Page 89 of The Woman with the Handcuffs

“If you let me go, I can pack enough clothes to stay here for as long as you want.”

Was that too much?

The last thing I wanted was to come off as clingy. Especially when I’d just realized the depth of my feelings toward Gav.

“Uh oh,” Gav said.

“What?”

“Your heart is pounding. What are you worrying about?”

“Nothing.”

“You don’t need to tell me,” he said, giving my body a squeeze. “But don’t lie, okay?”

“Okay,” I agreed, exhaling hard. “I shouldn’t have said that. You know… about staying.”

“Why not?”

“Because you didn’t invite me.”

“I think the whole trying to prevent you from leaving thing could be considered an invitation. But to put all that shit to rest, I’ll be clear. I want you here if you want to be here. So, go home. Do what you need to do. If you want to, come back here. I’d be happy to have the company. Is that clear enough?”

“Yes.” Clear enough to make my heart skip around in my chest. “Is there anything I can pick up on my way back?”

“Like you can be trusted in a grocery store.”

“That’s fair,” I agreed, turning in his arms and leaning into a kiss that was meant to just say goodbye but started to get hot and heavy. “Hold that thought,” I demanded, pressing a hand into his chest.

“Fine,” he grumbled, pulling back.

“Don’t drink my coffee creamer.”

“Fat chance of that,” he said, pulling the door open for me. “Eat something that grew out of the ground today.”

“Technically, potato chips are—”

“You’re hopeless,” he said, shooting me a smile.

“Well, fancy seeing you here,” Leo said, coming down the hallway.

“I’m just heading out, actually. Nice seeing you again,” I said, glad for the interruption so I didn’t have to have an awkward goodbye.

I shot Gav a smile before turning and walking away.

Each step felt heavier than the last, like my body was actively rejecting the act of walking away from Gav. My heart felt just as weighted.

For forty-eight hours, I’d managed to let everything else fall away: work, life commitments, my father’s disappearance, the way his secrets kept piling up for reasons I couldn’t begin to understand.

It just made no sense. I could wrap my head around him not telling me about working with the Costa Family. The only people who advertised their connections to organized crime either wanted to be caught or killed.

I could maybe even see keeping his girlfriend from me. Out of respect for my mother, for the many years he told me over and over that no other woman would ever compare, so why would he try?

But the house? The house made zero sense.

The second I stepped into Gavino’s elevator, those were the only thoughts that surfaced. That ease in my body from the endless sex and comfort of being around Gav disappeared. Suddenly, I felt the pressure on my shoulders, the familiar tightness in my chest, as my body restored me to my baseline anxiety.

I stopped for coffee and heard Gav’s voice in my head as I considered the sweets before settling on a bagel with egg and cheese.