Page 16 of Whispers in the Dark
“I’m so embarrassed,” she admits. She removes her glasses to swipe at her eyes. “And of course, you of all people were there.”
My brows furrow, and I quickly type on my phone.
What does that mean?
She shakes her head. “Nothing. I just meant…” She rests the side of her head against the headrest, keeping her eyes on me. “This is probably one of the worst days of my life.”
Let me take you home.
“I…” She swallows hard and rolls in her bottom lip, glancing down at her lap. “I don’t want to go home.” Her eyes look up, meeting mine. “I don’t think I want to be alone right now.”
I nod in understanding.Madeleine’s?
She shakes her head. “No, definitely not.”
I know I shouldn’t, but I drop my phone between us and sign,My house?
Her lips part, but she doesn’t comment on the use of my sign language. Instead, she nods. “Okay.”
Facing forward, I wrap my fingers around the steering wheel and accelerate out of the parking lot, making for the direction of home.
Usually, I would drive a bit faster, but not right now.
Not when there’s precious cargo beside me.
As we drive through the iron gates, bypassing the guards on duty, I start to feel…nervous?
Probably because I don’t allow anyone but my family in my space, and this will be the first time I’ve ever had a guest.
Yeah, that’s all this feeling is.
We drive for minutes through the winding roads, the forests growing denser around us, before I eventually turn down a hidden path that leads to my house.
As we come to a stop before my front steps, her eyes take in the intimidating presence, her lips parting in awe. “This is your home?” she questions quietly, her eyes raking over the dark structure, which is partially built within the side of a mountain. She turns toward me, waiting for my response, but I’m unsure whether she likes it, and to be honest, I’m not sure why that bothers me. A soft smile appears on her face. “It’s beautiful.”
One side of my lips slowly lifts before quickly stopping. Clearing my throat, I step out of the vehicle, my boots landing with an impact in the snow. She walks around the front of my truck with her bag placed beneath her arm, and when my eyes see her heels sinking in the snow, it takes everything inside me not to sweep her off her feet and carry her across the damn threshold.
Quickly, I unlock the door and gesture for her to step inside before me. She takes a few steps and then abruptly stops.
“This is insane,” she breathes, her eyes trailing over every square inch of my home.
It’s an open space that showcases almost every room on the first floor. Windows surround the entire back of the house, offering a pristine view of the clear night sky and rugged landscape. Green plants take up space throughout, providing a cool touch to the warm shades of brown and the black thatserve as the primary colors, using wood and natural resources. The living room features a deep-brown leather sectional and recliners that face the ten-foot stone fireplace, which was specially designed for the room. Dark stone archways outline the kitchen, which features a long black marble island imported from Italy.
This is my home.
“Oh my God.” She sidesteps me, walking directly toward the water feature—a koi pond containing a dozen or so fish that also call this place home. She stares at the crystal-clear water, entranced by the large fish that swim throughout. Some appear to be hiding beneath the lily pads while others come to the surface, curiously peering up at her. “You have a pond…in your home?”
I stand beside her and reach for the canister of fish food, using a cup to shake pellets into the water. The fish greedily come to the surface, eating everything I’ve dropped for them.
She shakes her head, spinning around with astonishment in her eyes. “This is truly something else. No wonder you like to spend so much time here.”
My chest fills with pride from her words.
I hook a finger, motioning for her to follow me toward the back wall. My hand fastens around the silver handle, and I slide one of the large glass doors partially open. I step onto the deck and gesture with one of my arms for her to follow me, and when she does…
“Mauro…” Her eyes shine as she stares at the mountains, lit only by the moon and stars, stretching for as far as the eyes can see. Dark and imposing yet beautiful and welcoming. An image worth painting. “This is breathtaking,” she says softly as she gets lost in the view, fastening her arms around herself.
She’s cold.
