Page 510 of One More Kiss

She shook her head. “It’s fine, Avs. I just need to unwind. You know what it’s like to be cooped up all the time.”

Her eye twitched when she lied. That was a dead giveaway she was keeping me at arm’s length.

I had no idea how to help her.

She changed the subject and talked about a guy that she was seeing. Another thing that Lena would never usually do. Being caught with a man that wasn’t our husband was a huge no-no.

I sipped from my glass, not really paying attention to her story but nodding in all the right places. My heart hurt for her.

Over the years, she’d pleaded multiple times to come home with me because her father was abusive. I’d even asked my father if Lean could live with us to escape her won dad. Lena was like my sister, but my father didn’t trust her. He thought she would turn on us. Now all I felt was guilt, because something had changed in her life and she wouldn’t tell me.

The conversation continued and she seemed to have slipped back into the Lena I knew. It was unnerving. For the first time in our friendship, I worried she might be playing me.

We were in the middle of eating our lunch when I spied Paolo coming toward the restaurant. My heart stuttered at the sight of him.

God, why was he so gorgeous? The man was lethal. Not only was his body sculpted like the Greek gods, but his face was beautiful. I’d caught him in the family gym working out without a shirt and almost fainted from the sight of his glistening naked chest.

But he was off-limits.

Our eyes connected, and I felt the sear all the way in my stomach.

Why did he have this effect on me? How could he easily make me melt into a puddle?

He narrowed his eyes at me, and my anger came rushing back. I wanted to march outside and let him know that I was quite capable of taking care of myself. I didn’t need a babysitter. But I knew better. That type of disobedience would get back to my father and that was not a conversation I wanted to have. Especially when there was someone trying to take out my father and that person was more than likely linked to Lena’s father.

“Earth to Avs,” Lena said with a tinkling laugh. “Are you okay?”

I waved her off. “Yeah, I’m fine. Honestly, just tired. I stayed up most of the night reading.”

The lie came easily as have many over the years. While we were best friends, there was a lot that I couldn’t tell her and vice versa. But we knew that, and we’d come to terms with how our friendship was years ago.

She laughed. “Some things never change. You’ve always got your head stuck in a book.”

I smiled, glad that she was no longer afraid, but I couldn’t stop the anger in the pit of my stomach—not at anyone but myself. I felt foolish for my feelings when it came to Paolo. I knew better.

Once Lena and I finished lunch, I sent a text to Leon, letting him know that I was ready to head home. We paid and left Aaron a huge tip as always, then said our goodbyes. Lena left via the backdoor and I strode out the front.

The hairs on the back of my neck tingled. I couldn’t put a finger on what could be wrong. I pulled my jacket tighter around my waist and turned to head to the car.

Paolo stood only a couple feet away.

“You’re coming with me,” he t said, as he gripped my elbow and tugged me to toward his Jeep.

I frowned. “What’s going on? Where’s Leon?”

He held the passenger side door open for me.

“I’ll tell you once I start driving,” he said.

I hesitated, glancing over his shoulder, but then climbed inside the jeep. He shut the door and jogged to the driver’s side.

My stomach turned as I waited for him to speak. “What is going on?”

“You were followed,” he said

My back went straight.

“You didn’t even know that he was right behind you.” Disappointment and anger laced his words. “The fucker was a few feet behind you as you headed toward the restaurant.”

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