Page 18 of Her Cruel Bodyguard

“Okay,” I sit straight, hands tight around the steering wheel. I drive off and she exhales a staggering breath before fastening her seatbelt.

“We won’t need to stay out too long,” Eva bounces on her feet as she gives Emanuele the rundown of her school project, omitting the part of her boyfriend tagging along.

“Street photography?” Emanuele quirks his brows at Eva and then leans on his seat behind his desk.

“Yes, papà,” Eva circles to him and leans her butt on the desk, facing him. “I will have to take a lot of pictures because then we need to pick the best among them and make a collection.”

“It’s a school project?” He observes me, even though I am not the one talking, nor have I said a thing since we got into his study.

“Yes,” she chirps eagerly. A little too eagerly, and it vexes me to my bone marrow that she wants to go on this date with the kid.

“Why can’t you take pictures of the estate?” Normally, although Emanuele has always been protective of Eva, he would have given his support right away, but with Salvatore roaming around, we have to be extremely careful.

“That’s not how it works,” she grumbles, then slants to face me. “Tell him, Fabio, tell him that’s not how it works.” What does she want me to tell him? What the fuck am I supposed to know about street photography?

“He is into photography now?” Emanuele chuckles. “Don’t tell me he has found a new passion while taking you to school,” he gives me a pinch of a smile, and I grunt. “Should I buy you a camera too, Fabio?”

Eva giggles. “I will help with the lectures,” she smiles at me.

“How are things?” Emanuele shifts her attention to him.

She breathes. “School has been great, and my grades are doing fine, as always.” She reaches for the half bottle of water on the desk and sips from it. “Gloria is still my only friend so far, or rather, my only close friend and I have been avoiding my studio lately.” She drops her head at that last part, and a part of me wants to cup her in my hands and tell her she has nothing to be afraid of because I am the one watching over her.

“You have nothing to be afraid of,” Emanuele reassures her, the words I wish I could say to her. “But I am asking about both of you.” He flicks his index finger between us, and the tension wafts in with that gesture. “He has been taking you to school and back.”

“Good,” Eva answers quickly, “We are good.”

“You two talk?” Emanuele continues.

“A lot,” Eva nods.

“About what?” He directs the question to me, and I shrug. He knows we are nowhere closer to being a couple now than we were the night he first informed us.

“About things, school things,” Eva averts the threat. “I do most of the talking, and he does the listening.”

Emanuele nods. “I think an outdoor event like this will be good for the both of you,” Emanuele stands, “You will go with her and make it…”

“A date,” Eva smiles. “We will make it a date.”

“I was going to say make it safe for you, keeping his eyes on you at every point, but a date is fine too,” he cradles her face and kisses her forehead. “Be good, but give him hell,” he pats her cheek softly, and she nods.

“You can count on me,” she hammers—such detrimental advice. I am already deep into hell; how much more now that he is telling her to it, I don’t know. And with the way she is frizzy about it, I know she will take him up on it.

“Keep her safe,” he flips between the both of us, and I nod. “If you need me, Eva, I will be with Vittoria on the porch in the backyard,” another kiss on her cheeks, and he strides out.

The door is not yet closed, and she sprints towards me, hauling herself at me. I am sitting on the sofa, and the force of her jump sends me falling back, my hand gripping her waist for balance and one of her knees slightly pressing on my cock. My inside comes alive, and the hairs on my skin spike.

“Thank you,” she says, dropping her head on my chest. “Thank you so much,” she lifts a bit and holds my gaze; and I might be imagining things, but she adjusts her knee on my cock, and I moan internally. “I know you never lie to him; thank you for looking out for me; it means the world to me.”

“Hmm,” I strain out, every vein in my body like antennas transmitting signals.

She drags herself like she is about to lift off me, her hands coming to rest on the armrest beside my head. Then, she smiles softly, presses her lips on mine, and off she goes, leaving me in a state of confusion.

Was that a thank you kiss, or was that a…?

Little devil.

CHAPTER NINE

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