Page 59 of Alessio

“It wouldn’t.”

Alessio shrugged. “Well, it won’t now. Will it?”

She huffed in the front hallway.

He pulled her coat from the hook and handed it to her with a grin.

“Besides,” he added, “I need a walk.”

“What, like a restless puppy?”

His grin turned playful in a blink.

“Exactly like that.”

Mostly.

“Really?” she asked.

Alessio made a noise under his breath. “Listen, if I can’t fuck my issues out, I might as well walk them out, huh?”

Ginevra’s cheeks pinked.

God.

He had no clue how this woman was both innocent and sexy.

“Let’s go,” he said, yanking open the penthouse door.

“Should we get you a leash?”

Her teasing tone had him shaking his head. The sassiness, though? Definitely his favorite.

“Les?”

“Hmm?”

The sky, a bright blue for the second of September, stayed clear overhead. He hadn’t been spending enough time outside.

When Ginevra didn’t respond to his prompt, Alessio gave her all of his attention. He didn’t miss how she tried to avoid his gaze by using her to-go cup of coffee as a shield in front of her face when she sipped from it.

“Ginevra, what is it?”

She peeked over at him. “Well …”

“Say whatever, woman.”

“Why haven’t you kissed me since the day in the library?”

Alessio blinked, surprised at the question. “I’m … not sure.”

“Oh.”

Her dimmed tone made a tightness clench in his chest. Mostly because, to him, the sound echoed with rejection. She had to realize that was the furthest thing from the case with him and her, and Corrado.

“Is that what you want?” he asked.

Ginevra laughed and glanced away. “I asked why, if you might have a reason.”