Page 11 of Tryst

Truthfully, I wanted the night to myself, anyway. Maddie and I had been on a video chat for the past hour while I tried on clothes, I wasn’t sure I still wanted. She sat on her bed with her laptop, writing the book she swore she would finish and publish, eventually.

“I’ll be home before they get back.” He patted the door molding with his palm before he disappeared down the hallway.

You should let him start hanging out with us. Maddie giggled.

My upper lip curled at her suggestion, while shifting the weight of my butt on the floor.

He’s grown up now.

I sighed.He gets into so much troub—

“ELIZA!” Lucas shouted from downstairs.

“What?!” I barked over my shoulder.

“SOMEONE’S HERE FOR YOU!”

I stood. “Weird,” I mumbled, grabbing my phone, then skipped toward the foyer after hearing the door slam. When I came to the top of the stairs, I froze, searching for my brother, but he was gone.

Vincenzo jerked his head toward the entrance. “He sped out.”

Who is it?I heard Maddie’s voice coming from the phone at my side.

“Shit.” I held it up.I’ll call you back.

Eli—

I ended the call as I came to the bottom step before she saw him. Vincenzo tilted his head, lowering his gaze to my chest. Glancing down, my eyes widened when I realized my cleavage was spilling out of my tight, low-cut top. Though it was purely by accident, it appeared to be on purpose. I was embracing it for the moment.

Wetting his lips, he lifted his gaze to mine. “You left these,” he held out my sunglasses, “at my house.”

I folded my arms, arching a brow. “And you couldn’t give them to me tomorrow?”

“You might need them to drive.” He took a step closer, handing them to me. “Listen, I need you to stop.”

“Stop what?” I snatched the glasses from his hand, gliding them onto the top of my head.

“Lizzie, I kno—”

“Don’t call me that,” I scoffed. “Reminds me of when I was a kid.”

His gaze narrowed for a moment before his expression softened. “Eliza.” He cleared his throat. “I know you’ve been flirting with me, and it needs to stop.”

“You think what I’ve been doing is flirting?” I snickered, sliding my phone into my back pocket. “That was me being nice. My flirting is more—” My voice trailed off. I didn’t want to anger him. Denial was my defense, and I was hoping it would work. I wanted him more than anything. I always had. But I didn’t want it at the cost of pissing him off; and I knew what I desired would never happen.

“More what?” He narrowed his gaze at me.

I hopped off the bottom stair, sashaying toward the kitchen. The moment I was through the archway, I felt a hand on my elbow.

He spun me around. “More what, Eliza?”

“Passive,” I murmured, “yet playful and intentional. I can’t explain it.”

He let go, running his fingers through his hair. “I’m not stupid. You’ve been fucking with me.”

Sucking my bottom lip into my mouth, I bit back a grin. “Trust me, if I was fucking with you, you’d know it.”

His jaw clenched as he took a step closer. “The consequences of that are more than you can handle.”

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