Page 73 of The Doctor

I turned to find Mario’s head dipped toward the floor, and Mic watching me with a quiet little smirk on his lips. When he realized he was caught, he gestured to Zee with his chin, then shrugged.

“Will you stay for dinner?” Nadia asked, rescuing my hands and looking them over for smudges in the paint.

“Can we, Zee?” I begged, and I couldn’t help but notice his quick glance at Mic.

“Are you up for that?” he asked, his hand sliding down my back to my ass, squeezing like a reminder of what he’d do to me when we got home, biting like a reminder to be good.

I found a smirk to match Michele’s, then slid my own hand down to squeeze Zeno’s ass. “I’d love to.”

25

Clara

The moment the subway car doors opened, I grabbed Michele’s hand and yanked him out, not bothering to ensure that he was okay as we rushed through the station and up the concrete steps. He’d done well to keep up with me all afternoon as we toured the city. He was a good sport, and I found I enjoyed my time with him.

Far more than I ever had with Chloe and Sadie.

Once at street level, we slowed, laughing as we both tried to catch our breath. I leaned against the side of a building, resting my head on the brick, only to be startled by a soft squeeze of my hand. I looked down, as if my hand was some foreign creature that had risen from my side.

Holding Michele’s outstretched hand.

He gave me a crooked, open-mouthed grin that was too adorable for a man his age. “So, umm.”

“Right.” I let go of my grip on his hand, wiping my palms on my shorts. “Sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” He leaned against the wall beside me, staring out over the city. “You’re with Zeno?”

He didn’t look at me when he said it, but if he had, he might have found me floating a foot off the ground. The reminder made me feel weightless, like I needed Mic to hold my hand just to keep me from drifting away.

“I am.” It was nothing but a breathless confession.

“You love him.”

Nodding, I caught his gaze. “I do. And I’m sorry if—”

“Don’t—”

“—if I led you on.”

“It’s okay, Clara.” He bumped the back of his hand against my arm. “As much as I hope to find what you two have someday, right now, I have so many other things that need my focus. Honestly, I felt bad, like I was the one leading you on. It’s almost a relief.”

I looked him over, from his black-as-night hair to his long, long legs. There were secrets inside him, and I’d never been good at leaving secrets alone. “Why do you say it like that?”

He turned his dark gaze toward me. “Back in Italy, there was nothing but pressure. I had to be the best, excel in school, make the family proud. They wanted me to become a doctor and get married and start a family—”

“But you’re so young!”

Mic smiled. “Can I be honest with you?”

I scoffed, then rolled my eyes. With a smile, I said, “You better!”

“You’re the first girl I’ve actually wanted to spend time with since my younger cousin was forced to marry and moved away from home.”

“Oh, I…”

“Silvia was my best friend growing up.” He shrugged and looked down the street behind me. “You remind me of her. Like, I feel like I can be myself around you, rather than be who my family expects me to be.”

“Not your mother?”