Chapter 6
Chapter six
Olive
My world spins, circling on repeat as the guard who saved us carries me into what must be a safe house. My eyes glaze over, trying to take in any of the details around me, but I’m unsuccessful. Still a bit too woozy from whatever concoction this man plunged into my arm.
“Where are we? Where’s Aurelia? What’s going on?” My words come out slurred and slow, like there’s a frog caught in my throat. My tongue is still sleepy and learning to move again.
Of course, I’m worried about my predicament, but the musky scent of sweat and leather has my lethargic brain thinking other thoughts. My nipples pucker, and my panties instantly grow wet.
What is wrong with me?
Something about this man’s presence gives me a sense of security I shouldn’t otherwise feel. I don’t even know him, yet I trust him to keep me safe.
Protected.
He holds me close, whisking me through the house. As the drug slowly leaves my system, I’m able to catch glimpses of high-end furnishings and high-tech gadgets lying about. He strides through the home, clearly knowing where he is going.
“You’re at my house. Aurelia is already in hiding,” he tells me, and my mind spins.
Aurelia is gone? Without me?
After all we’ve been through, she just left me with this complete stranger who broke into the ball and stole us. Sure, he said he was working for Katarina, but I don’t know anything about him, not even his name.
There are so many questions flying through my mind, I don’t know where to start, so I opt for the simplest possible option. “Who are you?”
We reach what must have been his destination all along, and he slides me gently onto the kitchen counter, so we can look each other face-to-face.
His eyes are blue and green, the light flickering off them, making him appear like an otherworldly creature.
For a moment, all I want is to fall into their depths and let him take away all my concerns.
“My name is Gage. I work for a company called Halo Protection Services. We specialize in high-end protection for those who need it. Basically, if there’s danger, you can call us to get just about anything handled.”
His words filter in one ear and out the other, none of them truly making sense. I could understand why someone might hire a service like that for Aurelia, but it still doesn’t explain why I’m here. I know she asked him to bring me, too, but why? Suddenly, the cold fingers of dread grip my heart.
“You have to take me back. Once they figure out I’m missing, they’ll go after my mom.” I move to climb off the counter, but Gage’s warm hand presses against my thigh. Heat travels straight to my core, flooding me with baser desires that need to be shoved aside.
Mom. Think of Mom. I became a maid for the mafia to protect myself and my mother from my abusive father, but Don Farrelli is cold and cunning.
There’s no reason he wouldn’t harm her if he thought he could get to me—and by extension, Aurelia.
I’m under no illusion that he cares about me.
I was an amusement. I’d rather be nothing to him, but Aurelia, well, he hates that girl something fierce.
He is going to take her getting away personally.
“Before I dosed you with the sedative, you mentioned those concerns. Your mother’s already been extracted and taken elsewhere, away from any hold the Farrelli Syndicate has over you. I promise she’s safe. Tomorrow, when I can get a secure line, you can video chat with her and see for yourself.”
What?
The knowledge Mom’s okay washes over me like a balm to my frazzled nerves.
I can take anything someone dishes out to me as long as my mom’s safe.
The fact that this man already took care of it without any reason to listen says all I need to know about his character.
Miss Katarina trusted him, Miss Aurelia trusted him, and so do I.
Overwhelming emotions flood my system, and tears prickle at the back of my eyes.
“I don’t know how to thank you.” The words are useless and ineffective, but hopefully they convey how grateful I am.
He saved me from being raped by the Don, saved my mother from sure torture, and even saved my mistress from being sent to the worst possible marriage. I never knew men like this existed.
The air between us charges, our breath twining together, and I have the uncontrollable urge to press my lips to his. Before I can stop myself, I lean forward at the hips, and his flavor explodes on my tongue. He tastes like the promise of happiness.
I barely know this man.
With a deep groan, he takes over, the kiss becoming wild and passionate. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, claiming every inch and searing his mark on my memory for all time. It’s the hottest kiss I’ve ever had. When he pulls away, all I want is to yank him right back.
“Fuck. Baby girl, you undo me. But I didn’t bring you here to take advantage.” He moves back slightly and undoes the top two buttons on his crisp white shirt as if he’s struggling to breathe.
“You’re not,” I tell him honestly, shifting uncomfortably on the counter. Now that my brain’s fully back online, the pain from my bottom returns full force. I wince, drawing Gage’s attention.
“What’s wrong? Are you injured?” His rough hands ghost over me, impossibly gentle, and embarrassment heats my cheeks. Deflect. Deflect. I don’t want this perfect specimen of a man to know what the Don did to me.
“Of course not. I’m fine, just starting to move my muscles again after the sedation.” I pin him with my sternest look, daring him to call me out on it. Fortunately, he doesn’t.
“I really am sorry about that,” he tells me, earnestness in his voice clear. “If the extraction window had been larger, I would have been much gentler, more caring, and explained everything.”
I nod, swallowing hard. No man’s ever apologized to me for something, much less getting me out of harm’s way.
I appreciate it on a soul-deep level because, even though getting poked with a needle wasn’t at the top of my bucket list, getting away from Don Farrelli certainly was.
He’s an evil man, and I’m relieved to be free of him.
“I forgive you.” And truly I do. Looking at the big picture, I’m grateful for the hard choices he made, even if they were terrifying at the time.
Gage’s relief at my words is palpable, giving me a sense of strength that I’ve never possessed. Maybe this is my chance to become someone new. Someone daring and bold.
“You have no idea how much that means to me.” With a squeeze of my thigh, he walks over to the refrigerator, pulls out two bottles of water, and offers me one.
The seal cracks loudly in the quiet room when I open it, grateful for something to do with my hands, as well as the cold liquid to quench my thirst.
“How about something to eat?” he asks, and my stomach gurgles.
“Yeah, some food sounds good. I’m starving.
” Gage pulls cold cut packages and all the fixings for a sandwich out of the refrigerator.
While he works, I can’t help but admire his physique.
Tall, dark, and handsome. The man is enormous, powerful.
.. mouthwatering. After everything I’ve been through, part of me wonders whether I should be feeling this way.
Then again, the Don felt he was entitled to my body.
Now I have control over who I share it with.
After hopping off the counter, I hustle forward. “I can do that for you,” I offer. Ever the maid. “I’m used to taking care of people.”
A frown twists his lips. “Well, then, I think it’s long past time that you let someone care for you.”
A lump forms in my throat, and I wonder, not for the first time, if I’ve died and gone to heaven. Things like this don’t exist in my world: men who care for and cherish women. I barely know him, and I’m already attached.
Never leaving is surely the best option.
Maybe this is real, and I’ll get to stay.