Page 49 of Enduring Caine
What did he say to her in her room? What did they do? Did he touch her? Did she still have feelings for him? Of course, she felt something, but was it clouding her judgment?
Trust her.“You’re different when he’s around.”That was hardly trusting, you fool. “And I don’t like it.”That was worse.
The bitten lip vanished and she gave a quick tug on a chunk of my hair. “Don’t go there.”
But I went there. “He’s lied to you before. What if he’s using your past together to conceal another lie? What if he’s not the TPC agent and it’s someone else?”
“Like who?”
“Why not… why not Henri? He’s out to the town every day for groceries, has access to everyone, wanders the villa and tower at night delivering food to people? Who does that?”
“Don’t tell me you’re still on this jealousy thing? I thought we were past that?”
Jealousy? It was hardly jealousy that reminded me every time I saw Vincenzo that he’d made love—no, it was only ever sex between them, sì, that was it—to my girlfriend. Or that he’d had her foolishly flying across the Atlantic to be with him, when he was lying to her about his level of commitment?
“Take a breath,” she said, the corners of her lips tightening. “Your face is turning red.”
“He’s taking advantage of you.”
“You’ve got that backwards.” More than the corners tightened and her fingers released my neck. One landed on my good shoulder, the other on my chest. She pushed, not hard enough to separate us, but making her displeasure clear.
“I don’t. You’re angry, irritable—”
“You aren’t?” She pushed harder, but I held my lower body against hers, keeping her pinned against the wall. Her voice raised in decibels beyond the whispers we’d been using. “I haven’t talked to my sister in two days. She’s got radiation tomorrow. I haven’t missed a single appointment until now, and I can’t even call her! Plus, your project’s getting behind. Every day you aren’t working is another day—”
“Shh.” If she got any louder, the camera in the staircase finial would pick her up and no matter how lenient Johann was, he’d have to escort her back to her room.
“We’re cooped up in this damn house and can’t go anywhere without someone watching us. And even if we could, there are still eyes everywhere!”
I’d warned her about this place in the airport, but she’d been too stubborn to listen. “It’s not just that. You’re—I don’t know. Shy? Nervous? Something’s not right with you. And it happens every time he comes into the room.” It differed from the way she used to act when she was afraid of her initial attraction to me, but close enough it hurt my heart whenever I saw it.
Her jaw clenched. “Because he’s an asshole.”
“One you’re considering betraying my family to help.”
“A family who practically kidnapped you.”
“Giovanni just wants to make the Ferraros whole again.”
She rolled her eyes so dramatically, her head tilted back. “Who’s the one believing the liar now?”
“It’s not the same.”
“It’s exactly the same. You’re normally the big man with the personality everyone flocks to. But here? Every time Giovanni steps into a room you shrink and become compliant, willing to do anything he tells you.”
“He’s my uncle.”
“He’s a smuggler.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I’m not stupid, Antonio. You say you love me over and over, complain I don’t talk to you about things, then you refuse to tell me about all of this.”
“All of what?”
“What you did here. It’s just vague stories about getting involved, wanting to please your uncle, and somehow getting shot in the process.” Her arms relaxed, the hand which had been pushing on my shoulder trailing down to my hand and bringing it to her lips. “You have a lot of demons, and I suspect most of them are here.”
I’d had so many reasons to tell her not to come, and this was one of them. I didn’t want her to see the man I was with them. Nine years had brought about vast changes in me, but even seeing Cristian the handful of times I had in September had me falling into old patterns. Always deferring to him, letting him take the lead on everything. Asking him to deal with my problems and not worrying what that meant.