Page 85 of Ruin Me With Lies

“Yep, he did.He caught us together and didn’t hesitate.Game over.”I grab my water bottle.“Thanks to him, I’ll never fall in love again.”

Gio takes a long swig from his bottle, studying me over the rim.“Were you underage or something?”

“Sixteen.He was twenty-five.And my bodyguard,” I reply.“Dad said it was a betrayal of trust and dereliction of duty.‘He was supposed to protect you, not deflower you.’ His exact words.”

Gio appears to think about it, then shrugs.“I mean…I kinda get it.”

“Of course you do.”I shake my head.“You men are all the same.”

We both fall into focused silence, back to work.Grunts, the clink of weights, and the hiss of controlled breaths fill the space between us as we power through another set.

When Gio drops his dumbbells again, chest heaving, he watches me finish up my reps before asking, “So, what, you just never dated anyone after that?”

Dated.Ha.That’s cute.

“I guess you could say I flipped the off switch on my heart,” I say, pushing up onto my knees.“Built a nice, high wall around it.”

He doesn’t interrupt, just wipes his forehead, listening.

“The bodyguard who replaced my first love was obsessed with me.Or maybe just the idea of me.My father warned him what would happen if he touched me.I reminded him myself.Often.But the fool didn’t care.He wanted me anyway.And I guess a part of me liked someone being so crazy about me that they’re willing to risk death.”I shrug.“So I let him have me.To his own detriment.”

“What happened to him?”Gio asks, more cautiously this time.

“What do you think?”My laugh is brittle.“But my heart was turned off, so it didn’t hurt that time around.”

“Damn,” he mutters.“My future father-in-law doesn’t mess around.”

I laugh at that.“Dad takes oaths seriously.Once trust is broken, that’s it.No grace.No chances.”

Gio dries his sweat with his towel, then loops it around his neck, but his brows pull together with a hint of concern.“If he’s that protective, how come he hasn’t found you by now?Sounds like he has a lot of pull, the type who could track down a ghost.”

“Oh, he has,” I say, matter-of-fact.

Gio’s brows lift.“Wait, really?”

“Yep.He knows exactly where I am.”

“Ah, so should we be expecting him to come busting up in here any day now?Liam Neeson style?”

“Nope.At least not yet.”I stretch my arms over my head, working out the tightness in my shoulders.“My mom’s apparently bedridden, and there’s nothing in this world more important to him than her.So…he’s letting me be.For now.”

Gripping both ends of the towel draped around his neck, Gio watches me like he’s trying to understand me.“You’re tragic, pretty eyes.”

Ugh.I hate that.Hate when people look too closely…

To divert, I lace my fingers behind my back and stretch my arms until my chest pushes forward, the swells of my breasts popping out of my sports bra.Like clockwork, his gaze drops straight to my cleavage.

Once I’m satisfied with the distraction, I bounce to my feet.“Can you spot me on the pull-up bar when you’re done with your set?”

“Uh…” His eyes travel back up to my face.“Yeah.Yeah, sure.”

I amble over to the pull-up bar and lean against the cool metal, watching him work through his set.Every flex and strain of his back muscles is pure art.Broad, sculpted, effortlessly strong.Aesthetically, he’s the complete pack—

Shit.

Our eyes collide in the mirror as he catches me looking.A cocksure smirk sliding across his face, he sends me a wink.

“Get over yourself,” I call out, even though I’m the one who got caught ogling.