Page 48 of Because I Need You
“Get in the car.” It was an order.
It wasn’t loud like the one he’d given his crew, but it was still an order and for some reason, I felt a thrill deep in my core. I thought about defying him, but there was really no point in doing that, so I swallowed and got in the car, tossing the bag to the backseat. Giovanni climbed into the driver’s seat but didn’t turn on the car. He just sat there, both hands gripping the steering wheel. He looked like he wanted to scream. Or reach over and kill me. He looked like he was going to fucking lose it, so I just sat in silence and looked out the window, focusing on the old wooden door that I’d never walk through again. He turned the car on and drove off, slamming a fist on the dial to turn off the music that came out blaring through the speakers. He didn’t speak the whole three blocks it took to get back to his apartment. I didn’t either because I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire, and I didn’t know what to say.
When we got to his apartment, he parked his car in the garage and shot Petra and Joey Z a look I didn’t understand, but they stayed put and didn’t move to follow us. In the elevator, he punched the code for his penthouse and looked back at me. I set my bag down by my feet and wrung my hands together. If this was what my students felt like when they explained a bad grade to their parents, I didn’t think I’d be handing out any more of them for the time being.
“I told you to stay put,” he said through his teeth, taking a step toward me and bringing both hands to either side of my head, caging me in with the warmth and anger that rolled off him. “I told you to stay in my apartment. I…” He stopped talking and inhaled then exhaled deeply. I still didn’t meet his eyes. I couldn’t.
The elevator reached his floor and opened up to his grand foyer. The moment it closed, I set my bag down again and he walked me back against the door, the cool steel against my bare shoulders making me shiver as he caged me in again like he was scared I might run. As if reading my thoughts, he pushed a button next to us and I heard some kind of closure behind the elevator doors behind me. A locked door.
“What the fuck were you thinking, Isabel?” he asked, breathing heavily against me.
“I needed to do something,” I said quietly, still unable to meet his gaze.
“What, exactly, did you need to do?” He spat out each word harshly, shifting in his fancy dress shoes as he kept his arms on either side of me.
“I needed to pick up some things.”
“We could have done that for you.” He took a breath. “Was he up there? William?”
I nodded, swallowing as I looked at the way his throat worked. I still couldn’t chance a glance at him out of fear that I’d either scream at him and slap him or be turned on and kiss him. So far, the latter was winning and that seemed much worse than the aforementioned.
He slapped his right hand against the wall nine times, in sequence with his words” “What – the – fuck – were – you – doing – up – there – alone?”
Oh, my God. Something pooled between my legs. This time, I did look up. His face was so close to mine. Too close to mine. His eyes narrowed and fuming and sexy as hell. I considered it. I knew he’d be mad if I went since he told me to stay put and wanted to keep me safe, but I hadn’t considered another reason, and that made my heart skip a beat.
“Are you jealous?”
“Answer the fucking question.” His jaw clenched as hard as his fists did in my peripheral. “What were you doing?”
“I wanted to ask him a question and get some things.” I licked my lips. His gaze fell to them. His nostrils flared as he met my eyes again.
“Tell me.”
I shook my head. “It’s not important.”
“It’s important to me.”
“Why?”
“Fuck. I don’t know.” He pushed off the wall, his voice bouncing in the space. When he looked at me again, he looked menacing. “Because you’re my fucking wife and I have a right to know.”
Again, with the wife thing. I had to laugh. It was the only emotion I had left today. That made him even more angry, the lines of his face hardening as he took a step forward again.
“You think this is funny?”
“Kind of. I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I don’t know what to think of it. I don’t understand why you want to know so badly.”
