Page 74 of Brutal Heir

Just because he kissed me doesn’t change anything.

Only it does.

It changeseverything.

Because now, when he strips down before me, I won’t simply be able to look at him with a clinical eye. It had been hard enough before, but now that I’ve felt the muscled planes of his body against my own, nothing will ever be the same again.

I should quit.

That would be the professional thing to do.

Not to mention the most sane.

The longer I stay, the harder it will become.

But the idea of not waking up and seeing Alessandro every day guts me. A sharp pain streaks across my chest, siphoning the air from my lungs.

Feckin’ hell, how had I let this happen?

Paddy was right. I need to find another job and leave Alessandro in my past, just like Conall. Maybe without the stabbing this time.

A soft knock on the adjoining door sends my heart ricocheting across my ribcage.Oh, bollocks. I’m not even dressed yet.

“Coming,” I shout, shoving the comforter back and raking a hand through my wild hair, still a mess from last night’s rain-soaked run home. Before I open the door, I pause, attempt to collect myself and draw in a steadying breath.

My hand closes around the knob, and I force my wrist to twist, despite every muscle in my body suddenly locking up in fear. The door swings open, and Alessandro fills the entryway in nothing but low-slung pajama pants. His torso is exposed, the right side a patchwork of bandages while the left remains a pristine work of art. A muscled chest honed to lethal beauty, perfectly chiseled abs and that sharp V that descends…Stop that! Still, I can only imagine what he must have looked like before. No wonder women fell to their knees for the great Alessandro Rossi.

Blinking quickly, I force my eyes up to meet his.

“Good morning,” he whispers, a tightness in his tone that wasn’t there before.

“Mornin’,” I reply, dropping my gaze to my bare feet.

“I need to take care of something at Gemini Corp today, so I’ll be heading into town for a few hours.”

“Oh.” A part of me wonders if he’s lying. If he’s simply trying to find a way to avoid me after last night. We still haven’t talked about what really caused me to flee after seeing Amber’s body.

He assumes I was shocked at the sight of a corpse, and for now, that explanation will do. I can’t ever tell him the real reason. That in that moment, he reminded me too much of Conall, and my body reacted on pure instinct.

“No need for you to come,” he adds before I can get my mouth to form a cohesive sentence.

“But I can,” I blurt. “I suppose I owe you after running off without any sort of explanation.” I attempt a light-hearted tone, but it sounds too high-pitched and fake even to me.

“You don’t owe me anything, Rory.”

Rory? No Red or little leprechaun?

The formality in his entire demeanor has the next words flying out before I can stop them. “I’m sorry I ran the other night. I shouldn’t have done that.”

He shakes his head, the harsh cut of his jaw softening a touch. “You were in shock. It’s to be expected.”

“And then when I came back?—”

He lifts a hand, cutting me off. “I’m sorry, but I’m in a bit of a hurry if we can just get to the bandaging portion of the morning? I need to be in the office in an hour.”

“Oh, right. Sure.” So, we’re pretending the kiss didn’t happen? Fine. I can do that.

He turns back to his room, his footfalls slow but deliberate as he marches to the master bathroom.