Page 57 of Texting Mr. Stranger

“Maybe I have to think about it. I’m part of this now, whether or not I like it. Did I hear you say you have to host a public event?”

I nod. “Yeah. Call their bluff. They think they’ve got what it takes to hit us, but they’re wrong. We can spring a trap inside their trap. If it’s going to work, they’ll need to know that most of the DeLuca higher-ups will be there. They’ll need bait.”

Bella slowly points at herself. “Well … bait.”

I grip her hips, sitting up so suddenly I almost accidentally throw her out of the seat. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I want to make a deal,” she says. “Let me help you … and you pay my mom’s tuition.”

“I’ll pay her tuition anyway,” I say fiercely. “Consider it done. You don’t have to put yourself in dang?—”

“No, not for free,” she cuts in. “These people are interested in me, too. They know we have something.”

What issomething, exactly? A few texts? Some heat? Some steam? The fact is, it’s more than either of us has ever had before, and that means a damn lot.

“Hmm.”

“Let me do this. I can help you; I can help Mom. It’s a win-win.”

“I can’t stand the idea of you getting hurt.”

She places her hand on my cheek. “Maybe that’s the incentive you need to end this, huh?”

“I meant what I said, Bella. Consider your mom’s college tuition paid.”

“And I meant what I said—no handouts.”

Leaning forward, I stare deeply into her eyes. She might be young, but I see so much experience, strength, and fire in her eyes. “Is this really about the college tuition?”

“I haven’t decided how I feel about the other stuff,” she says, but her voice wavers.

“If we’re going to do this,” I tell her, “we’ll need to be seen together in public. We need the Gallos to know I’m serious about you.”

“Serious,” she repeats. After a pause, she says, “For the performance, right?”

“No,” I say passionately, leaning forward even further. “Not just for the performance. This is more than that and more than music.”

“It is?” she whispers.

“Don’t pretend you don’t feel it, too. Don’t pretend you didn’t feel it the first time we texted each other.”

“Matt,” she whispers, just my name, but how she says it, there’s so much passion in the simple word. It’s like she’s declaring so much else. Before, I might’ve thought I was reading too much into it. I might’ve warned myself to calm down, but not now.

This time, when we kiss, it feels different, like there’s an added significance to it. If I wanted to go full sappy romantic—which, miraculously, Bella makes seem somehow appealing—I’d say I’ve been waiting my whole damn life for Bella Rossi.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

BELLA

“Adate?” Mom says that morning, sitting at the obsidian bar of the well-equipped kitchen, sipping a coffee.

I nod. “Yeah, Mom, a date. I know this is sudden, but I think Matt’s a good man despite everything that’s happened. I know it might sound crazy, but you’ve always trusted me before, and look, we’re here. We’re safe. Nothing bad has happened.”

Mom frowns, looking at me closely. I can tell she’s trying to work out if I’ve lost my mind or under duress. Maybe she thinks Matt is blackmailing or threatening me somehow. She takes a long sip of her coffee when she sees I’m not hiding anything.

“You’re in love with this man, young lady.”

“Inlove?”

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