Page 39 of Catching His Runaway

I will admit, his arm had felt nice while it was securely wrapped around my waist. Despite feeling like a metal bar locking me into place, he radiated a warmth that felt amazing.

Now that I’ve slipped out of his grip, leaving him behind sleeping after exhausting him, a part of me misses it. As I tug my shorts and shirt back on, I ignore the cool wetness between my thighs. I don’t even know how long we went at it before Tommy was satisfied.

Before slipping out of his room, I give him one last longing gaze. My heart betrays me, speeding up in my chest.

Before any thoughts can coax me back toward his bed, I leave the room and quietly shut the door behind me.

Finding Santino isn’t hard to do. Thanks to me shaking things up, he’s spent a lot of his time slipping away from his family to talk to his ties regarding my issues. While no one hasn’t quite spelled it out to me what is happening in the background, Tommy’s made it clear through the haze of lust.

Somethingis happening. I don’t like being in the dark. It makes my skin itch and my heart thump heavily in anticipation.

I check his office, but he’s not inside. Instead, I find his form behind the glass doors that lead out to the back of the home, where all the greenery rests. As I expect, he’s on his phone. Without even looking at his face, I’m willing to bet he’s got a frown carved into his expression.

After all this time, I’m surprised he hasn’t had someone take me away and clear my problem from his hands.

Approaching the glass, my fingers graze the handle.

Santino is doing something. Somewhere in his head, he has to care enough to put in the effort to save me.

Why do I feel so nervous to talk to him? Out of all my siblings, he’s the one I’m the least close to. Before he had shoes to fill, he was as protective of me as Urzo and Lazaro. Maybe deep down, that protectiveness is still there.

I just need to talk to him. Clear the air. If hedoeswant to clear his hands of me, maybe I can tell him that I don’t want to leave alone.

Maybe he’ll let me take Tommy with me.

God, that’s insane. I don’t even know if he’ll even want to leave this place. After being so dedicated to this family, I don’t think a woman is enough to push him out.

What about that thing making my head spin and my heart throb whenever he closes the space between us? That thing that has a vice grip on my entire being?

Love.

Santino knows what love is. The way he looks at his wife says it all. He’ll understand, he has to. If Tommy feels anything for me, even a sliver of what I feel for him, then maybe…

Sighing, I shake my head. Not wanting to give up the small hints of hope forming in my chest, I straighten my shoulders.

I’ll figure out how Tommy feels another time. For now, I’ll talk to Santino, not as my brother, but as the Don of the family.

Talking myself into having the conversation, something in the reflection of the glass catches my eye. Something growing bigger,fast.

Expecting it to be Tommy coming after me for abandoning him, one turn of my head is enough to prove I’m wrong.

In fact, I’m not even close.

14

Tommy

The low rumble of thunder wakes me up. In the background, I hear the small droplets of rain hitting the glass.

With my face pressed into the pillow on the other side of my bed, I breathe in deeply. The smell of Valeria clings to everything on this bed. The smell of my shampoo she uses soaks into the pillow. The scent of her arousal on my sheets. It’severywhere.

Even though I know she’s not next to me, I reach out for the slim chance of touching her so I can pull her back to my chest where she belongs.

I’d rather tuck my nose into the crook of her neck and breathe her scent in straight from the source.

Groaning softly in the back of my throat, I force myself awake. Moving to sit up, I expect to hear the rush of the shower, or see the bathroom occupied. It’s not.

If she wanted breakfast, then she must’ve sucked the energy straight out of me to leave my bed without waking me up.

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