Chapter 15
Marco
My grip on her wrist is firm as I practically drag her up the stairs to her building. The moment we're inside her apartment, she rounds on me and yanks her arm free. Her face is flushed, eyes blazing with anger.
She's about to unleash hell on me.
Bring it, little fox.
"What the hell is your problem, Marco?"
I take my time closing the door. Lock it deliberately. Then lean against it with my arms crossed. "You."
She actually laughs—a sharp, incredulous sound. "You act like I did something wrong. I was having a drink and dancing. With my friends. In a public place. I don't need a damn leash."
Her voice gets higher with each word. I step closer, forcing her to tilt her chin up to maintain eye contact. "You weren't dancing with your friends. Your friends left and you didn't even notice because you were too busy playing games."
"I was having fun—"
"You were being reckless." I take another step. She backs up until she hits the wall. "Not only that, you were flirting with a man who would've had you out of that club and in his car in under five minutes."
She rolls her eyes like I'm being dramatic. "You're back to being my babysitter, I see."
"No." I step even closer. Close enough that I can smell her perfume. Feel the heat radiating from her skin. "I'm the only one keeping you from making a very stupid mistake."
"A mistake?" Her laugh is bitter. "That's rich coming from you. Mr. 'You're Just a Job.' What do you care if I make mistakes?"
"I care—"
"No, you don't." She tries to move past me but I shift my weight, blocking her path. "You care about protecting Vito's investment. About doing your duty. About maintaining your precious professional boundaries."
She's breathing hard now. Angry. Hurt.
"That's not fair," I say quietly.
"Isn't it?" She tilts her head up in challenge. "You want me. I can see it every time you look at me. But you won't do anything about it. So forgive me if I went looking for someone who actually—"
"Don't." The word comes out rough. "Don't finish that sentence."
"Why not? It's true, isn't it? You want me but you won't touch me. So I found someone who would."
Something dark and possessive surges through my chest. I lift my hand and press it flat against the wall behind her, caging her in. "That guy wasn't touching you. He was using you. There's a difference."
"And what are you doing, Marco?" Her voice drops. Goes breathy. "Because this feels an awful lot like touching."
She's right. My body is inches from hers. I can feel the heat between us. See the way her chest rises and falls with each breath.
"Move," she says. But there's no conviction in it.
I lean in closer. My voice comes out low. Dangerous. "Make me."
She exhales through her nose. I watch her reaction to my proximity. Her breathing turns ragged. She shifts her stance, pressing her thighs together. I know exactly what she's doing. Trying to ease the ache between her legs.
She wants this. Wants me to lose control.
"You don't scare me, Marco."
"Good." My eyes drop to her lips. "Because that's not what this is."
The silence between us crackles like a live wire. Her vanilla and jasmine scent wraps around me. I can feel every inch of space between our bodies like a physical thing.
Her fingers twitch at her sides. Her breathing picks up even more. I glance down at her parted lips again, my own breathing growing heavy.
I should step back. Should maintain the distance Vito warned me about.
But I can't seem to move.
And that's when it happens.
Elena lifts onto her toes and kisses me.
The moment her lips press against mine, everything else falls away. For just a heartbeat I let myself have this. Let myself taste her. Feel the softness of her mouth against mine.
Then reality crashes back.
I pull away. Put my hands on her shoulders and gently but firmly push her back.
"No." My voice comes out rougher than I intend. "We can't."
She blinks up at me. Confusion and hurt flashing across her face. "What?"
"This can't happen, Elena." I step back. Put distance between us even though every instinct screams at me to pull her close again. "I shouldn't have... we can't do this."
"Why not?" Her voice cracks slightly. "Don't give me that 'just a job' bullshit again. I felt how you kissed me back—"
"For two seconds. Before I remembered—" I run a hand through my hair. Try to get my breathing under control. "You're Rina's cousin. You're family. And you're under my protection."
"So?"
"So Vito trusted me with this. With you." I can still feel the ghost of her lips on mine. Still smell her perfume. It's making it impossible to think straight. "He specifically told me to keep things professional. To keep you safe. Not to—"
"Not to what? Not to feel anything?" She laughs but there's no humor in it. "God forbid Marco Conti actually wants something for himself instead of just following orders."
The jab lands. "That's not fair."
"No, you know what's not fair? You looking at me the way you do. Touching me the way you do. Getting jealous when other men come near me. And then pushing me away because of some outdated sense of duty."
"It's not outdated—"
"You want me." She steps closer. I force myself not to back up. "I want you. We're both adults. What's the actual problem here?"
"The actual problem is that you're in danger.
" My voice comes out harder than I mean it to.
"Someone's threatening you. You're keeping secrets.
Meeting with people like Ronan. And I can't—" I stop.
Take a breath. "I can't protect you if I'm distracted.
If I'm thinking about... this instead of keeping you alive. "
Understanding dawns in her eyes. Then hurt. "So I'm a distraction now?"
"That's not what I meant—"
"It's exactly what you meant." She wraps her arms around herself. "You know what? You're right. This was a mistake."
She turns and walks toward her bedroom. Every step feels like a knife to the chest.
"Elena—"
"Goodnight, Marco." She doesn't look back. "Thanks for reminding me where we stand."
Her door closes. Not a slam. Just a soft click that somehow feels worse.
I stand in the middle of her living room, staring at that closed door. My lips still tingling from the kiss. My chest tight with everything I can't say.
I did the right thing. Vito trusted me to keep her safe, not to get involved with her. She's family. She's in danger. Getting emotionally compromised would put her at risk.
All true. All logical.
All bullshit excuses for the fact that I'm too much of a coward to admit that I'm already in too deep. That somewhere along the way, Elena stopped being an assignment and started being everything.
I walk to the couch and drop onto it. Pull out my phone and scroll through messages from my men stationed outside. All quiet. No movement.
But nothing feels quiet. Not with the memory of her kiss still burning on my lips. Not with the hurt I saw in her eyes before she walked away.
Tomorrow I'll focus on the case. On finding out what she's hiding. On keeping her safe from whatever threat she's too stubborn to tell me about.
Tonight, I'll lie here and try not to think about how right she felt in my arms for those two seconds before I ruined everything.
Because that's what I do. I follow orders. I maintain boundaries. I do my job.
Even when it means pushing away the one person I want more than anything.