Page 71 of Release Me

“I’m sorry, baby.” I push to my feet and hug her. “I would let you get your lick back, but unfortunately, you have to go take a shower now.”

Spinning her around, I gently urge her to the bathroom door, pushing her through it while remaining on the other side. Nadia turns to look back at me, her face still scrunched up, one of her hands rubbing at her ass. “You’re not joining me?”

My eyes rove down her body, making note of every curve and inch of satin skin. Nadia is walking temptation, and me getting in the shower with her wouldn’t do anything but ensure that we starve to death.

“No, precious, I have to run over to my place to shower and change.”

She pushes her lips out into a nearly irresistible pout. “Can’t you just stop by your place and change after we get done here?”

“No, I really can’t.”

Nadia frowns, suspicion rolling over her features like a storm cloud. “Why?”

“Because if I stay here while you shower, you’ll distract me with all of that—” I gesture at the magnificence of her naked form “—and it’ll be quicker to leave from here.”

I find myself holding my breath, sending up a silent prayer that she doesn’t push me for further explanation because I can’t get into it with her right now. Thankfully, she doesn’t.

“Oh, okay.” She opens the glass door to her shower and reaches inside to turn on the water. Almost instantly, steam starts to fill the room. “Well go ahead and wash your stinky balls and hurry back to me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I laugh, backing away from the door and leaving her to handle her business. As soon as I’m out of her sight, I deflate a little, hating the fact that I lied to her about why we couldn’t go to my place. Hating even more that she believed me so easily.

After I get dressed, I grab my phone and my keys and leave Nadia’s. Her heavy door slams shut behind me, and even though I know she’s in the shower, I still glance back to make sure she’s not around to see me turn to the left instead of the right, heading for the door of the only other unit on this floor instead of the elevator.

My heart pounds in my chest, and I feel stupid for being nervous about walking into my own place, but that’s what I am. Nervous and guilty because Nadia and I have been together for less than twenty-four hours and I’m already keeping things from her. The trouble is I don’t think she’d appreciate or understand why I decided to move into this unit the day after she signed her lease for hers. She wouldn’t get that even then I had this pressing need to be close to her, to take care of her, to keep her safe. All things that couldn’t be accomplished from my place across town.

It was always my intention to settle down here at The Ivy. Out of all the buildings I own, it’s my favorite. The old world charmed mixed with modern luxury makes me feel right at home, and the proximity to Cerros and Adler Holdings, is an added bonus, making it the perfect place for me. And Nadia too.

When she walked into the lobby and immediately fell in love, pointing out all of the same design aspects I appreciated, I knew this would be the place she chose to put down roots, so I did what I had to do to put down roots beside her, to grow next to her until she trusted me enough for us to grow together.

Knowing that I’m actively undermining that trust weighs heavy on my heart, and I spend the duration of my shower and the time it takes me to get dressed, convincing myself that it’s not a big deal, that the perfect moment will present itself for me to tell her that I’m her neighbor and explain exactly how that came about. For the most part, it works, and by the time I’m standing in front of her apartment, announcing my arrival with a quiet rapping of my knuckles on the door, I almost believe it.

Nadia opens the door with the same smile on her face she had when I left her, and one of the two shoes she needs to walk out the door on. “You got back quick!”

I linger in the doorway while she moves toward the couch in search of her other shoe. “I told you I wouldn’t be long.”

“And you meant it too.”

“I did. You look beautiful.”

Her outfit is simple, a pair of light washed jeans with a crisp white button down and gold accessories that highlight the warm undertones of her skin. She’s got her hair pulled back into a slick bun, which means I can easily see the small gold hoops in her ears that look a lot like the one currently threaded through my lobe.

Nadia slips her left foot into the mate of the white sandal she already has on and glances down at herself. “You don’t think it’s too simple?”

I hold out my hand, beckoning her forward. She grabs her purse and crosses the room, linking our fingers together. I pull her in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I think it’s perfect, just like you. Now, let’s go eat.”

25

SEBASTIAN

We arrive at my parent’s house just as Mom is plating french toast made from challah bread and stuffed with strawberries and whipped marscarpone. Everyone is surprised but delighted to see Nadia on my arm, and we field questions about what we are to each other from each of my siblings and both of my parents over the course of our meal. Despite the inquisition, the meal goes well. We sit around the table talking about everything from our childhood antics to the stock market, and I watch Nadia soak it all in with some hints of sadness, but mostly joy on her face.

It makes me happy that she’s here, enmeshed in the family I want her to be a real part of more than anything.

“She’s good for you,” Mom says, sitting the serving platter with nothing more than cold bacon crumbles on it in the sink. I’m standing at the counter, watching Nadia and Zoe say their goodbyes to Luca and Andreas instead of scraping food from our plates into the trash like I’m supposed to. The last thing I want to do is look away from her, but I do, letting my eyes land on my mother.

“You think so?”

“Oh, absolutely. I knew there was something between the two of you when I saw you together at the wine tasting event, but I didn’t think it was so serious.”

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