Call Me Crazy (Bellamy Creek #3) - Melanie Harlow Page 0,96
them.”
“Why not?”
“Because they belong in your family.”
He was silent for a moment. “But I want you to have them.”
Finally, I looked up at him. “What is this? What are you doing?”
“I’m—I’m giving back what’s yours.”
I looked down at the random assortment of things in front of me. “The only thing I want back from you is something you don’t even know you took.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.” Shaking my head, I tossed the Clomid in the garbage, put the shirt, the pasta cutters, and the earrings back in the bag, and shoved it across the island toward him. “Here. I don’t want this stuff.”
He looked angry for a second, like I’d offended him, then seemed to notice my appearance. “You’re not going out tonight?”
I remembered what my brother had told him. “Later,” I lied.
“With who?” He tried not to sound jealous, but I knew him too well. Knew that angry squint of his eyes and tight clench of his jaw.
“No one you know.”
“Where?”
“Just some places in town.”
“Your brother said you’ve been going out a lot.”
I shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.
“Any chance you’d rather stay in and hang out with me?” His mouth eased into an inviting, familiar smile. “I miss those Manhattans you make.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” He moved around the island, and I backed up against the counter.
“Because I have plans.”
He came closer. Caged me in against the counter with a hand on either side of my hips. “Cancel them.”
“No,” I said defiantly, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Come on.” He tilted his head, looking at me with half-closed eyes, one eyebrow arched. “You know you miss me.”
I stared at him in disbelief. Was he trying to seduce me right now? “Seriously, Enzo?”
“What?” He moved even closer, his sensual mouth hooking up on one side.
“That isn’t going to work.”
“What isn’t?”
“The smolder.” But I turned my face away so I wouldn’t have to see it.
“Come on, it always works.” He brushed his lips against my jaw, barely touching my skin, and inhaled deeply. “God, you smell good.”
“Enzo,” I whimpered as his mouth moved down my throat. He smelled good too, and my body was reacting to his nearness in ways that made me want to start taking off his clothes. But I had to be strong. “You need to stop. You’re only here because of what my brother told you. You don’t like the idea of me going out.”
“That’s true,” he said, his voice low and soft, his breath tickling the base of my throat. “I don’t.”
I frowned—he’d basically just confirmed what I suspected. He was only here because he didn’t want anyone else to play with his toys.
“But I also miss you, Bianca,” he breathed. “I miss your smell and your taste and your body. Come back.”
“To your bed?”
“Sure, we can start there.”
“And end up where?”
“The kitchen table? The shower? The back of my car? You name it.”
Gathering all my strength, I shook my head and pushed him away. “No. That’s not what I meant.”
He exhaled and backed off. “So tell me what you meant, because every time I try to guess, I guess wrong.”
“Just forget it. You should go.” I prayed he’d do what I said, because I was one breath away from falling apart.
Either that or fucking his brains out on the kitchen floor.
“What happened to us, Bianca?” Enzo shook his head, like he was truly baffled. “I thought we were having a good time.”
“We were, but . . . I got confused, okay?”
“Confused about what?”
“When we first made the deal, I knew exactly what I was getting into and why. You wanted a wife, and I wanted a baby, but the two lines weren’t supposed to cross. We were each going to get what we wanted without making a mess of the other person’s life. But it didn’t go down that way.”
“Are you saying I made a mess of your life?”
“I’m saying it happened.” Trying to hold myself together, I inhaled and exhaled. “I’ll take all the blame. It’s my fault. But jumping back into bed tonight would only make it worse.”
“How?”
I broke down and started to weep. “Because I’m not like you, Enzo! I can’t separate sex and feelings as easily as you can. Yes, I miss you. Yes, I lie awake at night wishing you were next to me. Yes, I am aware that I will probably never have orgasms as good as the ones I had with you. But those orgasms are not a good enough reason to toss my heart on a cutting