Page 12 of Flawed

I need to make sure he doesn't come back inside. This has to stop. I cannot be with him. He's an Abruzzo.

Why is he being so nice to me? If he's an Abruzzo, he can't be this loving. They do evil, horrible, vindictive things.

So does my boss and his family.

I'm pretty sure my father does, too.

They do it in retaliation though. They're not the devil like the Abruzzos.

If he's this attentive, maybe he'd be a great father.

Stop it! My baby cannot be part of the Abruzzo world!

For hours I toss and turn in bed. When I look at my digital clock, it says 4:15 a.m. I finally fall asleep. It's almost noon when I wake up. I look at the space in the bed next to me, and Luca isn't in it.

My heart instantly sinks.

He didn't come back.

Proves my point. He'd be a terrible father.

I blink away tears then go into the bathroom and freeze.

Luca's naked in the shower. Water rolls down his hard frame. Every muscle in his body seems bigger than the last time we were together.

I'm sure I'm ruined for the rest of my life. No man is ever going to compare to him. He's still bad for me, and I know it, yet I can't tear my eyes off him.

Luca shuts off the water and spins, catching me staring at him. He grins, taunting, "Like what you see, stellina?"

Heat flushes my face. I don't know if I still have a fever or not, but I'm about to break out into a sweat. I stutter, "Wh-what are you doing back here?"

He steps out of the shower. I don't miss every single part of the front side of his body. I shift on my feet, squeezing my legs together. He grabs a towel, dries off, then answers, "I told you I'd be back. Did you not read my letter?"

"Umm… I—"

"Why are you holding your belly? Are you queasy?" he asks, his expression full of concern.

I glance at my hand in horror. I didn't realize I was holding it like a pregnant woman.

When did I start doing that?

All the warning bells in my head that Luca is bad and who he works for ring at full volume. I cross my arms against my chest, leaning against the doorway since I'm still weak, and blurt out, "Yeah, you were working. What do you do?"

"Just boring business stuff. You should get back in bed," he asserts.

"Why can't you tell me what you do?" I hurl.

His eyes turn to slits. "Why do you have so much hostility toward me, Chanel?"

My insides shake with anger and maybe also disappointment. He's the father of my child, who can never know. I must protect my baby at all costs, and I need to get him out of here. I cannot fall for him again. I reply, "I just want to know what you do. Is that a big deal? Or do you have something to hide?"

I'm unsure why I'm pushing this topic. I already know he works for the Abruzzos, but maybe I need to hear him say it. Perhaps that admission would allow me to solidify my stance about not telling him about the baby.

Luca stays planted where he's at. Keeping his dark gaze on me, never once flinching, he says, "I'm a businessman."

"What kind?" I push.

He sniffs hard then steps closer to me.

---