⋅•⋅⊰∙∘❦✾❦∘∙⊱⋅•-
His words made the heat in my face so go so fierce it felt like my skin might peel off if I so much as blinked too hard.
I glanced at the door, then back at the pool, then back at him. This was fucking absurd!
I had faced armed men, escaped a burning building, scaled a wall in unsuitable clothing, bitten a psychopath’s hand, and endured a marriage contract with a mafia Don.
Surely, I could handle sitting in a bathtub...or pool, whatever. It was just water. Water couldn’t hurt me. Probably.
I began to undress with the stiff determination of someone gearing up for battle rather than entering a pool.
Off came my shoes, then my shirt. I resolutely avoided looking at Lorenzo.
But Lorenzo’s eyes tracked every movement. I refused to look at him while I stripped, yanking the shirt over my head with more force than necessary, then shoving my pants down with stiff, angry motions that somehow still managed to feel clumsy.
The air was cooler against my bare skin than I expected, and I hated the way my pulse jumped when I finally stepped out of the last of my clothes.
I kept my gaze fixed somewhere over his left shoulder as I walked to the edge of the pool, sat, and lowered myself into the water with as much dignity as a man whose entire body was currently the color of a boiled lobster could manage.
The heat of it hit me like a physical blow. Warm water closed over my shoulders, steam rose between us, and the moment I was fully submerged the regret crashed in hard and fast.
Why the hell did I do this?
Maybe I was possessed or something...?
Lorenzo’s gaze moved over me openly, unhurried, taking in everything I had just exposed in a fit of pure stubborn pride. I felt it like a physical touch, and the self-scolding started immediately.
Stop staring at his collarbone. Stop noticing the way the water runs down the center of his chest. Stop cataloguing the scars like they’re some kind of map you’re allowed to read.
You’re a fucking idiot.
This is one of the top five worst decisions of your life and you know it.
I neatly folded my clothes and placed them on a nearby chair, way too carefully.
"You sure are taking your time." Lorenzo said.
I pointed at him. "Don’t start."
He smiled as I took off the rest of my clothes, keeping my eyes firmly on the wall opposite, and stepped into the warm water.
The heat instantly enveloped me. I paused. Oh.
This was actually pleasant.
The warmth eased some tension from my muscles, a relief from the anxiety since the attack. The steam softened the air, and for the first time since waking from that nightmare, my body began to relax.
I sank deeper into the water, but then I remembered who I was sharing it with, and my relaxation faded. Why did I do this? I could have been in bed, alone, safe, fully clothed, and free from my husband’s gaze. I had willingly walked into this mess. I was an idiot. A spectacular idiot.
I moved to the opposite side of the pool, creating what I considered a respectable distance. Lorenzo observed me openly.
I narrowed my eyes. "What? You need a picture or something?"
"I think I do." He then let out a smile, slow and pleased, and leaned back against the opposite edge.
I stared at him. "What does that even mean?"
His face remained calm. "It means you’re beautiful, but I doubt a simple photo could capture just how heavenly you look."
I froze at his words and sank lower into the water to hide my red freaking face.I tried to look unaffected and I failed spectacularly.
No surprise there, I know...
It didn’t really help that my eyes kept drifting to the line of his throat, to the way his wet hair clung to his temple, to the strength in the arms braced along the edge of the pool.
Each time I caught myself I looked away harder, face burning hotter, internal monologue descending into pure chaos.
You’re married to him. You’ve seen him covered in fucking blood after literally torturing him!
This shouldn’t be the thing that undoes you! Pull yourself together, boy!
The steam curled around us, isolating us from the rest of the estate.
The lingering scents of blood and antiseptic on Lorenzo’s skin mingled with the clean, warm water, creating a different, softer atmosphere that felt somehow more dangerous.
I looked at Lorenzo again. That was undoubtedly a mistake. Water clung to his shoulders and chest, and every movement emphasized his muscular build.
A faint scar adorned his ribs, disappearing beneath the surface, another on his shoulder that piqued my curiosity. I had to stop myself from wondering where they came from. This wasn’t a museum exhibit...this was my husband, and therein lay the problem.
Despite my best efforts, my gaze kept drifting back to him. I looked away, then back again. This was getting embarrassing.
"You’re staring." Lorenzo commented.
I nearly spluttered on steam. "I am not."
He chuckled sarcastically, "Clearly."
I splashed some water at him, but it barely reached his arm. He looked down at the tiny droplets, then back at me. "How violent."
"Don’t test me."
His smile returned, and I sank lower. "Oh, I despise you."
"No, you don’t."
My stomach did something completely inconvenient. I shot him an annoyed glare. "You’re far too confident for a man in a bath."
"Pool."
"Whatever."
Lorenzo watched me struggle for a long moment, clearly enjoying every second of it.
When he finally spoke, his voice was lower than before, richer somehow in the humid air, the sound of it settling under my skin like it had every right to be there.
Lorenzo leaned back again. "So, what now?"
I furrowed my brow. "Now what?"
"You wanted answers."
I straightened a little. Right, answers. That was why I was here.
Not because Lorenzo was shirtless or because the water felt nice or because my brain seemed to have abandoned me. It was about answers.
Lorenzo looked across the water at me. "I’ll answer you honestly."
His tone lacked its usual teasing, filled instead with a quiet certainty that sent a shiver through me.
I shifted nervously beneath the water, unsure of where to start. Too many questions swirled in my mind. So much had happened in such a single night that it felt overwhelming.
Finally, one question surfaced above the chaos ..the one I had been avoiding since the day Lorenzo tore up my divorce papers.
I looked him in the eye. "When and how did you know you wanted me to stay here permanently?"
The amusement vanished from Lorenzo’s face as he locked his gaze on me across the water, with steam drifting slowly between us.
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