Chapter 78

MARK

A setup?! Shit.

My heart beat wildly in my chest, my palms immediately generating moisture that I quickly wiped on my shorts. June should have given me some sort of heads-up!

"Giulia," I said, quickly clearing my voice after realizing I sounded funny. She was looking at me with those brown eyes that let you see into her soul.

The late afternoon sun poured through the kitchen windows, casting a golden glow over the room. The scent of the stew on the stove lingered in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of lavender from a bouquet on the table. My mind was a tangled mess of guilt and longing. Her red hair was tied back in a ponytail, with loose curls framing her delicate face. Was she always this stunning? She looked stunning, a vision of strength and fragility, and the sight of her was almost too much to bear.

I wanted to just jump into her arms there and then, and let her warmth seep into me like morning dew on the soil until my innermost dark clouds were slowly lifted.

"Mark,