Page 120 of Where Dark Hearts Devour
There. Acknowledgement made.
I can hear his smile, damn it. Right before his footsteps close in on my bed.
I do my best to affect an air of boredom. “Shouldn’t you be at ‘work’?”
He stands over me. “Work can wait.”
The bleeps quicken and I silently curse the heart monitor. It is now obvious to Cristiano that his presence has a physical effect on my heart rate.
“Open your eyes, woman.”
I don’t mean to, but my annoyance at his command and the use of that word overrides my best intentions. Those full-bodied irises are the first thing I see and I sink into them.
When I finally drag myself out of those depths, he’s shaking his head, his arms folded across his bloody enormous chest.
“How do you do it, huh?”
I inhale sharply, unable to tear my eyes away from him. “How do I do what?”
“Get more fucking beautiful every day without lifting a finger? And that one…” he points at the finger I just lifted, “ doesn’t count.”
My insides swirl like a whirlpool.
I swallow and the air sticks in my throat. “Why are you here, Cristiano?”
He blinks and the smile falls from his face. “I want to make sure you’re ok before we get you discharged.”
“I’m fine. I want to go home.”
He opens his mouth to protest but I beat him to it.
“I’m no longer engaged to a Di Santo,” I say slowly. “I’m not at risk of imminent death anymore. I haven’t been home in ages and that’s where I want to be.”
He nods as if he’s trying to convince himself he’s in agreement. “Fine. When you’re settled you can come to the house and pick out anything you want to keep from the closet I got you.”
“Can’t you return it?”
He shrugs. “Too much hassle.”
“More hassle than having me come round and dilly dally about which clothes I want to keep?”Has he met me?
“Having you visit will never be a hassle.”
His soft tone jabs me in the chest.
“Cristiano…”
Suddenly, he’s crouching by the side of the bed, his face level with mine. It takes my breath away. This is why I kept my eyes closed these last few days; I knew he would weaken my defenses with a merelook.
“Do you want to know what I want?”
A puff of air escapes my lips and I snap them shut.Yes.
“No.”
“I’m going to tell you anyway, because you need to hear it.”
I go to turn my face away but he grips it in place.
