Читать книгу The Italian's Pregnancy Proposal - Maggie Cox, Maggie Cox - Страница 9

‘I WOULD like to think by now that I am not a stranger to you, Bliss. And I am more sorry than I can say that such a terrible thing happened to you.’

Instinctively Dante understood what it must have cost her to reveal such personal heartbreak and he found the respect he already had for this surprising young woman steadily deepening, moment by moment.

‘Well, we all have our cross to bear.’ Rising to her feet, Bliss regarded Dante’s undeniably impressive physique with a new wariness. Had she said too much? Would he question her reliability now that he knew she flitted from job to job and came from such an unsettled, tragic background? Feeling her spirits sink a little, Bliss knew she needed a diversion to prevent them from sinking even lower. A breath of fresh air before bed would be good—some time to regroup the defences that had undeniably come under attack as she’d been reminded of the sadness of her past. ‘I’m popping out for a while. Shall I take a key so as not to disturb you?’

‘There is no need.’ Dante’s glance was all-consuming and missed nothing. Certainly not her suddenly urgent desire to be alone to cope with the flood of sad memories. Straightening his shoulders as if to remind her of the innate gravitas in his bearing, he nodded very slightly, almost formally. ‘I will wait up for you. While you are under my family’s roof I am responsible for your care. But do not stay away long. It is neither right nor safe for a young woman to wander the city streets alone at night.’

Fiercely protective of her independence—simply because being independent was something that had become a habit from a very young age—Bliss was about to snap back at him that she didn’t need looking after, but she suddenly felt too weary. The fight just oozed out of her like air from a punctured balloon, and she couldn’t bring herself to complain. Secretly, she also couldn’t deny that it was actually quite nice to have someone worrying about her for a change.