Page 18 of Her UnBearable Protector

“Something wrong?”

She looked up and saw Salvatore watching her from the kitchen, his hands tangled up in a dishcloth.

“No,” she managed to wring the word from her throat even though she was sure she was just a few heartbeats away from melting to the ground, humiliated by Ericka’s gift, “I’m fine.”

He took a moment to look her over before he nodded, perhaps satisfied with the answer. “You should get some sleep. You have a busy schedule tomorrow.”

She nodded and he went back to the dishes, for that alone she wanted to chain him to her kitchen. The thought brought another flame of heat to her cheeks. She was trying to plot a route through her apartment that would keep her away from Salvatore’s prying eyes. The last thing she wanted him to know was that the bag in her hands held what must have been the entire selection of condoms from the bodega. There were half a dozen colors and an equal number of textures. Stepping into her bedroom for a moment, she dropped the bag into the drawer of her nightstand before she left and closed the door.

Chapter Six

He heard the balcony door open down the hall and then close a second later. He tensed, wondering if Natale had gone outside.

“Mr. Orsino?”

He felt his bear grumble in the back of his mind. He wasn’t making the kind of progress that he was hoping to make, bringing them closer together. If she couldn’t even call him by his name, how was he going to convince her to accept him in her life.

Salvatore waited until he saw her step around the corner and into the kitchen. “Yes, Natale?”

He deliberately drew out her name as if he could keep their connection by sound alone.

She stood there for a moment, and he could see subtle movements in her jaw, as if she was chewing on her thoughts. He wanted to say something to encourage her to tell him what was on her mind, but he felt like the very air around them was charged with indecision and the last thing he wanted to do was scare her like a deer in the woods.

And yet he was the one caught in her snare when she looked up at him with what he hoped was longing in her eyes.

“I started to go outside,” she made a vague gesture in the direction of the doors, “but I didn't think that was a good idea. At least,” she was stumbling through her thoughts, “without telling you first.”

He smiled and was rewarded when she smiled back. The simple gesture warmed him like sunshine and he leaned closer, just the fraction of an inch to enjoy the warmth.

“I’ll go with you.”

She stared back in shock and he wondered what she was thinking.

“I'm not here to hold you prisoner like a princess in her castle, Natale. I'm here to protect you.”

Setting down his tablet on the counter, Salvatore moved to join her in the hall, following her back the way she had come. He tried to keep his energy easy and seemingly relaxed as he walked slightly ahead of her.

At the door, he peered out into the night sky first. Then looked from corner to corner of the balcony from his position inside the apartment. His brother had verified the distances from her balcony to others on her side of the building, looked into sightlines from other buildings.

For a moment he wanted to tell her no, turn her around and find something else to occupy her time, but one look into her expectant upturned face, her rich cinnamon-brown eyes and her expression which could only be described as hopeful, he reached out and undid the lock for the door, and slid it open. He took a step outside and drew in a long breath of the outside air.

Even hundreds of feet above the New York City streets, there were some smells that never went away. Salvatore scented the very concrete around him and felt the walls of the city like a rather extensive cage. Up where they were, the scent of trees and flowers was nearly impossible to detect. “Natale?”

“Yes?”

He stepped to the side to give her room. “Come outside.”

She stepped out onto the balcony and drew in a breath the same way that he had, but instead of her lips pulling into a tight line, they relaxed into a smile. “Freedom!”

Salvatore rubbed his hand over his nose as his bear woke grumbling inside of him.

He heard laughter and turned to watch her giggling, her eyes narrowing as she leaned on the balcony for support. “You should see yourself.” She laughed again, her voice coming back from the breathy tones she had a moment before. “You look like you just smelled something bad.”

He wasn’t a man who liked to be laughed at. Few had ever dared, but when Natale looked back at him, her eyes shining with humor, he didn’t mind. “There’s not enough nature up this high.”

She looked around them, her gaze tracing over the city skyline. “True.” Her laughter was nearly gone, her face softening into a more wistful expression. “And where you live?”

The question was genuine, but he knew she was trying to discover more about him. He was happy to oblige. “A building not far from here.” He set his hand on the balcony and turned to face her. “When this is all over, I’ll bring you there to see it.” Salvatore gestured to the sky above their heads. “The trees are tall enough that I can barely touch the bottom branches.”

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