Page 23 of Lonely Heart

“Is everything okay?”

I sent her a look of confusion. “With the villa? Yeah, it’s going great.”

“No, I meant with you. You said you didn’t sleep well.”

I couldn’t tell her.

How would I explain that I’d had such a difficult time sleeping because I couldn’t stop thinking about her and if she was okay? How could I tell her that mere hours after I realized I felt an attraction to her, her brother made it clear he wouldn’t approve of us ever having something like that between us?

Ivy would lose her mind, not because I believed she felt an attraction to me, but because she would never stand for someone else telling her what she could and couldn’t do. And the last thing I’d ever want to do is cause a rift in this family.

“I just have some stuff on my mind. Nothing to worry about,” I declared.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

She nodded slowly, but the look in her eyes told me she didn’t necessarily believe I was being honest with her. “Alright. Well, I guess I’ll let you get back to work. I need to head back in there and catch up on things I didn’t get done yesterday.”

“Sure.” I held up my shirt between us and shook it in my hand. “Thanks for returning this.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for being so good to me and letting me borrow it. I owe you for what you did for me that night.”

“No, you don’t. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

She smiled. “I’ll see you later, Marco.”

“Later, Ivy.”

Ivy turned and walked toward the door. I followed her there, my eyes unable to resist roaming over her curves.

And that’s when I realized a sleepless night was going to be the least of my worries. If I didn’t get a handle on this sudden attraction, I didn’t know how I was going to continue to be around this family as often as I was.

7

IVY

I was staring intentlyat my computer screen when the knock came at my door. Having gotten home from work only twenty minutes ago, I knew it was Ava.

My best friend called me last night after she’d learned from my brother, Tate, about my attack. I’d spent the night at my parents’ place last night. My sister still lived at home, and since everyone had been so worried, I told them I’d stay the night. Plus, if I was honest, given how my night in the hotel had been, I had felt a bit uneasy about being alone.

Luckily, I’d managed a nightmare-free night, which may have also been because we’d had time together with Cooper and Skye sharing the news of her pregnancy with the family. The excitement of a new addition to the family helped distract me from my attack.

On the bright side, I felt confident enough to be back home tonight. And Ava had informed me she was coming to visit me as soon as I got home from work. I couldn’t say I didn’t understand, or that I minded. If I’d learned that something similar had happened to her, I’d have done the same thing.

I abandoned my laptop temporarily and scurried over to the door. When I opened it with a smile on my face, I found mybest friend staring at me with nothing but terror in her eyes. She dropped the bag she’d been holding in her hand, threw her arms around me, and said, “Oh, my God. Are you okay?”

I hugged her back, something I felt like I’d been doing to everyone I’d encountered and shared the story with over the last two days. “I’m alright, Ava. Just a little banged up.”

Ava loosened her hold on me, pulled back, and allowed her eyes to roam over my face, like she needed to confirm for herself that I’d told her the truth. She looked ready to break down into tears. “I’m so sorry about what happened. When Tate came home and told me about it, I freaked out.”

“I know. You called me in a panic last night.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

I nodded and closed the door behind her. “I am. Come on, let’s eat.” Ava picked up the bag with the food. “Thanks for grabbing dinner on the way over.”

“Of course.”

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