CHAPTER FOUR #2
“My man has the weight of the world on his shoulders,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sorry your burden is so heavy.”
“It’s not heavy at all when you’re with me. But if I lose you, I’ll lose my mind. I need you safe, love. But I want you to be happy too. I’m trying to give you both, though sometimes it feels like I can only choose one or the other.”
“You know I’m a greedy wench. I want it all,” I teased, but I was serious.
“I want to give it all to you. One day, I will. Right now, we may have to focus more on the safety part, love.”
I sighed again as he placed a kiss on my forehead.
“I’m sorry, Sienna,” he whispered.
“There’s no reason for you to be sorry. The Irish mafia is my cross to bear. They’re my problem.”
“Your problems are my problems. I would never let you face them alone.”
But my problems are the ones keeping us from living the life we want to live, Beast.
I couldn’t depend on him for everything. And I couldn’t keep living in Lala land, hoping for the best, praying the O’Callaghans never found me. They would find me. It was only a matter of time before they did.
It was time to step out of Lala land and leave my soft girl era behind until the Irish mafia was handled. It was time for me to lighten Stefano’s load a little.
“Let’s compromise,” I told him.
“I won’t compromise when it comes to your safety,” he shut me down before I could even tell him the deal.
“Hear me out first,” I insisted.
He opened his mouth to speak.
I came up on my tiptoes and kissed him real quick before saying, “I promise there will be no more trips to the mall with Eve just to walk around for hours and window shop.”
“Why do you all do that? There’s no point in going to the mall unless there’s something you need. And I can send someone to get it for you. You don’t have to go out yourself.”
“We don’t actually go to buy stuff. We usually people-watch and chat. Then eat at the food court.”
He shook his head, not understanding that sometimes, we just wanted to hang out in the mall.
“But I promise to stop doing that until after this threat has been handled,” I vowed.
“And the restaurants? Do you and Eve have to go out to eat every lunch break at Tower D?”
Not the lunch breaks! Damn it, Stefano.
Eve was going to be pissed. But if it would make my Beast feel better, I’d cut off our lunch breaks. I’d just bring my own lunches. And Eve’s too, since she no longer had a stove. Then again, we could get Enzo’s cook to bring us lunches each day.
I loved their cook’s food. The woman prepared meals at the old don’s mansion and delivered them to Enzo and Eve every few days. All Eve had to do was microwave them. If I asked, I know she’d convince their cook to prepare our lunches too.
That would mean no more trying out different restaurants with Eve during our two-hour lunch breaks. But if giving them up would bring my man peace, I’d give them up. We’d resume our foodie behavior later. I took a deep breath and released it slowly.
“Okay. No more going out for lunch. I’ll bring my own.”
“And…”
There was more?
“Let’s just focus on those things for now. I have to get dressed, hon. Eve will be here soon,” I told him before he could take away more of my creature comforts.
“More guards,” he told me. “I’ll have more guards follow you around. That’s non-negotiable.”
I bit my tongue and nodded. The keyword was compromise. To get a little, I had to give a little. Stefano sighed and kissed my forehead again.
“I’ll agree to this for now,” he said. “But if anything happens, we’re switching to my plan.”
That would lead to me working for Tower D from home. Being stuck in the house all day, every day, was not something I wanted. So, I needed to make sure nothing bad happened. And if it did, I had to make sure Stefano didn’t find out.
In fact, the best way to make our lives easier would be for me to be proactive and take out the threats before they found out where I was. As for Stefano’s enemies who wanted to use me to get to him, it was time for me to show them I was no easy target.
“What are you plotting?” he asked, frowning down at me.
“Just thinking of ways to lighten your load,” I told him, which wasn’t a lie. Not really. “Now that we have a deal, I should get dressed before Eve starts blowing up my phone again.”
“Not so fast. Did you forget what I said I was going to do to you after you got out of the shower?” he asked.
“What?” I yelped when he picked me up. “Stefano!”
“I promised to eat this pussy after we showered,” he reminded me, carrying me from the bathroom to the bedroom.
“But Eve…” I started.
“Can wait,” he finished for me, placing me on the bed, then going to his knees in front of me. “I’m hungry, beautiful. You need to feed me before you leave.”
From silent treatment to princess treatment. Damn, I loved this man.
“What kind of girlfriend would I be if I let my man go hungry?” I whispered, spreading my legs for him.
My moans filled the room as Stefano kept his promise, feasting on me, driving me wild with his tongue. I lifted my hips, fucking his mouth, loving the way he tongued me down. But even as he pleasured me, I knew this was just the calm before the storm.
Our compromise wouldn’t last long. A dark cloud was looming over our heads. And Stefano was standing by my side, holding an umbrella, shielding me from the rain. But he couldn’t shield me from the storm forever.
The O’Callaghans were my problem. And I was going to handle them, along with anything else that came our way. I was going to shield my beast from the coming storm. I was going to fight for my happily ever after with Stefano Deluca.
Because my savage was worth fighting for.