I dived in, my outstretched arms slicing through the water with practiced ease. I swam the length of the pool, kicked off from the side, and completed my first lap. As I continued, my mind went quiet. I’d already been in a blissed-out state after my happy day with Marco, but now, I was even more relaxed.
After a while, I paused to take a few deep breaths, propping my arms on the tiled edge of the pool. I grinned up at Marco.
When my eyes met his, my smile melted.
His tension had returned, and his strong body practically vibrated. The hard planes of his face were harsher than ever, his jaw clenched so tight, I was sure he was grinding his teeth. He wasn’t looking at me, but he was glaring at the water.
“You look like the water’s going to attack me,” I said, trying to lighten his mood. “You don’t have to protect me from the pool.”
He jerked his head in a sharp nod, but the taut lines of his face didn’t ease. I studied him for a few seconds longer, trying to puzzle out his expression.
Anguish.
I pushed myself up out of the pool and closed the distance between us without a second thought. He didn’t even glance down at the water sliding off my body; his eyes fixed on mine. They were dark with pain. I recognized it now.
When he’d glowered at Joseph at the restaurant, he hadn’t been angry over Joseph asking him to fill the pool for me. He hadn’t been annoyed at the idea of going out of his way to make the arrangements for me.
His anger masked his true emotions. He was scared. Hurt.
I lifted my hand to his face, touching my palm to his clenched jaw. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t like pools,” he said tersely. “They’re not safe.”
“I’m perfectly safe,” I said calmly, trying to soothe him. “I’ve been swimming my entire life. And you’re here, watching over me. Nothing bad is going to happen.”
“Yes, I’m right here. And you’re never allowed to use the pool unless I’m watching. Do you understand?”
“Do you not know how to swim?” I didn’t understand why he was so upset.
“Of course I do. That’s why I’m going to stay right here, in case you need me.”
I stared up at him, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. He said he could swim, but he hadn’t wanted to get in the pool with me. Now, he was talking like I might get hurt somehow if he wasn’t here to guard me.
“Why are you so upset?” I finally asked the direct question, daring to push him.
His eyes flared with a flash of rage, but he didn’t move a muscle. The anger wasn’t directed at me.
“Because I wasn’t always there,” he almost shouted in my face, but I didn’t flinch away. He needed to tell me something important, and I wouldn’t show him how intimidated I was by his swinging mood. “My brother…” His voice broke, and he turned his face away.
I applied light pressure to his jaw, redirecting his gaze to mine. My stomach churned, and I wasn’t at all sure I wanted to hear what was coming next.
But I needed to know. And whatever this secret was, Marco needed to share it with me. When I’d first met him, I’d thought there was something cold and dark about his soul. Now, I could see that darkness wasn’t evil; it was a scar on his heart that he hid behind his cool exterior.
“Tell me,” I whispered.
“My brother. Little Leo. He drowned. I should’ve been watching him, but I was too busy playing my own games. He was two years old. Then, my mother…” A shudder wracked his body. “She died three years later. Overdosed on alcohol and pills. I killed her, too.”
“Marco,” I said his name tremulously, my heart breaking for him. “You were just a little boy. You weren’t responsible for what happened.”
“Of course I was,” he snapped. “I am. They’re gone, and it’s my fault. No wonder my father wants nothing to do with me.”
“You deserve to be loved, Marco.” The words came from deep in my soul. I wasn’t ready to say I love you yet; it was too soon for that. What we shared was too new, but I needed him to know that no matter what had happened in his past, he deserved love.
“How can you say that?” he asked, strained. But longing lit his dark eyes.
“Because I care about you. Just