“Then why do you have this place?”
“It’s closer to the office. When it snows, it’s easier just to come here.”
“Is there a lot of snow in the winter?”
“There can be.” He buttoned his shirt and then pulled on his jeans. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the screen. “Last year, we had a pretty harsh winter.”
“What does Marco do in the stables then?”
“Keeps the horses warm by bringing them into the barn.”
I’d never worked in the snow before. I’d have to get some new gear.
He returned his phone to his pocket and grabbed my thong from the table. “You want me to hold on to this for you?” He wrapped it around his fingers and rubbed it between his fingertips.
My panties looked a lot better on him than they did on me. I set my glass down and pulled them from his hand. “How about we just stay here? This view is so gorgeous. You can see the whole city.”
His playfulness immediately evaporated. “I said we’re going back to Verona. This isn’t a discussion.”
And just like that, the connection between us was severed. Anytime I thought we were getting closer together, something came between us and he laid down the law. He reminded me what the relationship really was. He was the owner.
I was the property.
End of story.
I didn’t hold back my look of disappointment.
And Conway didn’t give a damn.
He pulled on his shoes, and we left the apartment. My pussy was still full of his come, but now it didn’t feel so sexy. I suddenly felt more naked than I had before. It seemed like our passionate evening together meant nothing.
Why did I ever think it meant anything?
We returned to the garage and got into the SUV. Then Conway pulled on to the road and left Milan. The city disappeared behind us as we headed into the countryside. The farther we went, the darker the world became. Only the lights from villas and mansions could be seen from the road.
I pulled my knees to my chest and stared out the window, doing my best to cut him out of my peripheral vision.
Conway was quiet for most of the drive. “I didn’t mean to anger you.”
“You didn’t.”
“Seems that way.” His baritone was deeper when he spoke more quietly. Somehow, he seemed to say more when he said less. He had the sexiest voice I’d ever heard. Even if I didn’t know what his face looked like, that voice would turn me on by itself.
“I’m disappointed in you.”
“Because I wanted to go to Verona?” he asked incredulously. “Verona is a lot safer than Milan. I shouldn’t even have to explain myself, Muse. When I say something, you just need to listen.”
“If I were just some random woman you’d picked up, you would have listened.”
“What makes you think that?” he asked. “I told you women don’t sleep over, so that doesn’t make sense.”
“But you still wouldn’t speak to her that way.”
“You give me too much credit,” he whispered. “You think I’m only an ass to you. Trust me, I’m an ass to everyone.”
“Then you should be ashamed of that.”
“It’s who I am. And I’m not ashamed of who I am.”
I concentrated my gaze out the window even harder.
“You need to stop expecting me to treat you differently,” he said. “I’m not going to. That’s how it is.”
“Yeah…I’m realizing that.”
Conway didn’t say anything else, and we were quiet for the rest of the drive. We left the car in the roundabout then walked inside the house. I didn’t wait around for him, and I went straight to bed. I took off my heels and climbed to the third floor quickly, shutting the door behind me once I was in my bedroom.
When I was finally alone, I released the breath I was holding.
I didn’t understand why I was so upset with him. He didn’t want me to go out alone, and when some guy made a pass at me, he flipped out and made a scene about it. But he refused to give me any kind of special treatment. The second things didn’t go his way, he reminded me I had no voice.
It was infuriating.
Maybe he was right when he said he was just greedy and not jealous. Maybe he really was just an ass. Maybe I wanted to see the good in him because I knew he wasn’t evil. But just because he wasn’t evil didn’t mean he was good.
I didn’t even wash my face before bed. I just pulled on a t-shirt and changed my panties before I got under the covers. The lamp was turned off, and I was swallowed by the darkness. I cleared my thoughts and stopped thinking about Conway and the night I had.
When he touched me in that booth, I felt like the only woman that mattered. When he kissed me so passionately, it seemed like I was more than just some woman. He was possessive, and he never stopped wanting me. I didn’t even see him look at another woman—and beautiful women were everywhere.