Page 36 of Under His Protection

And again, when I headed to the gym, I passed him while exiting it. Another time when I wanted a snack, we bumped into each other near the kitchen. They all seemed like innocent episodes of happenstance. If I believed in coincidences, I would’ve claimed that was the case for our run-ins.

Maybe he was planning it. I didn’t know. But in the week following that dinner, when I told him to act like he wanted to be with me, I wondered if he thought I meant it literally.

“He has to know that I meant it in terms of the pretending to date scenario,” I told Tessa on the phone. “Right?”

“I don’t know.”

I gnawed on my lower lip, heading downstairs to make lunch for myself. Maybe Romeo or Franco would stop through and I could whip up a sandwich and salad for them. Dante told me just yesterday that I didn’t need to put my foot forward and contribute to the household. He reminded me that they hired staff to keep the house running. But I’d gotten used to being here and feeling like I was “with” the Constellas, and it was natural to want to share a lunch with the others.

“When I put him on the spot and said he had to act like he wanted to be near me to make this fake dating believable, he told me to be careful what I wished for,” I told her.

“Ooh. Sounds naughty.”

“But he was joking.” He had to be. “This sexual tension between us hasn’t faded, but he took an out from acting on it. That night, he saw me to bed, and there is no way he missed how I was looking at him.”

“How?” she asked.

“Like I wanted him to devour me. Like I wanted to devour him. Horny, Tessa. I was turned on from how he’d been acting earlier, and I looked like a horny woman who wanted his fine ass.”

“The night that those guys cornered you?” she asked, incredulous. “Of course, he didn’t take you up on any sexy time. You’d just been scared.”

Not really. I knew that Dante was in the building, that Constella guards were near. It was also the night that he cared so much about what happened that he killed those two men.

“It’s just so confusing now.” Half the time, I thought he wanted me, and the other half, I was convinced that he wanted to be married to his businesses and organization with no time to spare for anything or anyone else. “All these encounters and happening to bump into each other.”

“Well, what do you expect? You’re living there like roommates already.”

I guessed I was expecting that he’d treat me like he did before, that mixture of teasing me and wanting me but keeping his distance anyway.

Eva strode through the first floor, her narrowed gaze settled on me. Like every other time I saw Eva in his huge house, I prepared for another bit of the mean-girl act. It was clear that she disliked me. While I wouldn’t hold it against her for being protective of her uncle and cousin, she had to learn to back off. I wasn’t here to ruin them. I didn’t want to cause issues with anyone.

She seemed impervious to understanding that, no matter how polite and open I was with her.

“I’ll call you later,” I told Tessa. I didn’t need Eva hearing about my mixed feelings about Dante. As far as she knew, I was his girlfriend whom he seldom gave attention to.

“Call with your lover?” Eva guessed.

Why can’t you go back to the other house? I just didn’t want to deal with her. Those first few days, she helped get me a wardrobe and necessities, where she assumed I was a poor nobody to provide for. Maybe that was the reason for her defensiveness. She assumed I was taking advantage of Dante’s wealth.

If he were my sugar daddy, that would sum it up.

On her tour, she pointed out the extravagant guest house that she called home on the property. Romeo lived in another.

After those initial days, though, I didn’t have to put up with her much.

“No, Eva.” I sighed, peeved that she’d test me and accuse me of having a lover. The only man I wanted to label as that was Dante. More and more, I dreamed and fantasized about him.

“Would you like to have lunch with me?” I offered, determined to act like the bigger person, killing hatred with kindness and all.

“No.” She crossed her arms, looking me up and down and no doubt annoyed that I still wore the clothes I picked, generic, casual clothes, not the designer crap she had delivered here for me.

The bell rang before she could speak another word. I glanced toward the front door, then wondered if George would get it. I wasn’t prohibited from ever opening the door, but no one ever rang the bell. Everyone who came here had to be approved by the men at the gates, and everyone who fell in that category typically parked and entered the house through the garage connection.

“Who’s that?” I asked her.

“What, am I a psychic now? I have no clue.” Eva smirked at me. “Did you invite someone over?”

Argh! Stop already. “No, I haven’t.” I didn’t know the damn address to give to anyone.

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