Chapter 13
CIRO
My-la. I heaved, struggling to breathe as she stepped out of the building. I’d decided earlier in the day to let her work and finish her shift before I dropped in on her. Trying to talk to her at the bistro was stupid. I should’ve known better.
We needed to have a private conversation and the best way to do that was at her home, not with dozens of people around.
If I could get her into bed, the one place we were explosive and vulnerable together, I might have a chance.
“She seems to be in a hurry.” Paolo pointed at the side parking lot.
She practically ran out of the restaurant with a smile on her face.
Yesterday, I’d noticed right off the bat she’d changed.
Shorter hair was a good look for her. Sexy.
Mature. Sexy. No doubt, she was more beautiful than ever.
And it wasn’t only because I’d missed the hell out of her.
She was more confident and had a no-nonsense air about her.
Isla hopped into what I assumed was her car, a rundown beater I’d never seen before. Like what the fuck? Where was the Bimmer I’d bought her?
When she got that piece of shit started, after several tries, she bolted out of the parking lot.
“Hell on wheels as always.” I chuckled as Paolo pulled out behind her.
“For real. What’s the hurry? A hot date or something.”
I growled low in my throat. “I’m certain that’s not it.”
He grunted, showing he knew what was good for him. If he kept on about her having a man in her life, I might kill him. Call me cocky, a conceited son of a bitch, but I was confident my girl still loved me, even after all this time.
Paolo kept his distance so Isla wouldn’t notice she was being followed.
We knew where she lived because Fabio had texted me the address after our meeting.
Despite being busy, he’d managed to get me something.
I just wished it was more than where she lived.
Like did she have a roommate, boyfriend… husband?
Bile slithered into my throat, forcing me to swallow. The idea of Isla with another man was fucking revolting. Christ, I hated the thought. But it also made me more determined to see her tonight, boyfriend or husband be damned.
I also didn’t give a shit if it was late and she was exhausted after working all damn day. Like what was that about? Was she pulling double shifts to make ends meet? I would assume that was the case considering the obscene rental rates in the Bay Area. Hell, in all of California.
The selfish bastard in me refused to go another second without my girl. Obviously, I was projecting my frustration onto unknown entities when I should’ve directed it at myself for letting Isla go in the first place. But who had time for that? Not me.
I could practically feel her petite frame in my arms, smell her intoxicating scent, and taste her soft, sweet lips. Just thinking about her made me ache and my cock turned to stone.
A shiver worked its way through my body as I remembered what it felt like to sink into her tight, supple pussy. I’d jacked off to the memory of her hundreds of times since she left.
We’d had an incredible, crazy-active sex life. Three times a day wasn’t enough for us sometimes. Going fifteen months, four hundred and forty-three days without sex—yes, I counted the days—had made me the horniest and grumpiest man on the planet.
It wasn’t like I couldn’t have fucked a willing woman every single day. Of course, I could’ve, but I didn’t want to go back to being the man-whore I was before Isla.
Plus, sleeping with another woman would’ve felt like a betrayal.
I’d meant it when I said I would never cheat on Isla. Never. Even though she’d broken up with me, I couldn’t bring myself to move on.
How could I have been so stupid? Why did I let her walk out the goddamn door? I should have figured out a way to keep her safe, and give her a little of what she wanted, like the words I love you.
What was it that they said? Karma’s a bitch. The loneliness I’d experienced had been acute. After Isla left, every text or phone call I received had made my heart quicken and I would pray it was her. But it never was her and it destroyed me a million times over.
So, seeing her now brought a rush of emotions back, ones I’d attempted to bury but failed miserably. I no longer felt numb. Alternatively, my hands burned with the need to touch her. My cock strained in my pants as if sensing her presence.
How could I have been such a goddamn idiot? Never again. Once I got her back, I would never let her go.
“This is interesting,” Paolo muttered and pulled me out of my thoughts.
“What?”
“The GPS shows we’re going in the wrong direction. Coming off the bridge, we should be going south, not north.”
“Where is she going?” I asked but didn’t really want an answer. I knew where and so did Paolo. Isla had a man in her life.
“Do you want me to keep following her?”
I cut my gaze at him. “Yes.”
Isla turned left at an intersection, then made a sharp right, and Paolo did the same. She pulled in front of what looked like a small cottage.
We drove past her, and I craned my neck to see if she went inside. My eyes were locked on her as if she could vanish in the blink of an eye. Paolo turned the car around and parked across the street two houses down.
“What do you think, boss? Think she has a guy?” Paolo asked.
“What else could it be? It’s late and she worked all damn day. If it’s not a man, then what?” I slammed my hand on the dashboard.
Ridiculous tears stung behind my eyes. All my hopes of having a second chance with Isla, for real this time, were gone. I’d never get the opportunity to give her everything she deserved.
As much as I’d love to murder the man inside, I couldn’t do that to her. I talked big and acted like I didn’t give a fuck about anyone but myself, but it was all for show. After losing Isla, I’d do anything to make her happy, even if it made me a miserable man.
“We should leave,” Paolo said.
“No,” I hissed, glaring at the tiny house.
“Don’t forget you’re the one who told her to never come back. You’re the one who told her to leave.”
“I know!”
“And I’m saying don’t be angry. She did exactly what you told her to do.” Paolo shifted in his seat, appearing uncomfortable. “We should leave.”
“No! Just be quiet and let me think.”
A gruesome scene played out in my mind. I’d give Isla an hour, then I would burst through the door and blow his brains out.
I replayed the scene a dozen times in my head.
My vicious imagination created different ways to end his fucking life as I watched the little brown house.
The lights in the front room were on. I tried not to picture Isla kissing and touching another man in the living room. No other lights were on in the place.
Thirty minutes had passed and like a loyal, obedient cousin, Paolo had kept his mouth shut. But by now, I was done being patient. And I was ready to commit murder…
“Give me your gun.” I put my hand out.
“Sir?” His dark eyes cut to mine.
Just as I was about to threaten his livelihood, Isla stepped out of the house. She wiped her eyes, walking to her car with her head down. Once inside, it took three tries to get her piece of shit started.
Maybe she ended it with her lover because I was back. Good.
“Follow her.” I pointed at her car.
Paolo grunted and obeyed my order.
I didn’t care how late it was; I needed to talk to Isla tonight. If she had a boyfriend, I wanted to know. Perhaps all I needed was closure and to see with my own eyes that she was okay. Perhaps then, the nightmares would go away.
Maybe I’d had a change of heart and wanted My-la back. It wasn’t that I was jealous of the man inside the small brown house. He obviously didn’t have money like me. But if Isla loved him… It would confirm what I had already known; that all my billions never mattered to her.
“Looks like she’s stopping at a gas station.” Paolo slowed down. “What do you want me to do?”
“Pull in and pump her gas.” I unbuckled my seatbelt, preparing to hop out as soon as the SUV stopped.
Paolo did as I directed without any pushback. Good thing too, because I didn’t want to hear a word outta him. This trip had revealed a different side to him, a more outspoken side, one I hadn’t seen before, and I wasn’t so sure I liked it.
We stopped directly behind Isla. She exited her crappy car and didn’t seem to notice us. I jumped out and Paolo followed.
“Isla,” I called to her.
She whipped her head in my direction and went white as a ghost. “Wha… What are you doing here? Are you following me?”
“I only want to talk to you.” I raised my hands to show I wasn’t a threat. Well, not a threat at this very second. Everything could change in a split second.
“Allow me,” Paolo said, using the credit card he was given for his expenses.
“Jesus, Ciro. This is crazy.” Her eyes darted around as if looking for someone to save her. Admittedly, her distrust hurt me.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Tesoro.” I gently took her hand and guided her toward the front of the SUV.
“Don’t call me that. It’s not appropriate.” She visibly trembled and her eyes turned glossy with emotion. “Why are you following me?”
“Because you wouldn’t talk to me yesterday.”
“Ma’am, is everything okay?” A man on the opposite side of us asked. “Are these men bothering you?”
I was about to flex my power when Isla replied, “Thank you, but I know them.”
The man nodded and backed away.
“I appreciate that,” I whispered.
“I don’t want any trouble, Ciro. Just tell me what you want,” she said, squaring her shoulders and staring me in the eyes. It appeared she’d found some courage, much like the night she ended our relationship.
Not sure how I felt about it, but okay. It was to my advantage to know what I was dealing with. A strong Isla meant I needed to be firm and clearly state my demands.
“Have a drink with me. Tonight.”
“Tonight?” She slumped against the SUV, exhaling a weary sigh. “I’ve been on my feet for ten hours. I’m exhausted, but if it will get you to leave me alone, I’ll have a drink with you.”
Damn, her response made me feel like a prick. “Excellent. Where can we go that’s nearby?”
“Just follow me.” She went back to her car.
“I’ll come with you.”
She stopped and put her hands on her hips. Rolling her whiskey-colored eyes she said, “Whatever.”
I got into the passenger’s side and closed the door. “What happened to the BMW I bought you?”
“I didn’t want anything you gave me, so I sold it.”
“And you couldn’t buy a decent car with the money you got from it?” My large frame was cramped in the front seat. There was a weird smell I couldn’t make out. It almost smelled powdery.
She glared at me. “Still a stuck-up asshole, I see.”
I snorted. “Hard to teach an old dog new tricks.”
“No, joke.” She drove off in a huff.
For the first time in over a year, I finally felt normal, and it had everything to do with breathing the same air as Isla.
Now, I just needed to convince her to give me a second chance and return to Canada with me. After I found out if she had a boyfriend, of course. Not that it would matter if she did. From this moment on, I never wanted to be apart from her, again.