Page 38 of Her UnBearable Protector

What could she say to that?

Nothing.

“But,” she swallowed and struggled to find the right words, “the man who attacked me is dead. There isn’t any danger left. The letters have stopped coming. No more threats!” She held onto the hope in her words. “Salvatore’s just making sure, following through on a promise. The show is tomorrow. Once that’s over. Once there isn’t a problem, then he won’t be in any danger because of me.”

“Falling in love with you is enough of a danger, but you’re a disaster to watch. You’re too independent, too impulsive.”

She wanted to laugh at him. Impulsive definitely wasn’t something people would normally say about her, but since she’d met Salvatore, she’d changed.

“If we had more time,” he looked her over from head to toe, “I could have taught you something.” He considered her again, his jaw muscle ticking under his skin at the edge of his beard. “You wouldn’t be so helpless.”

She pressed her lips together in a pale line, her pride had been dinged by the matter-of-fact comment, a throw away statement that had hit home with precision. “I don’t want to be helpless. No one,” she bit at him with her tone, “wants to be helpless!”

“Is that right?”

She absorbed his tone, examined the smirk on his face and hoped he wasn’t just like the others.

“You’re enjoying this.” It wasn’t a question, it was a fact. “You’re just teasing me. You don’t think I could help. You don’t think I can take care of myself. Well, I can!”

He stared back at her with obvious disbelief in his eyes. “You nearly got yourself killed because you couldn’t listen.”

She reared back as if he’d hit her.

Natale opened her mouth to speak and then stopped, mulling over her words. She didn’t like what she found.

“I was going to give you an excuse,” she told him and saw his answering look. He wasn’t going to argue. “But you’re right.” Shaking her head, she backed up until she felt the wall at her back, leaning on it for support. “I didn’t take it seriously and my cousin said she needed help. This was supposed to be her chance, you know? The business only had enough money, enough manpower to support one show. My father chose to support my Bellezza line.”

He’d moved closer, something she hadn’t noticed until that moment. “Why?”

She felt the corner of her mouth tug, giving him half a grin. “Because he saw what I did, a world that has more than one kind of beauty in it. A world that needed to see that everyone can feel as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside. The Bellezza line makes clothes for short-waisted women, for women with curves, for all kinds of shapes. We make clothes to fit them instead of demanding that women fit our clothes.”

Uberto nodded, his eyes shrewdly assessing her. “You don’t back down, do you?”

She shook her head. “Not when I believe in something as much as Bellezza.”

Another nod. “And when it comes to keeping yourself alive?”

His tone wasn’t mean. It wasn’t cruel. It just was.

“I want to live, Uberto.” She blinked back sudden tears. “I want to live.”

He crossed the room, his broad shoulders and seemingly compact strength almost filling up the space. His movements held purpose and when he stopped, she saw what that purpose was. Reaching into the duffle bag that he’d brought with him, he took out a small hard case and set it on the table in the entryway. Looking back at her, he crooked his finger and gave her a smug grin. “Well, come over here. ‘Tore will be back here soon and he’s not going to want me around once he returns.”

She tried not to blush over the idea, lifting her chin as she started to walk. “To be honest? I won’t want you to stay around, either.”

He rolled his eyes and met her curious gaze with dark glassy eyes. “Let’s get started.”

* * *

When Salvatore returned, Valerio remained in the car, but it was still a rush of energy as Uberto gathered his things and Salvatore covered all the salient points of their walkthrough at the fashion show venue. Natale was left sitting on the couch, watching the whirlwind as it spun around her. When it was over and Uberto closed the door behind him with a none-too-subtle click, she let out a breath. “Wow.”

Salvatore turned to look at her and she stopped short, her lungs frozen, her eyes wide. His eyes were focused on her like he was ready to pounce. She felt like prey. Like he could tear her to pieces and she’d beg him to do it again. Or at least her clothes.

“Get up.”

She felt dizzy even though she was still sitting down.

And when he reached out, she put her hand in his and let him pull her up from the couch. It was only a few stumbling steps before he lifted her up with a growl and covered her mouth with his. The taste of his lips was quickly replaced with his tongue and she opened her mouth, inviting him in.

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