Page 76 of Blood Money

He briskly walked down a hall, and I nervously twisted my hands as I took in the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked Millennium Park. It was a beautiful view, but I couldn’t get past my worry to really enjoy it.

Footsteps approached, and I turned around to find Alessio returning. “He’s in the shower. Do you need me to stay? I don’t mind.”

“No, it’s okay.” I wasn’t sure what I’d do if Vittorio did try to push me away, but I didn’t want witnesses if he did.

“Do you have your phone?”

I grabbed it from my back pocket and held it up. He extended a hand, and I gave it to him, watching as he called a number. A phone in his pocket rang. He dug it out and answered, then hung up and returned my phone to me.

“Now you have my number if shit… goes south. I’ll come get you and take you home if need be.”

“Thank you,” I murmured.

“No, thankyou. I’ll be in touch.”

I nodded, and he left.

Suddenly beyond nervous, I tried to decide whether I should wait out here or go to his room. The pull was too strong, however, and I found myself cautiously following the sound of running water. The bedroom door was slightly ajar, and I slipped inside. The bathroom door was wide open, and steam poured around a tiled wall of what seemed to be a walk-in shower.

Making up my mind, I toed off my Vans, then stripped out of my jeans and T-shirt. Then I dropped my undergarments. My bare feet barely made a sound as I crossed the floor and entered the shower. My heart broke at the defeated position of the man I loved. One forearm was braced on the wall, his head resting on it. His free hand was splayed on the wall at his drooped shoulder level.

For a moment, I was captivated by the beautiful form that stood in the cascading water. The sculpted muscles appeared hewn from stone, like the statues in the museum—carved by an artist, or even by the gods themselves. He was beautiful.

Taking a huge chance, I approached. When I was within a foot of him, he lifted his head, sensing my presence. But before he could turn to face me, I whispered his name and wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek to his strong back.

At my initial touch, he jumped and tried to turn, but I stood fast and held him tight.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he croaked in a voice that seemed ripped from his soul.

“This is exactly where I need to be,” I corrected.

Using the slipperiness of our wet skin, he spun in my hold. We didn’t speak. He simply held me close.

“We belong together,” I told him. “Two halves of a whole.”

“Kendall,” he whispered, but I wasn’t going to let him get away with ending this because he didn’t think he was good enough for me or some other stupid bullshit.

My palms flat on his chest, I jerked my head back. “No. There’s no me without you. Let me be whole. Let me be there for you. Alessio wouldn’t tell me exactly what was going on, but he said they thought you were trying to talk yourself into letting me go. That’s not happening.”

“Baby,” he murmured as he pushed the wet hair out of my face. “There’s so much you don’t know.”

“It doesn’t matter.” I reached up and cupped his cheeks, the short hairs of his beard tickling my hands. “Ten years we lost. We have a lifetime ahead of us. The past is the past. We can’t change it. We can only go forward.”

“Even if my past is what hurt you?”

“What?”

“It’s my fault that you lost the baby.”

A humorless, huffed laugh burst free, and I stared at him like he was certifiable. “It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident.”

His face went impassive as he looked away, forcing one of my hands to fall away.

“Vittorio?”

He closed his eyes, as if he was unable to look at me. “Something you said when you told me about the accident… it got me thinking. I confronted the person who I thought might be responsible. He admitted to it. Bragged about it.”

My lungs seized. I could not get oxygen in, and black dots swam before my eyes.

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