Page 10 of Her Cruel Bodyguard

“Yeah, blah, blah, blah. I need to be home. My father won’t want me to. I cannot be out for long. I should leave the moment I am done with my lectures for the day.” She rolls her eyes as her lips keep pouring out words. “But I have to study, and studying with my friends helps me.”

I could argue that. She is intelligent—more than both of them combined.

“Fabio,” she slips out of the car, resting an elbow on the window frame. “I am doing this whether you want me to or not. I only get to spend time with them after class, and I miss them. I miss him.”

She misses who?

She shrugs and drops her eyes. But she does not get to throw that bomb at me and lower her eyes, shying away from the talk.

“Who is the kid?” The question has been burning holes in my brain the instant I set my eyes on Paul.

“I told you about him,” she chews her tongue and swallows, her eyes skimming to the distance to stare at him and then back at me. “In my studio,” she tucks some of her hair behind her ear, her blue eyes drilling jealousy into me.

I want to hear it. I do not want to hear it.

I want to kill him. But I do not want her to see me doing it.

She drags the answer a little too long, and if I hadn’t sold myself as a patient man, I would have wrangled the answer out of her. But I wait.

“He is my boyfriend,” she mumbles, taking a deep breath which I think sucks up all the air because I am coming short of oxygen at her answer. “Should I make a formal introduction?”

I am trying hard not to show that I want to cramp his head with my hand, but she knows somehow that a formal introduction would not be a good idea. Yet, because she is Eva, she smiles, her eyes narrowing, and then she twists her lips to the side.

“No need,” I unclasp my seatbelt, “I will come with you.” If she is staying to study, then I am hawking around her. I have to make sure she is protected while also making sure he is keeping his fucking distance.

“Are you sure?” She stutters. There will be a lot of people, and you don’t vibe with crowds,” her lips twitch, and I quirk an eyebrow. “Fabio, you can…” She hangs her tongue, trapping her next slew of words as I pull up the car window.

She takes a step back as I push the door open, gently dropping her camera on the passenger seat as she usually does and then climbing out of the car. I adjust my shoulders slightly so my suit falls perfectly in place and slam the door.

Her eyes never leave mine, and I might be imagining things, but her breathing keeps hiking with every movement I make. It makes me want to put up a show for her.

There isn’t much Eva would ask of me that I won’t succumb to doing. I have yet to find out one thing I could deny her. Like right now, even knowing I should be declining and taking her home and knowing Emanuele will be pissed at this decision, I am here, paddling her fucking rebellious boat.

It’s like a fucking infection, but I have no intention of searching out a cure.

After locking the car, I take a step back and gesture for her to go ahead.

She pouts a little; I can’t say if the look in those magnetizing eyes is because she feels uncomfortable having me around while she clings to the boy or because she cares about how I might react.

She walks in front of me, and I follow her. She approaches Gloria, who has moved to stand next to the boy, and then she swings around to hook her arms around his, whispering something that appears like she is telling him, I, the bad news, will be tagging along.

A fucking gut-kick.

CHAPTER FIVE

EVA

His eyes are an open book, and the words on each page are written in bold letters.

Fabio is not as unreadable as he thinks.

I knew he would cave a bit. I knew I wasn’t imaginingthings on my eighteenth birthday. I saw he wanted that kiss just as much as I did, which is why I had asked for it. I wanted to be brave and go for what I wanted for the first time.

He makes it difficult, but again, he makes me want to show him I know how to play this game no matter how clumsy I can get. But… I suck in a deep breath, searching his eyes for a plea to back down or a command that I should get into the car. Something, anything, to let me know he is not only jealous to see me with another man but also protective enough to be territorial.

With the glare in his eyes and the growl masking his breath, I might as well wish for the sky to turn lemon green instead of him saying anything to stop me.

Does he not realize that all he needs to do is speak the words, and I will bidPaul and Gloria goodbye? Does he not realize there is no competition in any of this if he asks me to choose him? Is he so blind to the fact that my waiting provides an opportunity for him to help me stopthis game? Because I want to stop it. I don’t want to play pretense.

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