Chapter 12 #2
“I’m going to head out for a while; I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”
That gets me her undivided attention as she quickly sits up.
“You’re leaving? Where are you going? Can I come with you?” Her questions come at a rapid pace.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
“Is it because of Dante? Because if it is—”
“No and no,” I repeat, cutting her off. I close the small distance between us and reach for Killer’s collar. “Come, boy,” I say.
“You’re taking him with you?”
“No, I’m going to put him outside.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
She drops her Kindle down beside her and scrambles to her feet. “Why can’t he stay inside with me? I don’t want to be left alone.”
The vulnerability in her eyes tugs at something deep in me.
“You won’t be alone,” I say softly. “One of my men will stay with you until I get back.”
Her brow furrows. “You’re letting someone else look after me?”
“Is that a problem?”
“You don’t usually let me meet your men,” she says, her voice cautious. “Has something happened?”
I release the dog’s collar and give him the command to sit. “Nothing’s happened, sweetheart. I have shit to do.”
“I want to come with you,” she demands, crossing her arms over her chest.
A smile tugs at my lips because I don’t think I’ll ever tire of her sassy mouth or attitude.
I lean in and press a soft kiss to her forehead. It’s only the second time I’ve done it, and I hate how natural it feels. Like it’s something I’ve done a hundred times before. But, like everything else running rampant in my head right now, I try not to overthink it.
I take a step backwards. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Can I trust you to behave yourself until then?”
She purses her lips. “I said I want to come with you.”
“Tough shit, you’re staying here.”
I retreat another step, putting a safe distance between us, when a tiny growl permeates the back of her throat.
“Come,” I say to the dog as I start moving towards the rear of the house.
“Romeo,” she calls out just as I reach the doorway. I glance back over my shoulder, bracing for more sass, but it’s not what I get.
Instead, there’s worry carved into her pretty face, softening all that fire she usually wears like a shield.
Lucia Rossi is so fucking beautiful sometimes it hurts to look at her.
Like the world had poured all its best parts into one woman.
Her face, that body, and heavily accented voice are perfection.
But right now, I’m not seeing the fearless version of her. I’m witnessing the little girl underneath it all, the scared, vulnerable part she rarely lets anyone see. The one who’s been let down more times than she cares to admit, and damn if it doesn’t hit me right in the chest.
It brings something out in me. That deep, primal instinct to protect her from everything bad. To carry her worries on my back if it means she never has to feel like this again.
“You’re coming back, right?”
I inhale a sharp breath, filling my lungs, before slowly exhaling. I give the dog the command to sit again, and like always, he does as he is told.
I stalk back over, and she tilts her head to meet my gaze when I stop in front of her. “I’m coming back,” I say.
“Promise.”
Without thinking, my hand lifts, and my knuckle gently traces down the side of her face. She shivers at my touch. It’s slight, but enough for me to feel it.
“I promise, Luc.”
“Okay,” she says, stepping in to snake her arms around my waist. When she rests her cheek on my chest and lets out an audible sigh, I briefly hug her back.
I try not to focus on the feel of her soft tits that are now resting against my ribcage.
“I’m going to make your favourite food for dinner tonight. ”
If that’s her way of giving me the incentive to return, she needn’t have bothered. I’m not ready to let this woman go yet, and there’s a part deep inside me that wonders if I’ll ever be.
Moving my hands to her shoulders, I draw her body away from mine before my cock can get a chance to react.
“If you be a good girl while I’m gone, I might bring you back a surprise.”
Her big, brown eyes light up with excitement, and I’ll be the first to admit that those chocolate-coloured orbs are my weakness.
I’ve never known a woman’s eyes to hold such a mix of brazen sass, undisguised interest, and palpable vulnerability, but it’s the way she says, “I’ll try to be good,” so damn seriously, that has me barking out a laugh.
I’m quietly confident that this woman will eventually be the death of me, but that doesn’t seem to bother me in the slightest.
“Please do,” I murmur, bopping her cute little nose with the tip of my finger. “I’ll introduce you to my guy before I go.”
“He’s here?”
“He’s waiting on the front porch as we speak.”
Dominic’s the kind of guy you see once and never forget.
All height and broad shoulders, with muscles packed tight over inked skin.
His hair’s cropped close to the scalp, and a deep red scar runs down the side of his face.
Between his thick neck, battered knuckles, and that permanent scowl he’s sporting, people tend to cross the street without thinking twice.
His presence screams: Don’t fuck with me. Which is precisely why I figured he was perfect for this job. Lucia might be all petite and gorgeous, but she’s a damn handful when she wants to be.
I’m hoping his intimidating presence alone will keep her in line until I get back.
I don’t realise she’s followed me into the foyer until I open the front door and hear a tiny squeak behind me, followed by a muttered, “Holy shit.”
I pull the door wider and step aside, letting him in. His massive frame practically fills the doorway as he steps over the threshold.
Lucia immediately presses herself flat against the wall. Her eyes are wide and locked on him as he passes. She looks quietly terrified, if I’m being honest.
Her reaction is precisely what I was banking on. I don’t think she’ll be game enough to step out of line while he’s here.
I lean down, keeping my voice low to mess with her. “Rumour has it he eats kittens for breakfast.”
Her head snaps towards me, and when her eyeballs almost bug out of her head, I crack up.
I tried to get back as fast as I could, but by the time I pulled up outside the safe house, hours had slipped by.
I feel like shit for being gone so long. When I first introduced Lucia to Dominic, her hand was trembling as she offered it to him, which was accompanied by a meek, “It’s nice to meet you.”
All she got in return was a grunt and the barest nod. As I walked out, she mouthed, “Please don’t leave me here with him.” For those reasons alone, I intended to rush my little shopping expedition, but I had no luck.
I’m now in a foul mood because I hate shopping for myself on a good day, but doing it for a woman is a whole different kind of hell.
Lucia texted me a few minutes after I left, but I haven’t heard a word from her since, so I kill the engine and reach into the centre console for my phone, pulling up our message thread.
As irritated as I am, I can’t help but smile as I reread what she sent me.
Lucia: Your goon’s parked himself against the wall like a statue holding a massive grudge.
I offered him a seat, but all I got in return was a menacing grunt.
I’m not brave enough to ask him again. His arms are crossed, and his eyes are locked on me.
I’m trying to act casual and not let him see that I’m literally petrified.
Where did you find this man? A haunted forest?
Me: You’re safe, babe. If I thought he was a threat, he wouldn’t be breathing, let alone babysitting you.
Lucia: It feels like he’s either sizing me up or debating whether I’d taste better with garlic butter or barbecue sauce.
Me: Garlic butter or barbecue sauce?
Lucia: For when he chops me up and eats me!!!!!! You know, like the kittens he gobbled up for breakfast.
I’m feeling a little apprehensive as I grab my purchases and head towards the house. I’m not sure what I’m going to find once I walk inside.
I know Dominic wouldn’t have smothered her in barbecue sauce and devoured her—at least he better fucking not have—but I’m still hoping she eventually forgives me for leaving her alone with a man who scares the hell out of her.
I juggle the bags in one hand, shove the key into the lock with the other, and pray I don’t walk into the sound of Lucia’s tears because, honestly, I couldn’t handle them right now.
What I don’t expect is her laugh—soft and sweet—mingling with a low, husky one that sends a jolt of irritation straight through me.
I drop the bags beside the hall table with a thud as I stalk towards the sound with a tight jaw and ticking pulse.
I’m forced to do a double take when I step into the kitchen. Lucia’s at the table, her pretty face resting in her hands, with eyes locked on Dominic like he’s the most fascinating thing in the world.
He’s shovelling food into his mouth, clearly not bothered by the attention, or me. And judging by the lack of fur or tiny bones, I can only assume his plate isn’t full of kittens.
My eyes move around the space, and the pristine kitchen I left is now a fucking mess. Not only is something bubbling away on the stovetop, but there are stacks of dirty pots, pans, and dishes piled up next to the sink.
When I clear my throat, both heads swing in my direction. “A word, Lucia,” I growl.
“Oh, you’re back already?” she asks, surprised, and that comment sours my mood further. I’ve been gone for fucking hours.
I give Dominic a murderous look, which doesn’t seem to bother him in the slightest, before I swing around and storm back into the main room.
My hands clench into fists at my sides as I pace the floor, waiting for Lucia to enter. The moment she steps through the door, I stop cold.
“Care to explain?” I ask with a low, sharp voice.
“You’ve had your hair cut? It looks nice—”
I run my fingers through my hair as my frown deepens. “Don’t try to change the subject,” I grumble, cutting her off.
Her eyes widen for a second, then narrow. “Explain what exactly?”
“That shitshow in there,” I grumble, jerking my thumb towards the kitchen.
She folds her arms slowly, with eyes locked on mine. “You mean the food? Or the part where I didn’t cry the whole time you were gone?”
My teeth grind. “The part where you got cosy with a man you begged me not to leave you alone with.”
Seeing them all chummy-chummy was the last thing I expected to find when I returned. Am I mad she fed him while I was gone? Perhaps ‘jealous’ might be a better word.
“I’ll admit I was scared at first,” she fires back, stepping closer. “So, I went into the kitchen for some space, and he followed. “I started cooking, and he began eating. That’s when I realised underneath all the brute was just a hangry marshmallow.”
“Hangry marshmallow?” I bark.
“You know, hungry-angry makes someone hangry. Once I fed him, he turned out to be a lovely man.”
“Lovely?” I roar.
“Yes, lovely,” she snaps, planting her hands on her narrow hips and lifting her chin. “I’ve invited him for dinner tomorrow night.”
“Well, you can march that sweet arse of yours back into the kitchen and uninvite him.”
“No!”
Silence builds as neither one of us is prepared to back down.
I finally step forward and keep my voice low. “Don’t test me, Lucia.”
She doesn’t flinch. “Then don’t abandon me and expect obedience when you come back.”
“For fuck’s sake, woman, I never abandoned you.”
She jabs a finger into my chest—once, twice, three times—punctuating each word. “Yes. You. Did.”
I throw my hands up, officially done with this conversation. Why I ever thought marrying this nutjob was a good idea, I’ll never know.