3. Isa #2
It didn’t seem like he believed me. He wrapped his arms around me.
I let out an embarrassed, surprised squeak as he lifted me up and placed me on the island, then pulled his arms away completely.
The interaction lasted no more than five seconds.
It was over before I was even aware of what was happening, and then Elio turned away, taking in the mess I had created in the kitchen, while I worked hard to get my heart rate down to a normal rhythm and not feel so… off-balance.
Elio turned back to me. “Stay here.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say. I could only sit there and watch as he moved over to the small closet in the corner where Valentino kept his cleaning supplies.
“I can do that,” I said when Elio came back with a broom. I made a move to get off the island when he shot me a look. I quickly held still.
He nodded. “You’re going to stay there until I get this mess cleaned up.”
I opened my mouth, but I didn’t know what to say at this point. Besides, it didn’t matter because Elio had turned away from me once again.
I stayed where I was, my eyes automatically falling over him, taking in his massive physique and feeling something foreign begin to form in the center of my being…
Or perhaps not so foreign, considering I had been feeling this way since I was sixteen and realized I had a crush on him.
And that crush not only wasn’t going away but was getting deeper and deeper with each year that passed, until I realized there simply wasn’t a way to escape this… escape him, no matter how much I wished to not feel this way anymore.
I tried to have crushes on other boys when I was younger.
I thought perhaps it would be a way for me to get over him, but nothing ever stuck.
And then I got older and realized fully what it meant to be a daughter in the Gambino household.
Then I was just waiting on bated breath until the year my father decided to marry me off to someone he thought would benefit him.
Thankfully, Valentino took over for my father before I was old enough for marriage.
And now…
I was still so hopelessly in love?—
I shook away the thought.
I was not going there.
Besides, it wasn’t true. Having a crush on someone was different from being in love.
It had to be.
Elio stood in front of me, bringing me out of my thoughts. I startled back in surprise and nearly fell off the island when he grabbed my arm and held me steady. Electricity zinged all over my skin, starting from where he touched me.
I gasped slightly, and he pulled away, frowning. Seemed like that was his go-to expression when it came to me.
I blinked and looked around the now-clean kitchen. How could I not have noticed he finished? I jumped off the island now that it was safe and winced when I felt a sharp pain shoot up my foot.
Elio’s frown deepened, and he looked down, then hauled me back up on the island once more.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“You’re bleeding. Why didn’t you say anything?”
I looked down at my foot. Sure enough, there was a smear of red on my skin, but I didn’t know where the cut was.
“I didn’t even feel it,” I responded. He looked up and met my eyes briefly before grabbing my ankle and moving it up until I had my leg crossed and my foot resting on my thigh, the bottom facing us.
I could feel the cut now that I saw it. Something strange moved in Elio’s eyes as he took in my injury, but he was turning away from me and walking out of the kitchen before I could figure out what that look meant.
I didn’t try to get off the kitchen island, afraid I might get blood all over Valentino’s floor.
It didn’t take long for Elio to come back with the first aid kit. We didn’t say anything to each other as he tended to me. Elio was fully focused on my wound, while I tried hard not to react to the simple touches from him but felt as if I was failing somehow.
What was wrong with me?
“Luckily, it’s not too deep,” he said softly as he cleaned it. “This might hurt a little.”
I nodded. It stung slightly, but it didn’t hurt that much. Elio looked up as if to gauge my reaction. I shot him a reassuring smile.
I took in a stuttered breath when he finally bandaged me up.
For a moment, it was quiet, and he wasn’t moving away from me like I thought he would once he was done. He stayed close by. So close, I could feel his breath on my skin, could smell his unique scent that always made my heart beat faster.
He looked like he wanted to say something to me. But before that could happen, the front door opened, and a sweaty Valentino walked in. Elio pulled away from me, and something like disappointment settled heavily in the pit of my stomach.
Valentino paused when he saw us in the kitchen. “Is everything okay?” he asked carefully.
I raised my injured foot out toward him. “I hurt myself.”
My brother walked over to me and grabbed my ankle, checking the injury. I humored him for a bit before I pulled my foot back. “I’m fine.”
“What happened?” he asked.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Elio spoke up. “It was my fault. I scared her. She didn’t know I was in the kitchen when she stumbled in half asleep and dropped her coffee mug.”
“I didn’t stumble into the kitchen,” I argued.
Valentino’s lips twitched as he took me in from head to toe. I resisted the urge to brush my hair down with my hand. I probably look like a mess right now, but since Elio had already seen me like this, there was no point in trying to fix it.
“Did you just wake up?” Valentino asked me.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “No.”
He chuckled and moved past me to the fridge for a water bottle.
We didn’t say anything as Valentino took a drink of the water. I shifted in my seat, feeling awkward, and it seemed I was the only one feeling that way.
Valentino had his back against the counter while Elio was… well, it had always been hard to tell what Elio was thinking or feeling. And I was trying to avoid looking over at him, lest I give both him and Valentino more insights into my thoughts.
“I should go home,” I said, hopping off the counter.
Elio frowned at that. I didn’t want to know the meaning behind that frown.
Valentino nodded. “I’ll drive you.”
I nodded back and made my way to my room, not looking at either man. The entire time, I could feel the skin on the back of my neck burn from Elio’s gaze, and I didn’t know what to make of his attention.