Page 24 of Please, Forgive Me

She rolled her eyes but smiled.

“I’m not arguing with you about this, Diego. I’ve already said what I needed to say.”

I nodded, but the smile on my face only grew. Because deep down, I knew that fragile line would keep pulling us back together.

And sooner or later, all that tension simmering between us would break loose.

Honestly? I could hardly wait.

CHAPTER 10

“Sometimes, what we fear the most is exactly what we need to face…”

MARIA GABRIELA

Why was this man so damn good at throwing me off balance?!

The question kept circling my mind as I watched Diego talk, his voice steady, confident, charming as always. He laughed at something he’d just said, but I could barely register the words.All I could think about was the way his presence unsettled me—how every smile, every look sent my heart racing in ways I couldn’t control.

He was, without a doubt, the most handsome man I’d ever met. Dark, perfectly styled hair. That strong jawline. Those eyes—eyes that seemed to see straight through any mask I tried to wear. Everything about him radiated a self-assurance that both infuriated me and, against my will, drew me in.

Even knowing that this pull between us only complicated everything.

It was nearly impossible to keep my focus when Diego was around. He knew exactly how to provoke me, how to play with my emotions, how to throw me on a roller coaster I couldn’t get off. And yet, here I was—sitting across from him, willingly soaking in his company. Because the truth was, no matter how confusing or challenging he could be, I liked being with him.

There was something about Diego that made me feel alive, like every moment around him was unpredictable, brimming with possibility. He was, at the same time, my greatest challenge and my greatest desire.

“You went quiet all of a sudden.”

His voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I realized I’d been staring at him without actually hearing a thing he’d said. My boss was studying me with that curious smile, as if he already knew where my mind had gone.

“Just thinking…” I said, trying for calm as I lifted my wine glass, taking a slow sip to cover the nervous energy bubbling inside me.

“Thinking about me, maybe?” he teased, predictably.

I rolled my eyes, but a smile tugged at my lips.

“Maybe. But not the way you’d like to imagine,” I shot back, trying to claw some control back into my side of the game.

Diego chuckled, that deep, velvety laugh that always seemed to vibrate somewhere inside me. He raised his own glass, eyes still locked on mine, leaning forward just slightly—as if closing the space between us one inch at a time.

“And what way am I imagining…?” he asked, voice calm, but threaded with an intensity that sent shivers across my skin.

I drew in a long breath, fighting the tension coiling tighter with every passing second. He knew exactly what he was doing, exactly how to rattle me. And I couldn’t deny it—dangerous as it was, there was something irresistible about being this close to him.

“Diego…” I started, keeping my tone light. “You’re a problem. You know that?”

His eyebrow lifted, amused.

“Is that a complaint?” he asked, taking another sip of wine.

I sighed, laughing softly.

“I don’t know if it’s a complaint or just me admitting that with you… things will never not be complicated.”

He didn’t reply right away. Instead, he just watched me, eyes roaming mine in a way that sent tingles racing down my spine. It was like he was trying to read past my words, searching for what I wouldn’t say out loud.

“Sometimes, complicating things is inevitable, Maria Gabriela,” he said at last, his voice calm, steady, unwavering. “Especially when it’s about the two of us.”