She felt like a mother.
Ginevra really needed that right now.
• • •
“There you are.”
Ginevra turned to find Corrado coming down the steps of the porch of the east wing of the mansion. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. And it was there, in his gaze, that she found the darkness. Something was wrong, even if he was more than willing to pretend like everything was perfectly fine.
“Chris was showing me the back. It’s beautiful out here.”
“It is,” Corrado said, nodding to his twin. “Thanks, man.”
“Sure.” At her side, Chris patted a hand against her upper back. “This is where I say goodnight, but it was great to properly meet you, and not ... you know, peeking around a corner at me.”
She didn’t even try to hide her snickers. “Yeah, I suppose.”
“Have a good night, you two.”
Corrado didn’t say goodbye to his twin, nor did he turn to watch Chris walk away from them. In fact, he didn’t take his gaze off Ginevra, and with every step Chris took away from them, she became more and more aware that they were alone. Sure, they were alone most of the time, but for some reason, it felt different.
“Are you about ready to go?” he asked.
Ginevra’s brow dipped. “They haven’t cut the cake, yet.”
“I’m not in the mood for it tonight.”
“It’s not really about you, is it? Seems like this was more for your mother and father, Corrado, and since they threw the party for you and your brothers, the least you could do is make an effort to please them and stay.”
His jaw stiffened at that.
Ginevra arched a brow to dare him to deny it. “Well?”
“Ginny—”
“Something is wrong. I can see it in your face. What is it? It’s not ... New York, right?”
Corrado cleared his throat. “Not even close.”
“Then, what—”
She didn’t get to finish her sentence before Corrado closed the distance between them entirely. All at once, the space she had to breathe was gone when his lips crashed down on hers. The soft curves of her body fit perfectly into the fold of his as he leaned over her, a hand falling to her lower back to keep her from falling to the ground entirely. As his lips worked against hers, his tongue seeking the heat of her mouth, she fisted her fingers into the lapels of his suit jacket, needing him closer.
The kiss felt like heaven.
And just like sin, too.
How could a kiss make her entire body wake up like fireworks had been set off inside her bloodstream? Because that’s what it did.
It felt like a hello.
And a goodbye.
All in one.
Corrado’s lips slowed against hers, then, kissing her softly once, twice, and then a third time to her lower lip, whispering, “I had to do that one more time.”
Ginevra blinked up at him, feeling entirely too high. Right then, she would have asked him to take her anywhere. Somewhere. As long as there was a bed, or a useable flat surface, she would have been up for it.
Except it was the look in his eyes that kept her quiet. That pain—the storm she found warring in his gaze—stopped her from saying anything at all.
Because a part of her knew, then.
She just knew.
His heart was not all in with her. Maybe that was why he’d constantly kept a distance, even though he clearly wanted to get closer. There was a piece of him somewhere else. Maybe she had known it from the start, or perhaps she pieced together the pieces overtime.
What did it matter?
She knew now.
She felt it now.
“I’m selfish,” he murmured, “so I had to do it one more time, Ginny, before I can’t anymore.”
Her lower lip trembled.
“There’s someone else, isn’t there?” she asked.
“There is. It’s not as simple as it seems, and we’ve always been different and open in our relationship. This wouldn’t have been a big deal except I fucked up and started feeling shit about you that I had no business feeling. At that point, I should have done the right thing, but I didn’t and here I am.”
Corrado dragged a hand down his jaw, shaking his head at the same time. “So yes, there is someone else. And I love them, but I haven’t been good to them, either. They deserve far better than what I gave—I need to give that to them, now.” Corrado didn’t look away from her as he said, “I’m sorry.”
All the air in Ginevra’s lungs came out in a painful exhale. She felt his hold loosen on her, but he didn’t step back. Not yet.
It was the buzz of a phone in his pocket that made him put distance between the two of them. It wasn’t much, just a couple of inches, but he wasn’t holding her anymore, and she could stare up at the black, inky Canadian sky dotted with the brightest stars.
For the moment, she was grateful.
She needed that space.
Corrado made a noise, and she looked his way. He was still staring down at his phone, but she caught the name on the contact and what the message said before he turned the device off entirely.
Les, the contact said. And simply, I’m in the city—we need to talk, now.
Who was that?
Corrado’s head snapped up, his gaze landing on her. “I think ... would it be okay if I had Chris take you back to the penthouse? I have something to handle right now.”
Ginevra nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
What else could she say?
• • •
Chris was quick to help Ginevra out of the silver Mercedes, and into the building while the rain continued to pour down from the dark sky overhead. At some point during the drive back to the city, the sky had opened, and began to cry.
It felt appropriate.
The sky was breaking open.
Ginevra, too.
Despite how fast Chris moved to get them inside the safety of the building, it didn’t matter. Her loose waves were soaked, and so was the silk dress. Likely ruined, now.
Yeah, so appropriate.
Like her in that moment.
“I can walk you upstairs, if you’d like,” Chris said, making sure to keep his gaze on only Ginevra’s face, and not the dress that would have to now be peeled from her body. “My job was to get you back safely, after all.”
She shook her head.
No.
Right now, all she wanted was to be alone. She highly doubted Chris would understand why, as he wasn’t privy to the things that happened between her and Corrado. She really didn’t want to explain, either.
Why humiliate herself further?
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to take the elevator up alone.” Ginevra flipped her hand over, showing the keys in her palm. “He gave me the keys, so I can get in.”
“Okay.”
“Thanks, Chris.”
He flashed her a kind smile. “Don’t mention it, Ginevra.”
“Well, I’ll ...” She nodded at the bank of elevators across the brightly lit lobby decorated in soft, neutral tones. “... get going, then. I didn’t get to see your mom or dad before we left, but you’ll tell them I loved meeting them, won’t you? They were great.”
And considering that she now knew there was someone else in Corrado’s life, that his parents and the rest of his family probably knew about, she was only now realizing just how welcoming they had been, all things considered.