Page 102 of When She Tempts (The Fallen)
“Thanks. I’ll see you soon.” He hobbles inside while Sophia totally loses her mind beside me.
“Don’t worry, we’re going,” I tell her as we hurry in the direction of the greenhouse. “Just don’t pee on the tomato plants, all right?”
We jog to the edge of the property where Sophia finally stops to sniff at some bushes, and I get a second to look around. The trail Polo mentioned should be somewhere here, but I don’t see the marker. I wonder if the forest really is as easy to get lost in as Giorgio implied. The trees are dense but passable, and if there’s a trail, shouldn’t it be simple enough to stay on it? I suppose I can ask him to take me one day. He doesn’t seem like the hiking type, but if I ask him nicely… I can even toss in a favor as a gesture of my thanks.
I’m sure Giorgio will have plenty of ideas of how I can thank him.
I giggle to myself. Last night was everything. My body can’t help but heat a few degrees every time I think back to it.
And this morning… I didn’t know it was possible to be soravenousfor another person. We both couldn’t stop touching each other.
I’m still sore even though I told Giorgio in the shower that I wasn’t. A little pain is nothing compared to the physical pleasure of being with him. I bite down on my lip at the memory of how he took his time to get me ready for him. How raw and unguarded he was while he was deep inside of me. How his eyes shone with fondness when I met his thrusts and told him how good he was making me feel.
I’m so lost in my own thoughts, I don’t notice that Sophia is done with the bushes until she races past me.
My head whips around, and my eyes widen when I see her disappear into the tree line.
“Sophia!”
Shit.
I run after her, passing right past the red ribbon Polo mentioned.
“Please be close by,” I mutter as the sky above me gets obscured with branches and leaves.
Ahead of me, there’s an excited yelp, but I can’t see her amongst the foliage. I halt, getting on my tiptoes to try to find her before I get too far.
“Sophia! Come back!”
The forest is alive with sounds. Crickets, birds, and rustling branches.
A dog barks. It’s from farther away this time.
I glance down at my sneakers. I’m a decently fast runner, but Giorgio explicitly told me not to go into the woods.
Still, I can’t just leave her.
“Wait up, Sophia!” I shout.
Sun streams through the foliage in bright patches as I jog down the narrow trail. It’s clear it’s not used very much. There are branches and tall grass growing right through it in some parts. I doubt anyone other than the inhabitants of the castello have ever used it.
I have to slow down when my breathing starts coming out in short puffs. “Sophia!”
There are two distant barks.
I wrinkle my forehead. She still sounds pretty far away.
I’ve got a stitch in my side, but I pick up my speed again, eager not to lose her.
The leaves blur around me as I follow the barely there path. Ugh, Giorgio will kill me if he finds out. At the back of my mind, a worry appears. What if I can’t find my way back? Sophia will, though. She’s been down here before. As long as I find her, she’ll get me back home.
There’s another bark, this time much closer. Suddenly, the trees ahead of me part, and I burst into a small clearing. In the center of the clearing stands an old cottage with a sagging roof, its walls covered in ivy. This is the house I saw a few days ago from the tower. My gaze drops to the steps leading to the front door, and when I see Sophia there, I release a relieved breath.
“There you are.” Tall, uncut grass folds beneath my feet as I walk over to her and clip her onto the leash. She lets me pet her and then barks at the house.
Lifting my gaze back to the cottage, I recall what Giorgio said. It had been damaged in a fire…but where are the signs? I run my gaze over the wooden door. There’s no soot. The windows are boarded up, but the frames are undamaged.
My brows scrunch together. Doesn’t seem to me like there was a fire here. But why would Giorgio lie about it?
