Elena didn’t go far after she left his office.
She should’ve.
But she didn’t.
Because Alessandro Moretti had a way of getting under her skin and staying there like a curse she couldn’t shake off.
She heard him before she saw him.
Fast footsteps in the hallway.
No hesitation.
No patience.
Just him.
“Elena.”
Her name wasn’t spoken.
It was thrown.
She turned slowly.
“What now?”
He stopped right in front of her.
Too close again.
Always too close.
“Don’t walk away from me like that,” he said.
“I told you to stop.”
“I did stop,” he snapped. “For five minutes. That’s progress for me.”
That made her breath catch slightly.
She hated that it almost made her smile.
“You’re making this impossible,” she whispered.
He scoffed. “No. You are.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Alive.
His eyes dro
