Page 31 of Captivated

“Not important,” Joe said before Liliana could try to deflect. “We don’t need anyone going into another panic attack like that by triggering themselves when they explain details.”

“Good point,” Cella muttered. She gave Liliana a look, mouthing, “I like him.”

Joe didn’t notice.

He was still looking at Liliana.

“If you’re good, then I’ll let you two get back to whatever you were—”

“No,” Liliana said before she could stop herself.

Two sets of eyes fell on her again.

She felt that fucking blush coming on again.

Jesus.

Joe raised a brow. “No?”

“I just meant … well, I might feel a little better if you talked to me some more, or … we went for a walk. Maybe?”

Why was she dancing around asking him out like a lovesick girl?

Thankfully, Cella seemed to catch onto Liliana’s nonsense, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw her sister nod.

“Um, I am going to head down the road to my appointment,” Cella said. “Liliana, call me as soon as you are up to chatting.”

Okay, so maybe she loved her sister.

A lot.

Joe passed a look between the two. “You’re not doing something together? It kind of looked like it. I don’t want to ruin whatever plans you two had for the day. I was just going to head back to my place—or, where I’m staying.”

“We’re not doing anything. Not now,” Liliana said.

“And that is totally fine,” Cella added. “Later.”

They’d walked a bit, but not very far before Joe directed Liliana into a parking garage, and then into a black Mercedes. She hadn’t thought to ask where he got the car from—a rental, probably. Apparently, what Joe meant by where he was staying, was the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan.

She figured it didn’t matter.

“This suite is …”

“Something else, huh?” Joe asked, grinning from the wet bar. “Drink?”

Liliana made a face. “You know, I probably shouldn’t.”

“Ah, dancer.”

She shrugged. “Everything needs to be exactly as they want it.”

“As long as one of the things they want isn’t for you to starve yourself, or work yourself dead then … whatever makes you happy, Tesoro.”

“Some girls do.”

“Hmm?”

“Starve themselves down to nothing but sticks in the hopes of being noticed, or whatever the case may be. Their brains and mind get so sick from it all that they don’t even realize how much they need help. It’s sad, really. Scary. Once, I might have been one of those girls, too. Not so much anymore.”