Page 41 of Tease

“Okay, do you just want me to take you home?”

“P-p-p-please,” I whispered.

He stroked my cheek once before I felt him shift, and the car engine rumbled as he started it. The fact he was giving me the space he knew I needed was almost too much for me to handle. In such a short space of time, Arlo worked out how to deal with me. What to do when I couldn’t verbalise my thoughts. Giving me what I needed without me asking for it. And never once did he make me feel bad about it. Nothing fazed him when it came to me.

How on earth did I get so lucky?

I felt like I’d hit the jackpot. Not only was the man I’d had a crush on for years hot as hell in the bedroom, but he was also kind, caring and understanding. I wasn’t always sure what was in this for him, but I wasn’t going to question why he liked me, why he wanted to be with me. If he did, then I’d accept it for what it was. Attraction didn’t always make a ton of sense, so I tried not to allow my own self-doubt to make me think I wasn’t worthy of someone else’s affection.

The drive back to London was quiet. Arlo put some music on, which I was glad of as it helped keep my mind off what I’d learned. There was too much crowding my head as it was. The fact my father had been the one who killed those people was something I would just have to deal with. When you grew up in a family like mine, it was hard to not be understanding about the realities of life in the criminal underworld. I might not always agree with them, especially the whole killing people aspect, but it came with the territory.

When we got back, it was dinner time.Mamáhad cooked, so I didn’t get a chance to escape from being around people. It made me anxious, especially because I had no idea if my mother knew the truth about what my father had done. The whole thing was beginning to wear on me. I didn’t feel good about it at all. The weight of what my father had done was almost too much for me to bear.

I practically ran upstairs when I was finished eating, not even stopping to wait for Arlo. When I got into my room, I got ready for bed, and then climbed up into it, curling up under the covers with a book from one of my shelves. The cats jumped up and settled themselves next to me. Having them there was comforting as I tried to bury myself in the words.

I wasn’t sure what Arlo made of me running off. Maybe he understood I needed some time alone because he didn’t come up to see me.

Even as I lay there with my two kitties, I realised that perhaps running away from everyone wasn’t what I wanted. Perhaps I actually wanted him here with me, holding me against his chest. And that thought, along with everything that I’d learned today, had me bursting into tears, wondering why I ever thought I could handle any of this alone.

Fifteen

Arlo

It took everything in me not to follow Rina immediately when she ran off after dinner. Martina had given me a look that spoke volumes. Her daughter needed time alone. I hated it, but I didn’t want to push Rina too hard either. She was still finding her feet in our relationship. I had to be okay with giving her space when she needed it. It wasn’t about us, anyway. What she’d discovered about her father would rattle anybody.

Staying downstairs meant I got questions from Verona and Sofia about my relationship with their sister. It was like dealing with the inquisition.

Was I serious about her?

How long had I liked her?

Would I want to move in with her in the future?

I was done with talking by the time I made my way upstairs to seek out my girl. The main light in her bedroom was turned off, and only the lamp attached to her bedframe was on. My eyes immediately went to the bed, finding her huddled form tucked up beneath the covers with the two cats by her side. A book was discarded next to her. I couldn’t see her face as her hair was obscuring my view.

“Rina?”

A barely audible cry erupted from her prone body. I was immediately rushing up the ladder to get to her. I lay next to her and stroked her hair back from her face, careful not to disturb Merry and Pippin. Two bloodshot eyes appeared and a tear-streaked face. She’d discarded her glasses on top of the bookcase by the bed where she stored things she needed while she was in bed.

“Do you want a tissue?” I asked, keeping my voice soft.

She nodded. Reaching over to the bookcase, I pulled out some tissues from the box and handed them to her. She wiped her face with them and let out a little sigh. I took the sodden mess from her and dumped them on top of the bookcase along with her book as I knew she wouldn’t want it to get damaged.

Rina reached for me, indicating she wanted to be held. The cats got disgruntled when she moved, both giving us evil looks as they got up and stalked towards the end of the bed. I ignored them and wrapped Rina up in my arms, letting her press her face to my chest. I stroked her hair and kept her close.

“D-d-d-don’t l-l-leave m-m-me.”

Her small voice was muffled by my clothes, but I heard her all the same. It made my heart ache. As if I would leave her. She was fast becoming my everything.

“Where do you think I’m going,mia preziosa? If I’d known you needed me, I would have come up sooner.”

“I-I-I thought I w-wanted to be alone.”

“But when you got up here, you realised you wanted me?”

Her fist buried itself in my t-shirt by my waist.

“Yes.”

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