Page 80 of Jealous Stepbrother
CHAPTER 22
SHADOW GAMES
Asher
Iam here. Where she is.
I’ve been here since dawn, a shadow moving through Florence like a man possessed.
My flight was a blur, the hours between her leaving and my arrival stretched into a living nightmare.
And now I stand across the street, watching her emerge fromCasa Bellandi.
My lips curl at the thought of all those people surrounding my girl, breathing her air, soaking her talent.
She’s too good for this mediocre place.
They’ll never be able to harness her gifts, stretch her the way I can.
I inhale shakily, fully, for the first time indaysas my eyes devour her.
She’s glowing, cheeks flushed, eyes bright with something I haven’t seen in weeks.
Hope. Independence. The kind of light I’ve always wanted for her—and the kind I can’t fucking bear if it doesn’t burn for me.
Jealousy writhes like a living thing inside my chest. Not of a guy this time or even those gifted with her precious presence and time. But of a city, of a dream, of a life that doesn’t include me.
I press my fists into my pockets, nails carving into my palms.
My jaw aches from grinding my teeth. I’ve fucked up, hurt her, stolen things from her I should never have touched.
But God help me, I can’t let her slip away.
She pauses at a café window and peers in, sunlight spilling over her hair like liquid gold. She smiles faintly at her reflection, then tucks a strand behind her ear, the way she does when she’s nervous.
I want to storm across the street.
Drag her into my arms. Beg. Demand. Fall to my knees. But instead, I stay rooted, chest heaving, watching.
Because I need to see how much I’ve broken her.
I need to see what I’ve done.
So I can put the pieces back together better this time, even if it’s the last thing I do.
Scarlett
I’ve just stepped backfrom the café window, debating whether to go in, when the man about my age waves me in from the inside.
I smile and start to shake my head.
He gestures, a very Latin, very exaggerated romcom–pleading style that almost makes me laugh.
I shake my head again, and I’m about to step back when I hear it.
It’s thunder cracking open the Tuscan sky.
“Scarlett!”
