Page 46 of Where We Met

"Are you okay?" I ask softly.

She looks up at me with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"

"I noticed you tensed a bit back there when your mother came up. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

She looks off in the distance as she shrugs. "It's fine."

"Bullshit. Talk to me, princess." I grip her chin and move it so she's looking directly at me again.

She blows out a breath as if releasing the raw emotion she’s been holding in. "My whole life I've seen the same pitiful looks when people learn I lost my mom so young.” She shrugs her shoulders dismissively. “It’s stupid, I know. It’s the normal reaction to have sympathy when you find out someone’s loved one passed away, but it just makes me feel like… I don’t know… they pity me. It was a long time ago, and sure, it makes me sad to think about it, but I’ve long since come to terms with my reality. Reliving it when other people find out doesn’t do me any good. It’s stupid, but it’s true."

"Don't talk about yourself like that. It's not stupid to feel like that, it’s actually perfectly understandable."

She hesitates for a moment. "You think so?"

"Well, I mean, I don't understand exactly what you're feeling, but I get what you’re saying. No one likes to feel like that. I'm just trying…" I stumble over my words. I grip the back of my neck and rub it, slightly embarrassed. "Shit, I'm fucking this up, aren't I?"

She lets out a soft giggle. "Not at all."

Silence falls between us as the moment shifts from friendly to something else—something more complicated. My thumb starts to rub circles over her hand, and I watch as she swallows heavily.

My gaze drops from her throat down to her breasts, then back up to her eyes. There's a hopeful glint in them. Does she want me to kiss her?

I feel my body start to lean in on its own accord as I remember the taste of those lips and am once again plagued by the incessant need to know what they would feel like wrapped around my dick.

Fuck, my dick twitches at the thought, bringing me back to reality. I step away as my hand lets go of hers.

She looks down, and I can see the disappointment etched all over her face.

"Good night, princess," I whisper before turning around.

I walk into my room and close the door quickly before I do something stupid. My forehead rests against the door as I pound my fist on it in frustration.

Why is this so damn hard? I hate that I'm not strong enough to resist her.

I’ve made it through one day here in this romantic setting. Now I just need to make it through five more.

Chapter Sixteen

Savannah

TheprolongedanticipationI'mconsistently feeling about will he or won't he kiss me is becoming unbearable. I rest my head back against my door and take a deep breath just as a loud bang comes from across the hall, startling me.

I shouldn't go over there to check on him, that much is obvious. But Giorgio did close the rest of the villa for our stay, and the family stays in the villa next door. This means that noise wasn't from another guest. What if something fell and hit Luke?

I look up at the large wooden beams hanging from the ceiling. Oh no! What if one fell off the ceiling and pierced his face like the log scene from Final Destination?

Okay, so maybe that's a bit drastic, but hecouldbe hurt.

Not wanting to take any chances, I open my door and take two big leaps to his door where I knock frantically until the door flies open.

I only have a second to breathe a sigh of relief when I see he is safe and doesn't have a log sticking out of his face because he's standing in front of me with his white shirt unbuttoned, his impressive stomach and pecs on full display.

He takes a step toward me. "Savannah, is everything okay?"

I panic as I struggle to string a single thought together, too focused on staring at the ridges of his abs.

"Um, yeah. I'm good. I'm great. Just happy your head doesn't have a huge piece of wood sticking out of it." My mouth moves while my brain yells at me to shut up.

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