Page 98 of When She Falls (The Fallen)
“All right. Let’s give it a bit more time,” he concedes.
Relief floods me. “I’ll call if anything new comes up.”
* * *
At breakfast, I find out that Pietra is taking Gemma and Cleo with her to their house in the Hamptons for the next two days.
I try to convince myself it’s a good thing, because it’ll give Gemma time to talk to her brother and process things, but there’s a pang of disappointment low inside my gut.
Right before they’re due to leave, Gemma finds me in the kitchen. The cook is prepping ingredients, but Gemma gives her a pointed look, and the woman quickly excuses herself to go outside for a cigarette.
I lean against the counter and drag my gaze over her form.
Tight leggings. A T-shirt with a wide neck that falls off one shoulder. A glimpse of a black sports bra beneath.
She’s not dressed to impress anyone, and yet she’s fucking gorgeous. I wasn’t lying when I called her the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
I’m going half mad over her, and I don’t even know how she feels about me.
Was it me she wanted last night? Or did she just want a willing participant in her fantasy, and I was the most convenient option?
I haven’t missed how things have warmed between us since Ibiza, but last night was the first time she took the initiative and came to me. And for all I know, it was a one-time fluke.
If it was, that would be a good thing. I’m supposed to stay away from her. That’s what Dem wants me to do, and he’s my don. We didn’t fuck. She’s still probably marrying that cocksucker. She’s still entirely out of my reach.
Tell me last night meant nothing. That it was a mistake.
If she says those words to me, I swear I’ll leave her alone.
I’ll wrap up my business here, go home, and probably spend the rest of my nights thinking of her while staring at my bedroom ceiling, but I’ll manage.
Somehow, I’ll manage.
She glances at me from beneath her lashes and awkwardly shifts in place. “I wanted to say bye in person.” Her voice is husky. Raw.
A shiver runs down my spine.
“That’s…” I take a sip of coffee, looking for the right words. “That’s nice of you.” I sound like a fucking moron.
She bites down on her lip. “Is everything okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“It’s just…last night was…”
I brace myself for what’s coming. She’s going to say it was a mistake.
“It was incredible. And confusing.”
Fireworks explode inside my chest. I file theincredibleaway, and ask, “Confusing… How?”
Pink spreads over her cheeks. “I wish you’d let me touch you. Iwantedto touch you.” She glances away.
Fuck.
“Peaches,” I say brokenly. I put my cup down, walk over to her, and lift her chin up with my knuckle, forcing her to look at me. She sucks in a tiny breath, her eyes wide and a little shy.
She’s not lying.
