Page 4 of Salvatore

“Where is home?”

“San Diego.”

He raises his eyes.

“That’s not just a few blocks from here. Are you sure you want to go home tonight?”

“Yes.” I lower my eyes as my lip trembles and I’m shocked when a rough hand, covered in a dark tattoo, grips my chin and forces me to stare directly into his eyes.

“Why?”

My tears glisten as I say softly, “If you must know, I caught my fiancé with–”

The word catches in my throat because I can’t even say it out loud.

“Another woman?” He says softly, with a hint of pity in his voice, and I shake my head.

“A man.”

His gasp of surprise oddly satisfies me because I’m guessing he isn’t surprised often and he says with a rough whisper, “He cheated on you with a man? No wonder you’re upset.”

Maybe it’s because we’re alone and the fact he’s a stranger, lowers my guard a little and I laugh bitterly.

“I feel like such a fool.”

He releases his hold and I slump against the mirror of the elevator and wipe the tears away.

“I wanted to surprise him.”

“Did you?” He leans against the wall and regards me through velvet pools of obsidian ruin.

“No.” I sigh heavily. “I left before he saw me.”

“So, you thought you’d gamble away the pain?”

His voice holds no judgment and I shrug. “It was our savings. We’ve been saving for a house, and I was so angry I wasted it all on two spins of the wheel. I’ve lost everything.”

I raise my eyes to his and laugh ruefully. “Now you see what a hot mess I am, and do you know what the worst thing of all is?”

I am delirious with anger and couldn’t give a fuck what’s spouting from my mouth and his silence is encouraging as Ilaugh loudly. “It was his lucky night. I came here to seal the deal, as they say. To move things on and throw away something that has been holding us back for too long now.”

As the elevator stops, the door opens and a man attempts to join us causing the dark stranger to growl, “Take the next one.”

Then he presses the button again, causing us to continue our journey.

“That was rude.” I snap and he shrugs.

“I don’t care. I’m a rude man. Deal with it.”

For some reason, it makes me laugh, and as I note the twinkle in his eye I smile shyly.

“I think you’re a fraud.”

He raises his eyes and I grin. “You pretend to be something you’re not.”

“Is that what you hope because when it concerns me there is no hope?”

His eyes flash and yet I shrug away the danger and say softly, “Then this could be your lucky night because right now I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

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