Nomad: Opposites attract romance by S.M. West

Author:S.M. West [West, S.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SMW Books
Published: 2022-03-23T18:30:00+00:00

WILLOW

Marco Antonelli stands in front of me, and we’re separated by the reception counter at the Home. “Hello, Willow.” As usual, he's dressed immaculately in his custom suit, dark hair combed to perfection. His genuine smile warms his eyes. “You’re working late.”

“Yes. Filling in for someone out sick.” My fingers brush back a loose strand of hair that has escaped from my ponytail.

“How are you?” He studies my face, and I squirm under his scrutiny.

“Just great.” My laughter is nervous and unnatural, and he frowns.

Great, he most probably thinks I’m acting weird because of him, because of our last conversation and his dinner invitation. The one I turned down.

“Ah, I wanted to talk to you.” He pulls at the collar of his white dress shirt, and maybe he feels as awkward as I do. “I usually see you in the afternoons when I come to sit with Joey, but I didn’t today.”

My body’s buzzing with trepidation, and it’s hard to tell what’s the cause. Is it a hangover effect from this morning’s confrontation with Clive, or Marco’s uncharacteristic jitters?

He likely wants to talk about Joey, yet even with this rationalization, my stomach churns. “Today was a weird day. What did you want to talk about, Mr. Antonelli?”

“Marco, please.” His voice is smooth like silk, and when he smiles, his eyes twinkle. “I…I wanted to apologize for the other night when I asked you to dinner. In retrospect, it must have appeared to be inappropriate. I hadn’t thought it through.”

“Oh, um…” I flounder for a response other than, “hell yeah, it did” and settle for, “Okay.”

“It wasn’t meant to come across as a personal invitation to dinner. As you know, I've recently lost my wife, whom I loved very much. And as much as you’re smart and beautiful, I'm not interested in you that way.”

Oh God, my face is now on fire. I’m mortified that he thinks I thought he was into me. For a split second, the thought did cross my mind. And I’m more relieved than anything that his intentions weren’t romantic.

“Understood. It did throw me.”

“Yes, and that’s my fault.” His hand flattens on his chest. “I wanted to thank you in a strictly professional way. Perhaps dinner wasn’t the smartest idea and I should have gone with coffee.”

I laugh nervously, relief flowing through me. I overacted because of the loft and Clive. All day I’ve been like this. One minute fine, focused on work and getting things done and the next, drowning in this morning’s events and seeing monsters in every corner.

Clive. The gun in my face. The other guy’s disgusting hands all over me. His hot, stale breath against my neck. The way his hard groin rubbed into my backside.

I fight the queasiness, pushing the life-like sensations from my thoughts, and force a smile. “Of course. Don’t give it another thought. It’s in the past.”

“Excellent. Have a good night.” He leaves as one of the added security guards passes through the front foyer, tipping his head in my direction.

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