“No.” I didn’t miss a beat, not wanting to swim with him. “Thank you, but I think I’ll take you up on getting some sleep.”
“Your call.” He shrugged and led me upstairs to the first bedroom on the left. My palms were sweating, and my heart was unsettled, but the nerves faded away when I realized it was a guest bedroom and not his own.
He checked his watch as he opened the patio doors to let a cool breeze in. The house I had seen earlier glowed like a beacon on the hill above.
“What are your neighbors like?” I tried to fill in the silence.
“They’re nice.” He turned away and went to the bed and gave the pillow a punch then picked it up and reshaped it. “Sienna,” he paused in what he was doing, “I am sorry for today.”
I appreciated that he finally had addressed the elephant in the room. “It wasn’t your fault. I still can’t believe what happened, and I have so many questions.”
“I know.” He came closer. “But I am sorry. I can’t tell you much more except that my men are looking into it.”
“Thank you,” I answered in a small voice, pleased he was trying.
He suddenly leaned in took my hand and kissed the back of it. I blinked and stiffened at his touch.
When did we cross this line?
“I like you, Sienna.” I forced a smile, unsure how we got to this point. I remained polite and gave his hand a slight squeeze.
“Did we just get to first base?” he teased, and a small part of me tugged in the opposite direction to leave. Being broken was never something I wanted to be, and when someone joked about it, I pulled in tight to hide my scars from view.
“Well.” He cleared his throat. “Get some sleep. We have some things we should talk about, but we’ll wait until morning.”
“All right.” I dropped my hand away and spotted the driver at the door trying to get Mariano’s attention.
“Sir?” He held up my bag.
“Leave it there,” he ordered and walked toward the door then stopped as he reached for the handle. “I’ve never met someone quite like you before,” he said without turning.
“And what is it you see?” I felt how tired I was.
“Sexy but tame at the same time.” He shrugged at his wording. “It’s an interesting combination, but I don’t know how to steer you.”
“Steer me?” I nearly choked back.
“I mean steer around you.” He realized how he sounded and turned to face me. “Your body tells me you’re interested, but I think your head stops you.”
Does it, now?
“I need to get to know someone for more than a few weeks before I let my guard down.” I tried to follow his sudden swing in our relationship.
“There’s always tomorrow,” he said with a sardonic smile.
“True.”
“Good night,” he said briskly, and I gave a small wave as the door closed.
After a hot shower, two aspirin, and a warm bed, I tried to process the evening. As sad as it was to even think about, I was able to compartmentalize the shooting and tuck it away. Yet another trick the streets had taught me.
At seven a.m., my phone vibrated around the table, and I answered it, knowing he wouldn’t stop.
“Where are you? Don’t lie. I know you’re not home.”
“Morning, Wyatt.” I yawned. “I’m…” I stopped to think where the hell I was. “Somewhere.”
“Are you stuffed in the back of a trunk? What do you mean you don’t know where you are?”