Page 26 of Scarred Hearts

When we pulled into the garage, he parked the car and escorted me up to my apartment. The door creaked open, and I finally found my voice. “Um, do you want to come in for a minute and just breathe and relax before heading out again?”

He pressed his palm against the door, holding it open for me as I stepped inside. Normally, I would have gone straight upstairs to put away my things and take a shower, but I didn’t want him to leave before I had a chance to talk to him. With his hands buried deep in his pockets, he stared down at me with an intense gaze.

“Can I at least get you some water?” I offered.

“No.”

I leaned against the foyer table and dropped my work bag to the floor. “What time do you need to get home to the kids?”

“They’re with Mila’s sister for a few days,” he replied, but there was no hint of happiness in his tone. “She’s the only one on that side of the family that I trust.”

“Oh.” I wanted to say more and offer some kind of comfort or support, but I didn’t want to push him further away. “Okay, well, do you want to talk about whatever’s on your mind or just hang out and stay quiet? I’m fine either way, but I don’t want to pretend like nothing’s going on if you need someone to listen to y?—”

He shook his head and took a step toward the door. “I shouldn’t be here.”

Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed his wrist, just like he had done to mine at the club. He spun around, his eyes locking with mine. I could feel the uneasiness radiating off of him, and in that moment, he seemed so much taller than his already imposing height. My heart raced as I blinked rapidly and pulled my hand back, almost as if his skin was fire.

“Sorry,” I exhaled a shaky breath.

“Did you fuck him?” he asked, his voice becoming deeper.

“What?!” I jerked my head back. “Who?!”

“Dr. Douche,” he growled, his jaw clenched.

What the hell is he talking about? The pieces clicked into place, and I giggled at the absurdity of it all. “Dario?”

“I’m not laughing,” he snapped, taking a menacing step toward me.

“Sorry,” I said, clearing my throat and shaking my head. “No, I didn’t.”

“You were all over him.”

Oh, my God. Is he jealous? I held my hands out to the side. “Ty,” I snickered again, “being all over someone is my literal job, but all I did was give him a lap dance.”

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Have you ever?”

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Fucked him?”

He nodded slowly, not breaking eye contact.

“No,” I replied confidently, my lips twitching into a sly smile. “I haven’t even kissed the guy.” A thought occurred to me, and my smile widened. “So, you were watching.”

With each step he took closer to me, I involuntarily stepped back until my back hit the wall behind me. But instead of feeling trapped, the closeness only ignited more heat between us.

“I shouldn’t be here,” he repeated for what felt like the hundredth time tonight.

But this time, there was something different in his gaze, something that made my heart beat faster and my cheeks flush with eagerness.

“Shouldn’t? Okay, but what do you want?” I whispered, peering up into his dark eyes.

A conflicted expression crossed his face before he spoke again, his voice low and husky. “Jade said some things to me tonight that made me start thinking a lot. I don’t want to admit she’s right,” he confessed, his hand coming up to rest on the wall next to my head. He reached out the other, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. “But she is. And I’ve known it for a while. I just refused to believe it until she bluntly went full Jade on me.”

I gulped, fighting the urge to reach out and touch him. “Care to tell me what she said?”

He leaned closer, his lips just inches from mine now. His fingers trailed down my neck before settling under my chin, tilting my face up toward his when I tried to avert my gaze. “Gia,” he murmured, his voice full of need, “make me forget it all.”

My breath hitched at the same five words he uttered to me the night he stepped into my room at Penthouse L.A. Make me forget it all. It repeated in my head.

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