Free Everything You Are by Evelyn Lyes Page A

space. “Jane.” A flirty smile flashed on his youthful face. “Sleep tight and dream of me.”
    She refrained from rolling her eyes and instead forced her mouth into a smile while she gently tried to wiggle her hand out of his. He was a pleasant boy, who had kept her company in the hours Ian had been tucked in the library talking business, and he had told her a lot about Rome and places she should visit. But she hadn’t appreciated the sexual innuendo he had inserted into the conversation, his disregard for her personal space and his repeated insistence on showing her around, even though she had politely told him that she wouldn't have time for that.
    Ian glanced down at her, his brow furrowed. His hand curled around her shoulder and he tugged her away from Giuseppe and over to his left side, closer to the door. He said something in Italian to the young man.
    Giuseppe only chuckled and in English added, “Jane doesn't mind.”
    “I don't mind what?” Jane asked, but they ignored her question and were saying goodbye. In the next moment, Ian led her through the door and toward the hired limo parked by the pavement. After they were seated in the backseat, she asked him, “What did you tell him?”
    “To stop bothering you.”
    “Oh.” That was nice of him. “Thank you.”
    “You're welcome.” He smiled at her, the corners of his eyes slightly curving up.
    He had such a beautiful smile and she couldn't help but smile back.
    “You'll be able to sleep in tomorrow.” He cast a quick glance at his watch before he gave her another one of his sunny smiles, correcting himself, “Today.”
    “That's good to hear.” From her handbag she pulled out her phone, hoping that Mark had texted her. She hadn't looked at it during the evening, assuming that it would be impolite. Yes, a small envelope decorated the left corner of the narrow grey bar at the top of the phone's display. “It's Mark,” she told Ian. She frowned. Why had she told him that?
    “How long have you two known each other?”
    “Since we were little,” she said. “He lived next door, and since we're the same age and our parents were friends, we often played together.” When they had started school, their paths divided. But then at the end of elementary school they rekindled their friendship and became best friends. He hadn’t entrusted her with his sexual orientation until the third year of high school, but she had known about it, waiting patiently for him to reveal it on his own.
    “That sounds nice. To have a lifelong friendship.”
    “I'm sure that you have friends you’ve known since forever.”
    “I can't claim that I have,” he said. “At least not the kind with whom I share the same deep bond as you and Mark do.”
    She stifled a yawn. “You don't have a best friend?”
    “No, I'm afraid that I don't.”
    “Oh.” Jane lost her fight against the yawn. She leaned deeper into the softness of the seat. The soft hum of the car's engine and the monotonous movement of the vehicle made her even drowsier. She glanced at Ian, then when she found him gazing at her with a small smile on his face, she averted her eyes and closed them. A sudden turn pushed her against Ian's body. “I'm sorry,” she mumbled as her eyelids fluttered open and she straightened.
    “That's okay. I don't mind being your pillow.” Ian's arm slid between her back and the seat; he wrapped his arm around her waist and gently drew her against his side.
    She should have refused his offer, but she was tired and her body wanted to lean on his shoulder and snuggle against him. And that was what she did, thinking that Mark would have loved to be in her place. This was as close to Ian as she could get, so she might as well enjoy it. “That's nice of you.” She yawned again and shifted and rested her cheek against his collarbone.
     

Chapter 8
     
    “You're drooling on my suit,” Ian said in a soft voice, smiling, as he gazed down at the girl against his side. She was so