Page 25 of Thin Lines (Donati Bloodlines 2)

Good men apologized when they did wrong.

Simple as that.

“The apology,” he said quietly.

“Thank you. Now, can you please drop it? I don’t wantto talk about it.”

“I get that. I just …”

“What?” Emma demanded, blowing out a heavy breath.

“Why are you so irritated?” Calisto asked. “I’m makingsmall talk. You’re barking at me.”

Emma shook her head, and turned back to the window.“You don’t get it, Calisto. I don’t want to talk about it. Not the pregnancy,the baby, or what happened. It hurts.” She pointed to her chest, drawingCalisto’s attention from the road for a moment. “In here, it hurts me all thetime. I don’t want to talk about it, okay? Drop it.”

“Dropped.”

“Great,” she muttered.

“I am sorry you had to go through it alone,” he addedquickly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Calisto watched as Emmaclenched her hands in her lap until her knuckles turned white from thepressure. She let out a slow exhale, and her pretty mouth turned down into afrown.

“I wasn’t entirely alone,” she said. “Affonso wasthere for a while.”

“For a while?”

“He left after he took me to the hospital.”

Calisto’s brow furrowed as he slowly took a sharpcorner with the car. “But he must have come back, yes?”

“A day later when I was released, he sent Carter tocome pick me up and bring me home.”

Carter was one of Affonso’s men, and Emma’s full-timeenforcer. Calisto’s rage bubbled up from his stomach at the very idea of Emmabeing alone in the hospital while she was suffering, and probably lonely.

“I’m sorry,” Calisto said again.

Emma shrugged. “Don’t be.”

“I can’t help it. Last night wasn’t entirely aboutyou, either. I was pissed at myself for being a fucking idiot, and for puttingyou in that kind of position. I should have taken more care in Vegas. Instead,I made a mess and you were left to clean it alone.”

Calisto had kept his eyes on the road, not wanting tochance hitting another vehicle if someone cut in front of them. The last thinghe needed was for Emma to be hurt in her current condition. Affonso wouldn’t bepleased.

Emma’s hand landed on Calisto’s arm with a gentletouch. The softness of her palm soaked into his skin immediately, reminding himof what it felt like to feel every inch of her body, explore all her silkycurves and dips, with his own hands.

Just as fast as her hand was there, it was gone.

But he’d still felt it.

Nonetheless, he was grateful she quickly let him go.

“It takes two people,” he heard her say faintly.

“You’re right, but it only takes one of those peopleto be an asshole.”

Emma laughed softly. “You must enjoy punishingyourself. Is that it?”

Maybe.