Chapter Seven
Whenhewokeup, Micah reached for Isabel and found nothing but a cool sheet. She was gone. Last night was more than he could ever imagine. It was more than just the sex. Even though she had given into his every demand, the moments in between were what made his heart swell. How she let him hold her when she cried, and taking care of her in the shower. Never in his life had he brushed a woman’s hair, but his desire to take care of Isabel was more than he had bargained for. Those interactions between them were things he would hold in his heart forever. Now, with her gone, the battle that started in his mind that morning caused him question if it was all worth it. He wanted her, but he realized how terribly wrong it all was. His family was a mess, and she deserved more than he could give her. Isabel had been working for him for years but he did everything he could to keep his family’s business that Dante ran far away from her. It was dangerous and disgusting in Micah’s eyes, which is why he and Luca had separated themselves from it as soon as they could. Isabel was a brilliant woman with a family who loved her dearly, and his family’s past would only put them all in danger. He should never have fucked her the way he did. It was one thing for them to drunkenly hook up, but what happened between them last night was pure fire. A fire that still burned inside him if he’d let it.
As he got up, he saw her clothes were gone from his room and the robe he had for her still lay where he left it the night before. The twinge in his chest wasn’t something he was expecting, but was something he planned to ignore. If Isabel left in the middle of the night, then she had to be just as confused as he was, or worse, she regretted everything that had happened between them. He made his way to the shower and got himself cleaned up for the day, hoping by the time he was done he would know what to say to her so they could work out the best way to move forward.
Mornings were not his thing. As he stepped into the kitchen, he was disappointed to find it empty. After some thought, he made the decision that he would follow Isabel’s lead for the day. If she wanted to pretend nothing happened, he would. If she wanted more, than he could do that. They would just need to set some ground rules. The last thing he needed was to hurt her. She was more than just someone who worked for him. Over the years, she had grown to become one of his only true friends. He poured himself a cup of coffee and found a note sitting next to the pot.
Headed in early. There is breakfast in the oven if you are hungry.
-Izzy
She had made him breakfast. He was such an asshole. Here he was all worried about what he was going to say when he saw her and in the time it took him to get his ass up and dressed, she had already made coffee and breakfast and left for work. Had she just woken up early? Maybe she did sleep with him all night. Normally, he wasn’t that sound of a sleeper, but the last thing he remembered was pulling her delicate body into his and kissing her goodnight. He was way out of his league, and after checking a couple of emails, he picked up his phone and he dialled his brother. If anyone knew how to handle this insane situation he had gotten himself into, it would be Luca.
“Why in the hell are you calling me this early?”
“Good morning to you, too.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Does something have to be wrong for me to call my big brother?”
“You never call me. You call Jenny. In fact, I think you even call Bella more than you call me now.”
“What can I say? I’m a bigger fan of my niece and your fiancée than I am of your grumpy ass.”
“I’m not grumpy.”
“Not anymore, thank god. Not since Bella.”
He heard his brother let out a deep sigh. “Yeah, you’re right there. It’s hard to be an ass around her. So what’s up?”
“I need some advice.”
“Did you finally knock up some chick?”
“No, of course not! Seriously, man, is that what you expect of me?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I didn’t. But I may have accidentally slept with Izzy.”
“It’s about fucking time.”
“Ha. Ha. What am I supposed to do?”
“Marry her.”
“So there’s another problem.”
“Did you knock her up?”
“No. Fuck, man. I know how to use a damn condom.”
“Then what’s the problem? Izzy is amazing. Beyond amazing for dealing with your shit for so long. I’m serious. Go buy a ring today and marry her before she comes to her senses.”
“Just because you are about to get hitched doesn’t mean we all have to. Besides, the problem is we, might be fake engaged, anyway.”
“What?”