Page 31 of Lie to Me

Tears once again spring to my eyes, only this time they have nothing to do with the storm and everything to do with him.

“Marco,” I croak.

We still haven’t said those three words, and even though I feel them, I can’t seem to form the words. Besides, when I finally do tell him how goddamn in love with him I am, I don’t want to do it over the phone.

“I know,” he says simply, though I’m not really sure what he knows. Does he know I love him? Does he feel the same?

“Look out your window towards the left side of the estate,” he orders, and I immediately do so, only to find his car parked on the edge of our property.

“What the hell are you doing?” I exclaim.

“I won’t ask you to leave the house. And don’t worry, I’m not coming in. But like fuck am I just going to sit at home while you’re here crying, so I’m going to sit in my car, as close as I can get to you, and stay on the phone with you until the storm passes. Okay?”

This fucking man.

I’m not the type of girl to swoon, but Christ, he makes it hard not to.

“Okay,” I whisper.

It’s not until four hours later, when the sky is dark and the storm has finally passed, that Marco finally goes home. Leaving me with an ache in my chest and a carefully carved spot in my heart, dedicated just to him.

Chapter Fifteen

Sloane

Present

“Oh you’re an angel,” Skye mutters as I hand her the cup of coffee. One thing about being a nurse? You’re always understaffed, which is why we’re both here at the hospital working the night shift when we should be at home enjoying our days off.

“That bad?” I ask before taking a sip from my own cup.

“I have one crazy fucking family. Hey, remember I told you about that sickeningly sweet couple from before? You took them off my hands… Well, the guy’s brother was shot so now the whole family is here.”

It takes me a moment to process what she’s talking about, and when it does, my blood freezes in my veins.

“Which brother?” I bark at her. She jolts backwards from my reaction with a furrowed brow.

“Uh… Mark? Marcus? Something like that.”

“Room number,” I demand.

With wide eyes, she tells me the room number and I’m running there without even thinking about what I’m doing.

I make it to the hallway outside his room, and spot Izzy and Luca standing outside. Just as I’m approaching the door, I hear Luca speak.

“Excuse me, miss. You can’t just go in there.”

I turn and glare at him as Izzy’s mouth opens, clearly about to tell him who I am, but his hand reaches out and wraps around my wrist before she can.

I’ve never actually met Marco’s older brother, and all the times I imagined it, it certainly didn’t go like this.

I spin around, dislodging his hand and holding my arm against his throat until I have him backed against the wall. I can see Izzy leaning against the wall grinning in my periphery, but I focus on the asshole in front of me.

“Don’t you ever grab a woman without permission,” I spit.

He cocks a brow. “Don’t just go walking into your patients’ rooms when they’re with their family members.”

“That would be a valid point if she wasn’t a family member, son.” A voice sounds from behind me and I take a step back, spinning around to see Salvatore Romano standing at the door to Marco’s room, with who I recognize as Enzo and his wife behind him. I don’t have the capability to read into his words right now, the only thing I can think about is seeing Marco.