Chapter 33

“I didn’t see it, mio amata. So many times, I got close, but then your wall slammed back up,” he says quietly. “I figured you didn’t feel the way I did. That I was pushing you, and you had no choice. The night we had sex, I felt so confused after… I felt like you hadn’t even consented. I tried to think it through a million times, trying to remember if I had just railroaded you into it.” He frowns, his eyes darkening with emotion, and that hint of agony wounds me.

“I had wanted nothing else for so long,” I choke, holding back tears, “But I was so scared I would just be another conquest… a good time… that I’d lose you, my job, our friendship. I was terrified.” Tears blur my eyes, and I struggle with the lump forming in my throat. He leans up and brushes the hair away from my face, carefully tracing my mouth with his fingers.

“So many times, I wish I’d just told you how I felt; I wish I had just come out and said, ‘I love you, Emma.’ I’m in love with you,” he says, his voic