makes every nerve in my body feel insecure. Like he’s with me but not really with me. I will be no different than all the other women he’s dated. “Do you want to try again with her?”
His eyes snap to mine. “Why would you ask me that?”
I shrug nervously. “Because there’s a lot of history there and family connections. Are you just passing the time with me?”
“Tilly.” He says my name with so much force that I hold my breath for fear of what he’ll say next. “I told you last night that I’m crazy about you. You and I haven’t even been together a month, and I already feel a million times more for you than I ever did for Bria after knowing her most of my life. I am not passing the time with you.”
He runs both hands through his hair, making it even more disheveled than before. “If she even so much as contacts me again, I will tell her it’s inappropriate, okay?”
I rub my lips together and nod, trying to force his words into my hardened heart. It doesn’t make sense. Why he cares about me…a recovering alcoholic who’s living with her brother and forcing him to date her in secret because she is still trying to get her life together. But he’s here. With me. Only time will tell if I’ll make the cut past two months.
And as much as I hate to admit it, this relationship feels…important. Like there’s a reason we’ve found each other again. I don’t know why exactly, but I know that questioning it only makes me crazier. And Santino has had enough of my crazy for the past twenty-four hours.
I inhale sharply and reach out to sift my fingers through Santino’s hair. “God, you’re so into me.”
He growls and nips at my finger. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
“We better get busy then,” I say with an all-business look. “I need to get home before my brother leaves for work, and you’ve got a situation down there that clearly needs tending to.”
His body shakes with laughter as I slip under the covers to give him a proper Scottish goodbye.
Okay, I don’t know for sure if a blow job is Scottish, but I suspect we give the best of them.
A bit later, I creep quietly into Mac and Freya’s house. Mac is usually showering by this time, so if I hurry, I can get upstairs before he even knows I’m missing. Just as I hit the bottom step, Mac’s voice calls out, “Tilly?”
“Christ!” I scream and see an orange furry ball bolt for the master bedroom. I turn on my heel to see Mac sitting in the living room on the sofa, dressed in his suit for work already. “Mac, my God. I didn’t see you there.”
“You were too busy trying to sneak in.” He grips the arms of the sofa firmly, showing zero signs of amusement on his face. Very un-Mac-like.
My brows furrow. “I was just trying to be quiet because I assumed you’d still be sleeping.”
“Where were you?” he asks, his eyes hitting mine with a severe look in them that I don’t like.
I push back my wild hair that hasn’t been brushed yet. “I stayed at a friend’s flat.”
“Which friend?” He tilts his head and eyes me harshly, which has my defences going right up.
“What’s with the interview?” I ask, propping my hands on my hips because Mac isn’t my father.
“Why are you avoiding the question?” he volleys back.
“Because I want to know why it’s being asked,” I reply firmly.
Mac’s eyes narrow. “Tilly, I’m going to ask you a question, and I want you to be dead honest with me.”
I exhale the pressure in my chest, certain I know where this is going and ready for it now more than ever. “Very well. Ask then.”
“Are you drinking again?” he croaks, his voice raw with emotion that shocks me to my core.
“What?” I nearly gasp.
“Are you drinking? Be honest.” His nostrils flare with determination.
“Mac.”
“Just tell me,” he snaps, his hand balling into a fist. “We can deal with this together.”
I shake my head and rush over to the sofa to sit down beside him. I press my hands firmly on top of his and look him square in the eyes. “Mac, I promise you, I am not drinking again.”
His jaw muscle jumps. “Are you doing drugs?”
“No!” I exclaim. Sitting back, I feel hurt as irritation runs through every inch of my body. “Mac, what on earth is