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He nodded, not trusting himself to say more He still wasn’t coet used to it For the last week he’d been living in a limbo of deep enjoyment and relentless disco intimate with someone—physically, emotionally—was a whole new realm of experience, and one he wasn’t entirely sure about The vulnerability, the intensity, the risk And yet the more time he spent with Laurel, the more he wanted to
He also wanted to make amends as best as he could More and more over the last week he’d realised what a disservice he’d done Laurel when he’d told his father about herschemer and a thief, but that hadn’t been Laurel’s fault, and she’d suffered as a result If he’d handled the situation differently, if he hadn’t been deters would have worked out differently At least perhaps Lorenzo would have stayed in touch with his stepdaughter
‘I can’t believe it,’ Laurel said as she hugged her knees, her golden-brown curls tuain… Are you sure he wants to see lanced at him, eyes full of apprehension as she nibbled her lower lip
Guilt pierced Cristiano with poison-tipped arrows He hadn’t told Laurel the extent of his involvement in their parents’ divorce At first it hadn’t seemed relevant and now he kneould hurt her and,relationship Because he was already thinking about ways to keep her around after the teeks were up…assunant So she was
‘I’m sure,’ he said firmly ‘He was thrilled to hear we’d been in contact’
Laurel raised her eyebrows ‘Does he…does he kno much contact we’ve been in?’
Cristiano suesses’ He paused ‘Is that a bad thing?’
‘No I just…’ She hunched her shoulders, her gaze sliding away ‘We’ve less than a week left,’ she said quietly, and Cristiano felt as if the breath had been punched fros
‘What does that matter?’ he asked when he trusted himself to speak normally To sound unconcerned
‘I don’t want your father to get his hopes up,’ Laurel explained ‘To think soave hie and determination and a hint of vulnerability
‘Don’t worry,’ he said, wondering hoas meant to reassure her Should he tell her his father wouldn’t get his hopes up, or that perhaps he should? When, if ever, should he tell her he wanted more from this relationship than another week?
The question, of course, was how much more Cristiano had tried to envision different scenarios in his head, andhis permanent, full-ti more, yet he knew instinctively she’d resist such a role So he waited, saying nothing, hoping things would be clarified for both of them in time
‘We should get going,’ he said as he turned from the room ‘Our plane leaves in a few hours’
A short while later they were leaving the suite for the airport Laurel was dressed in a cheerful polka-dot sundress—after she’d thrown all the clothes Cristiano had given her onto the floor, he’d offered to buy her new ones She’d happily gone out to far more modest shops and picked up a couple of casual outfits She’d insisted on paying for them herself, but Cristiano had insisted more, and eventually she’d acquiesced
As the liazed at him speculatively ‘When was the last time you saw your father?’
Cristiano shrugged ‘A year or so’
‘You don’t see him very often’
Another shrug; her perception still possessed the power to rub him raw ‘I’m very busy’
‘But you’re not close,’ Laurel persisted quietly, and Cristiano sighed