Page 52 of Mafioso's Muse

Thankfully, her lungs began to function properly again. ‘Six?’

His gaze returned to her, and she was prepared for him to politely decline. Instead, he said, ‘Okay.’

‘Okay?’

‘I’ll see you at six.’

It felt like someone had lifted a brick off her chest. ‘Great.’

Vaughn walked over to his desk and picked up his phone. ‘Finn will take you back to the studio.’

‘I took a taxi here. I can get one back.’

He gave her a tired look. ‘As I said earlier, I never agreed to care less.’

Swallowing thickly, she let him make the call.

17

April 2024

As soon as Antonio had phoned and told him about his encounter with Willow that morning, Vaughn had wondered if she would go looking for him the same way he would go looking for her. Sharing a true connection with a person meant connecting with their pain too. It seemed there was no opting out for them. So, that evening at six, fighting every sensible thought that came into his mind, Vaughn went to Willow’s apartment.

When she opened the door, she was slightly out of breath, like she had run to answer it. Her face lit up with the most striking smile when she saw him. ‘You came.’

He drank in the sight of her. ‘I did.’

She wore cut-off denim shorts and a yellow shirt with a white daisy print. He had never seen her hair down before. It was parted in the middle, falling in soft waves past her shoulders. A silver necklace with a ballet shoe pendant hung from her neck. Her feet were bare, the toenails painted blue. She was a walking, talking piece of art.

‘Come in,’ she said, stepping aside for him.

He entered the apartment and looked around. The kitchen was small, and the living area wasn’t much bigger. There was a two-seater couch covered with sequinned cushions in the middle, a coffee table made from what appeared to be repurposed pallets, and an old timber dining table in the corner with two metal chairs. Somehow, it all worked together to create a cosy environment.

He stopped to look at the abstract print of a woman’s face on the wall. Then his gaze fell to the large fish tank beneath it, eyes narrowing on an ugly creature sitting at the bottom. ‘Whatisthat?’

‘That’s Frank.’ She walked over to the tank and brought her face close to the glass. ‘He’s an axolotl. I’ve had him since I was fourteen.’ She straightened. ‘They actually live longer in captivity than in the wild.’

He went to join her. ‘You brought a fish from Sydney to Melbourne?’

‘He’s not technically a fish—he’s an amphibian. And yes, I drove him. He was excellent company during the long trip.’ She turned to face him. ‘Do you want a tour?’

He looked around, squinting. ‘Sure.’

Willow gestured around the room as she crossed it. ‘Kitchen and living room.’ She continued to the two doors on the other side. ‘Bathroom, toilet, and laundry in there.’

‘All in one?’ he asked as he caught up with her.

‘All in one handy location, yes.’ She moved to the next door. ‘Bedroom and walk-in robe through here.’

His eyebrows rose in surprise. ‘You have a walk-in robe while your washing machine sits beside the toilet?’

She entered the bedroom and opened a sliding door. Vaughn followed, looking into what appeared to be a cupboard.

‘I use the term loosely,’ she said, stepping inside the tiny space. ‘But you canwalk in.’

He bit back a smile. ‘I see that.’ His eyes moved over the queen-sized bed with its olive-green linen and mountain of pillows atop it.

‘And now for the best part,’ she said, heading back out the door.

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