Page 91 of See Me

I lean down and talk in her ear. “And no poster boards. You can say it.”

She turns around, finger in the air. “But what if I just—”

“Ella.” I draw her name out. “No poster boards. No mud pits.”

She turns back around and I push her forward. “Fine.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “No poster boards.”

“Good girl.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, Ella turns to look up at me. Or my mouth rather. She licks her lips and takes in a ragged breath as she studies my mouth.

“Holy fucking shitballs,” Enzo yells. “You guys fucked!”

I close my eyes and run my hand down my face. “No, we didn’t.”

“Bullshit. You saygood girland she melts into a lust puddle right in front of me. Which means you like to praise, which isn’t something I like floating around in my brain. But also, you,” he points to Ella, “like to be praised, which is something I don’t mind floating around in my brain.”

I skirt around Ella and shove Enzo’s shoulder. “Watch it, Brother.”

“Oh, ho, ho,” Enzo taunts. “Not only did you fuck, you like her.” He pulls his pen and notepad back out and jots something down and chuckles to himself. “This is quite the development.”

I lunge for him “What are you writing?”

Enzo spins and shoves the notepad down the front of his pants. “Just the intro to my Best Man Speech. You’re welcome to go dick diving for it if you really want to know, but it’s probably best to wait. I’d hate for you to ruin the surprise.”

“You’re a fucking child,” I say.

Enzo’s eyes go wide and his face breaks into a grin. “Hey! That’s exactly what Ella calls me. You really are perfect for each other. Insulting me the same way. Both work in a bar.” He continues listing stuff off as he walks away. “You saygood girland she likes it when you saygood girl. I mean, not every chick likes that shit. Some say it’s degrading or whatever, but if you say it and she likes it—”

“Shut the fuck up, Enzo.” My hands ball into fists. I’m notsure if I’m angry about him talking like that about her or if it’s because he’s right and it’s apparent on my face. And hers.

Fuck.

I put a hand on Ella’s shoulder and walk her back to my office. “It’s fine. He won’t say anything. He may be a complete fucking idiot most of the time, but he’s a loyal idiot. He only said that shit to get to me and he knew no one else was around.”

Ella nods from her seat across from me. “Right. Yeah, okay.”

“You’re upset,” I say, lowering down to level my eyes with hers.

“It’s a little weird, right? Walking around here all day, all the while knowing someone here knows you’ve had sex. And the wholegood girlthing. It’s so… personal. And it probably wouldn’t matter much if we were in a relationship. Then it would be expected. But this…” she gestures between the two of us, “this casualness… I feel cheap. I know that sounds silly and old fashioned but…”

I sigh and run my hands through my hair. “I’ll talk to him. I’ll make sure nothing more leaves his mouth.”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s Enzo. He isn't going to let that go.”

“He will if he doesn’t want his face beat in.”

“No.” She stands up. “No more hero stuff, Luca.”

I push myself up in my chair. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“If you want to keep this casual, no more hero stuff. No more peephole renovations or protecting my virtue. No more swooping in to save the day and no more beating anyone’s face in. It’s blurring the line.”

I hold my hands up in surrender. “Fine. Whatever you say.” I show her my concession on the outside, but my insides are less than a degree away from boiling.

She gives me a long look, shakes her head and walks out the door.

First Enzo talking about Ella like she’s just some porn star and he can be excited knowing and talking about her preferences, and then Ella herself telling me to cool it. I’m just doing what I feel is right. Standing up for her and…fuck. Being the hero.

The realization burns going down. It’s not like that was my intention. It just felt like the right thing to do. Now the lines are blurring in my own head. Is it my fault I have an innate need to protect her? To make her smile. Make her come.

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