Page 37 of How to Break My Heart

“Like orgasms?”

“Yes, but something more…” I trail off, lost in my thoughts.

“It’s just right,” Maddy quickly adds. “Look, all I’m saying is, I hope this guy is decent. He has to be. He’s a doctor.”

Something tells me Marco is decent.

But is it enough?

Marco is easy to be around. I love listening to him talk, and despite studying medicine for all his adult life, he’s managed to travel and see a bit of the world.

“There’s this restaurant in Venice, and if it’s your anniversary, the old couple who own it take you on a gondola ride andsing the song they danced to at their wedding fifty years ago. Plus, they serve you this delicious almond cake, which they also had at their wedding.”

My lips curve upward. “How romantic, but also embarrassing if you’re an introvert.”

“Very true.” He chuckles but holds my gaze, asking, “Have you traveled much?”

“When I was younger, yes, but now that I own a business, it’s hard to get away. My schedule suits day trips, so I try to at least go for a drive whenever I get a chance.”

Great, that made me sound like I have no life.

Why is this dating thing so hard?

Just relax. Marco won’t judge.

Inhaling a deep breath, I slowly release and feel much more relaxed. “My brother, Elliot, lives in France and I miss him. If the rest of the year goes well, I might visit him. It’s just that I’ve been saving to buy a place, so vacations feel less important.”

“Hey, you’re talking to the person who has student debt that will follow me to the grave,” he informs me. “So, I get that completely.”

I smile, sighing. “But look at you. You’re saving lives.”

Marco places his hand on my knee, and his touch excites me. With my gaze fixed on him, I bite my lip teasingly.

“Saving them, yes. One day, I hope to make them, too. When I find someone to spend the rest of my life with.”

I can’t hold back my grin, but I don’t want to encourage talk about the future. Part of me wonders if that is truly what Marco wants or if he is just saying it to get me to sleep with him. Then again, Marco doesn’t strike me as someone who needs to lie to get a woman into bed.

Eager to shift the conversation without seeming too obvious, I tell him a story about a customer who came into our store with quadruplets. In the middle of the story, the hairs on my arms stick up as if a cold breeze blew past me—or a ghost. I stillmy movements, hyperaware of my surroundings while my heart beats erratically.

Then, I seehim.

The green eyes that insist on haunting me, but this time, they’re walking toward us ignited by jealousy.

In just one stare, I have all the warning I need.

Tonight won’t end well for any of us.

CHAPTER 11Aston

A lawsuit was the last thing I expected to deal with on a Saturday night.

I barely slept, maybe an hour at best, and only at my desk when my eyes couldn’t stare at my laptop screen a second longer.

It was call after call, and when my father got involved just before ten this morning, he demanded I deal with it. He’s at the country club with his buddies, smoking cigars and drinking aged whiskey as if the business world around him isn’t burning to the damn ground.

The infuriating thing is—this ishisfuckup.

He insisted we invest in a brokerage company to get back at some rival, only for us to inherit lawsuits. I warned him to stick to what the Beaumont Group does best—property investment. Of course, he didn’t listen because pride was far more important to him.