Page 124 of Tempting Me

“You knew?”

He nods. “As of about an hour ago when your brother came to find us.”

“But, how, what … and you just believe him now? And not Luca back then.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because Leo told us the truth. It was him who stole the money and not Luca.”

My eyes go so wide I swear they might fall out, but like I have all afternoon, that emotion quickly reverts back to crying.

No wonder Luca is so upset.

My family has been betraying him for more than a decade.

And after today, I’m no different.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

LUCA

For the last two days, I’ve done nothing but work. I’m the first one at the shop the next morning. I’ve already got the trucks loaded and ready before anyone else shows up. Benson walks in and whistles.

“Early morning?” he asks.

“Yep.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Nope.”

He nods slowly.

“Well, thanks for getting things ready. Are you going to be working with us today or just stopping in?”

I think about his question.

The busier I am, the less time I have to think about Shay.

About how I fell so fucking in love with a woman who can’t even tell her family about me. Can’t, won’t, it doesn’t matter.

Being with someone and finding out that they don’t want to claim you hurts like hell.

My chest feels tight thinking about it; my throat goes dry and my eyes burn when I think about her.

Everyone is always so worried about the girl getting her heart broken—well, news flash, a man's heart can break just as easily. Shay took mine and smashed it with a sledgehammer.

“I’m working with you,” I say to Benson, who is still waiting for an answer.

“Cool. That means we might finish some projects today.”

I chuckle, knowing that an extra pair of hands on any job means more work gets done, but too bad for them that my head and heart are distracted. I’ll be there in body, but my mind will be elsewhere.

Once everyone shows up and takes a company truck to start the day, I get in my own vehicle and head out for the first job site.

I let out a breath.

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