Page 101 of When She Tempts (The Fallen)
She turns to me, her expression crumbling when she realizes what I’m referring to. She slaps a palm against the mark. “I burned myself with a hair straightener,” she says quickly.
Jesus Christ, Polo isn’t an idiot.
He purses his lips, and a muscle flexes in his jaw. “Didn’t know we had one.”
“I brought one from home.”
I pick up the newspaper. “You should be more careful next time.”
“Yes, of course.” She shoots me a worried look.
The anger settles in my gut and blurs the words in front of me, but it doesn’t take me long to redirect to myself.
I knew what I was getting into.
I decided she was worth it.
And now? The consequences are mine to deal with.
CHAPTER25
MARTINA
I can’t believeI didn’t think about covering up the hickey. My skin burns for the duration of breakfast, and when I finally finish my food, I hurry upstairs and cover it up with some makeup. I keep waiting for Giorgio to storm into my room and tell me off for being so careless, but he never does.
Around eleven, I pull on my gardening clothes—leggings and a loose T-shirt—and decide to go outside. Hiding in here is just making me look guiltier.
When I reach the front door, I draw to a halt. Polo’s sitting on the front steps, rubbing his ankle while Sophia whines anxiously beside him. He looks like he’s in pain.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
He glances up at me. “Ugh, no. I was about to take Sophia for a run, but I twisted my damn ankle.”
I move closer to get a look. “What? How?”
“Tripped over myself right here.” He motions at the steps. “And it hurts like a bitch.”
“Do you need to go get it looked at?”
He continues to rub his ankle. “No, but I’m going to get some ice. Sorry, girl,” he says to Sophia. “You’re going to have to do your business in the yard.”
The dog barks, her tail wagging back and forth. She looks so excited to go for her walk that I say, “I can take her.”
“You sure?”
I offer him a hand to help him up. “Yeah. I was just going to the garden, but I can walk her instead. Where do you usually go?”
Polo smiles. “Thanks, Martina. I take her into the woods. There’s a trail that starts about thirty meters behind the greenhouse. It’s marked by a red ribbon tied to one of the tree trunks, so you won’t miss it.”
A walk on the trail sounds nice, but Giorgio’s warning sounds inside my head. I’m not about to break another one of his rules, especially after this morning. “Actually, Giorgio doesn’t want me going there. I can take her around the property, though.”
“Ah, that’s right.” Polo braces his palm against the wall to help him navigate the stairs. “Sure, just take her as far as you’d like.”
“Should I keep her leashed the whole time?”
“She likes to run without it. She won’t go far.”
“Okay, sounds good. I hope your ankle isn’t too bad.”
