Page 55 of Deceptive Desires

Why is he acting so weird?

“Do it,” Dom demands.

“No need,” I counter. “Cecilia is an open book. She’ll tell me anything I want to know. She’s not a threat.”

They stare at me slack-jawed. I know it goes against everything we preach, but it’s just not needed. Cecilia isn’t hiding anything.

“Are you sure? I can get it to you within the day,” Bash offers.

“Do it,” Dom repeats. “This isn’t up for discussion.”

“Fine. I can send it to you tomorrow.”

“I can just stop by, and you can explain everything to me,” I offer, not wanting to inconvenience him more. “Yourpenthouse isn’t far from Cecilia’s place.” It offers me a great excuse to visit her.

“Oh… umm. I actually moved,” Bash reveals.

He’s met with three more shocked faces.

“Where’d you move to?” Dom demands.

“Shady Meadows.”

“Why the fuck did you move to the middle-class suburbs an hour away from the Syndicate and Syndicate Enterprises? Fuck, it’s an hour away from all of us. You have millions in the bank! Why live somewhere so below your paygrade?” Dom asks what we’re all thinking.

It doesn’t make sense. His penthouse is in a better location and is much nicer. It’s also heavily secure with Syndicate Enterprise measures. Why would he move?

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll send you the update. You’ve been away from your woman for forty minutes. Don’t you want to get back to her?” he counters.

I know he’s just trying to switch the subject, but I don’t care. I need to get back to Cecilia.

Chapter 35

Cecilia

When Roman joins us in the sitting room, he seems calm. Happy. Normal.

His family continues to look at us with confused expressions. It’s like they’re trying to solve a math problem that they just don’t understand.

I know they like me, but I wonder if I’m not the kind of woman they thought he’d be with and if that’s why they’re so taken aback.

When it’s time to go, we hug his family and walk to his car hand in hand. He opens my door for me and even buckles me in, checking to make sure it’s secure.

We talk about his family and how dinner went on the way home.

And I refrain from bringing up what he said.

‘I love you.’

I want to wait until I have his full, undivided attention.

When we get to my apartment, he parks, opens my door for me, and leads me into my building with his hand on the small ofmy back. We bypass the elevator as we always do and climb the stairs.

When we get to my front door, I unlock it and let him in.

“Let’s go to my room. I want privacy for this conversation, and I don’t know what Gracie’s doing tonight,” I explain.

I want us to be alone so we can discuss what he said. So, I can tell him I love him without interruption. Without distraction.