Page 142 of Steamy Ever After

“Giovanni!” She shoved his shoulder.

“What? You put a pretty naked woman in front of me, I’m gonna look!”

Her mind snagged on the word pretty. Did he think she was pretty? As she started to smile, her face protested and she was reminded of the bruise on her cheek. “I’m a mess.”

“Well, your face is pretty banged up from the accident, but that’s not you. You know you’re pretty, Erin.”

The accident… Part of her wanted to tell him the bruise on her face was there before the accident, but she kept her mouth shut. Stories like that ruined a vibe, and she was actually enjoying herself.

Her foot brushed his and she quickly pulled it back. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He purposefully gave her toes a little flick with his.

Were they playing footsy, now?

She needed a distraction. “I wish we had a deck of cards or something.”

“I saw a few board games and puzzles by the front desk, but I’m not going back out there. It’s too freaking cold. Besides, it’s getting late. We won’t be able to see soon.”

“Do you have any candles?”

“No, just the light from my phone, but I’m trying to conserve the battery.”

She drank several sips of her cocktail. What were they going to do when they were trapped in the dark?

His toes brushed hers again, only this time she didn’t pull away. It felt nice, being under the covers with a man. Every time she slept with someone, they rarely made it under the covers. Sometimes they didn’t even make it to a bed.

She might have had sex more recently than him, but her sex life was still pretty empty. She’d never been good with intimacy.

Even with Finn, she had struggled with his expectations of her. Too much eye contact and emotion scared her. She didn’t know how to receive such sentiments, nor did she have a clue how to give them back. She faked feelings as much as she faked orgasms. It was a wonder why she had sex at all.

Sometimes, she supposed, it was just nice to be touched softly, to shut her eyes for a moment and pretend someone cared about her.

Maybe the rum was hitting her, or maybe it was the fact that he’d called her hot and pretty all in the last hour. Her fingers brushed across the sheet, coming into contact with Giovanni’s.

One soft swipe and he laced his fingers with hers, holding her hand as if it were something they’d done a hundred times before.

A secret smile hid in the corner of her mouth. This buried side of Giovanni reminded her of a soft teddy bear. There was something caring and gentle about him. She bet he was a total momma’s boy.

She thought about the protective way he talked about Mariella. She’d never known him to be much of a fighter, but he was passionate about those he loved.

“Are you and your sister close?”

Keeping hold of her hand, he rubbed his thumb over her knuckle. “Pretty close. I mean, we don’t see each other as much since I moved away, but we keep in touch. She calls me about twice a week.”

That was really close compared to her and Harrison.

“What about you? Do you keep in touch with your brother?”

She couldn’t recall the last time they spoke on the phone. He never called to check in. And whenever she texted him to complain about Dad, he blew her off, saying something cold that made her feel responsible.

He’s never going to change, Erin.

I thought you moved out…

Why are you still living there?

“We’ve grown apart.”

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