemless. I figured with my shakiness, stemless was the most appropriate.

When I took a taste, I honestly knew it had to be the best-tasting wine I’d ever had in my life. I walked toward the incredible set of floating frameless doors, doing nothing more than staring outside for a few minutes. The moon was brighter than I’d realized before. The entire moment in the woods had been perfect.

But with all perfect things came a drop, a bad thing happening. I wasn’t certain what to think, still numb. The last two hours had seemed surreal.

There was nothing I could do about his mood or the man shutting down. Nico was complicated, more so than I’d realized. What did I know? He’d been closed off every time I’d seen him. Well, not every time. He’d been emotional on a couple of occasions, including when I’d graduated early from high school. It was a moment in time I would never forget.

It had been the only real endearing moment where I’d been old enough to see Nico with his guard down. I took another few sips of wine, savoring the flavor. I had to admit my stomach was growling so much I felt a sharp pain. I could cook. Kind of. I’d become a master of creating cheap pasta dishes, contrasting the carbohydrates with a healthy salad, but it had been a long time since I’d attempted anything else.

I wondered if there was any cheese in the house.