“Don’t talk about things you know nothing about.” Ferrara’s tone was mild, but there was an icy undertone that matched well with the slight chill his presence was giving off.
Maya scoffed. “My brother told me enough. You can have anyone, Mister Billionaire. Don’t you have enough supermodels to fuck? Leave Nate alone. He deserves better.”
“Your brother is an adult. This is none of your business.”
Maya gritted her teeth but had nothing to say to that. Her brother was an adult; he was right about that.
The rest of the drive was silent save for Nate mumbling something sleepily sometimes.
Finally, Maya parked the Maserati in front of their apartment building and led the way to their apartment while Ferrara carried her brother behind her.
“Put him on the bed,” she said, entering Nate’s room.
Ferrara did as he was told, but when he started straightening up, Nate made a protesting noise, his hand clutching at his shirt. “Don’t go,” he mumbled, his eyes still closed, his other hand sneaking up Ferrara’s neck and pulling him down. “Stay,” he slurred out, kissing Ferrara’s jaw. “Mmm, you smell so good… Stay… Miss sleeping with you.”
Maya cringed. Nate was going to be so mortified tomorrow.
“I can’t stay,” Ferrara said, making no actual effort to pull away and putting up with Nate’s sloppy kisses all over his jaw and neck.
“Why not?” Nate whined with a pout—a pout!—trying to pull his boss down on top of him.
Ferrara didn’t budge, his muscles locked as he eyed Nate with an expression Maya couldn’t quite read.
“The bed is too small,” Ferrara said, though Maya got the impression it wasn’t quite what he wanted to say.
“You can sleep on top of me,” Nate mumbled, his hands running up and down the older man’s muscular back in such a greedy, sensual way that it made Maya blush and she wasn’t even the blushing type. There were some things she didn’t want to see, thanks very much. Her baby brother in a haze of lust was one of them.
“No, he can’t sleep on top of you,” Maya said firmly, stepping forward and hoping that being reminded of her presence would knock some sense into Nate and he would finally shut up.
Except Nate didn’t even glance at her, his blue eyes roaming over Ferrara’s face and neck in a way Maya could only describe as ravenous. It was fucking disturbing. The guy wasn’t even all that handsome. All right, Ferrara was handsome, but his face wasn’t really the kind that made people stare; rather, it was the type that made people avoid eye contact with him. But Nate’s gaze was transfixed. Enchanted. Honestly, Maya was starting to doubt that he even registered her presence in the room.
She cleared her throat. Loudly.
Nate ignored her again. “What have you done to me?” he whispered, looking at Ferrara with his glazed blue eyes. “You’re really the devil. You and your stupid shirts and ties and eyes… You turned me into—into… I shouldn’t hate going home after work.”
Maya could see Ferrara’s face only in profile, but she could still see that his expression became very strange.
“Feel like I’m drowning in you sometimes,” Nate whispered, his words slurred and barely intelligible. “I hated you so much, but now everything feels dull without you. Want to see you always.”
Dread curled in Maya’s stomach. God. This was bad. She had suspected that Nate’s “it’s just sex” was bullshit, but this was worse than anything she had imagined. This could only end in tears. Nate’s career wasn’t the only thing in danger here. There was much more at stake.
She looked at Ferrara. He was still looking at Nate with that strange expression.
“I’ll stay,” he said, breaking the silence.
Nate gave him such a sunny, lovesick smile it made Maya a little ill. Fuck, this was bad. This was horrible. Only a blind man wouldn’t see how infatuated Nate was, and she didn’t think Ferrara was blind. But she couldn’t read what he was thinking as Ferrara looked at Nate’s smile for a moment before turning his head and looking at her.
“Leave us,” he said, his expression blank. “I’ll take it from here.”
Maya looked uncertainly at her brother, who seemed to be just a few moments away from falling asleep. “He’s drugged,” she said tersely. “If you do anything to him when he’s in this state—”
“I’m not going to fuck him,” Ferrara stated flatly. “Now close the door from the other side.”
Before she could think twice, Maya found herself obeying.
She stared at the closed door in front of her and shook her head, feeling lost.
Jesus. That man really was a force of nature.
She could only hope her baby brother wouldn’t be crushed under it.
Chapter 25
Raffaele watched Nate sleep.
It was possible that the drug in Nate’s drink had made him confused. It was possible he had been talking nonsense.