Page 94 of Reckless Vow

“Sometimes it feels like for too long,” I say, swirling the spoon in my half empty cup of coffee.

I don’t have time for this chitchat.

I came because I made Chloe stay last night, and I owed her this breakfast. I brought Brook to make sure she understands she doesn’t have to feel threatened by Chloe. Frankly, by no other woman.

The danger doesn’t come from any woman.

It most probably comes from me.

Because I’m feeling out of control, and that’s a recipe for fucking everything up.

Brook puts her hand on my thigh, and it quiets the storm within me. A bit.

“We actually met before Baldo owned his first bar in Rome. I worked the floor there as a waitress. He’s a decent boss,” Chloe teases.

“I’m sorry. I thought the two of you—”

“Are fucking?” Chloe finishes her sentence.

I should have never introduced them. “Not anymore,” I say, because there is no point in hiding this. Brook would find out eventually.

She drops her hand from my thigh, but I grab it back, squeezing. It’s warm and small in mine. It fits. It belongs. And I don’t fucking know what to do with that.

There are too many things we have to fix before we can fit.

And my heart might not survive that.

“For full disclosure, we hooked up. A long time ago. He was pretty fucked up over you, and I was trying to figure out who I was. The worst match ever.”

“She turned to women after that.”

Brook chuckles. “I guess the professional relationship turned better.”

“Definitely.” Chloe checks her watch. “I have a meeting with the wine importer, but I hope to see you again soon. It was nice to meet you, Brook.”

Brook turns to me after Chloe leaves. “She thinks I’m your wife.”

“Because you’re my wife.”

I suddenly need to prove it to her. Even if it’s not a real marriage, our union is as real as they get.

Complicated.

Painful.

And too raw for pretense.

Chapter26

Brook

Baldo drags me through the streets back to his house. I stumble, trying to keep up, but I don’t slow him down.

He seems to be on a mission, and it’s sexy. Fuck, the boy I used to know was playful. This man is intense.

He’s hot and cold. Serious and playful. A man who, on his own terms, allows himself to come out to play, and then burns down the playground.

There are so many layers to him, and he isn’t willing to show many of them. Or to talk about any.

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