Page 53 of Protecting Charity

“I hate to break this to you guys, but death walks beside me every moment of my life. I’ve become close friends with him and made peace with the fact that he could turn on me at any moment—there is no denying this. You know I care about the people that it would affect. But this is who I am; there is no changing that now. Besides, I thought we had this conversation already?”

Max looked away and clenched his jaw with irritation.

“I guess what he was trying to say is we care for you and want you not to feel at peace with dying. We want you to fight as if someone’s life depends on your staying alive,” Nico said.

I hung my head, finally understanding his meaning. “I would never go down without a bone-shattering fight. Please know that I do everything in my power to come home at night.”

How did this happen? Sitting here explaining to three hardened criminals that I was more robust than they realized. If someone got the best of me, it was because they earned it. There isn’t a chance in Hell that I would lie down and take it.

“That’s all we want to hear, Charity,” Luca finally chipped in. “We want you to stay safe.”

“With you guys by my side, I’m indestructible.” I gave them all a cheery smile, wanting this conversation to be good and over with. “Now, who’s going to do my hair and makeup tonight?” I laughed. Max and Luca scattered like bugs being exposed to sunlight while Nico stayed put. “It was a joke,” I yelled at the cowards.

“I love seeing you smile,” Nico said.

“Oh, do you now?” I hopped down from my barstool and made my way over to where he was standing, grabbed his lapel, and brought our lips together in a long-overdue kiss. Goddamn, I needed this.

I had stuffed down so many feelings and anxiety so no one could see, not even myself. They spilled through and rushed over as our lips entwined. I pulled him tighter so he couldn’t escape and let him feel just how much I needed him. He had no idea how much gratitude I felt towards him for being there when I needed him most. There were no words to express how much I was truly appreciative.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me flush against his body, pressing me against every contour of his frame through his suit. It made me want to strip him from it and run my tongue across his muscles.

“If you are going to face fuck each other, go find one of the ten empty rooms, would you?” Luca said.

I tore my lips from Nico’s and glared at Luca. “Don’t you need to go shop for a new blanket or something?” I smirked, harassing him.

“Oh no, I’m going to take you shopping with me as a consequence for inviting your creature into my home.”

I shuddered at the thought of going shopping in a home decor store. Anything but that, please. “Never going to happen.”

“Never say never. We all know I can and will make you do what I want.”

My body flushed with his double entendre, and it made me want to race back up the stairs to his room and help prove him right. I placed one more passionate kiss on Nico’s lips, then turned away from them both.

I walked into the laundry room, where I stacked the cat food on the washing machine, then opened a can and waited for Cannoli to come running. I could hear his pounding paws and pathetic meowing from wherever he was in the house, rushing toward me. He bound around the corner with a slide and came to a stop at his dish full of wet food.

“Good boy, Cannoli. I’ll give you more food if you destroy his shit. Bonus points for the clothes.” I pet him atop his head, and he arched his back into my hand.

“I fucking heard that.”

Chapter 21

Luca

We should have left fifteen minutes ago. “If you don’t hurry, I’m dragging you out looking the way you are.”

I adjusted my tie in the full-length mirror while I yelled to her in the bathroom. My suit jacket sat snug against my waist when I buttoned it, just as it should be for a tailor-made piece. I positioned my blood-red pocket square just right, then fixed my cufflinks as the bathroom door opened and stunned me speechless.

The nude and black dress I had already seen her in at the store seemed to have morphed into a dress made just for her. The dress stressed her curves in all the right ways that made her luscious to anyone that dared to look. She insisted on doing her own make-up and hair, stating that whoever touched her wouldn’t have fingers by the end. That was the end of the conversation, and she has been locked in the bathroom for the last three hours, and for a good reason, it would appear.

I strode towards her, unable to keep my eyes off of her. She pulled me in, hypnotizing me with her gaze. “You look stunning,” I said while placing a hand on her waist and kissed her cheek. I was almost hesitant to touch her for fear of ruining her perfection.

The savage woman I knew as wearing only holey jeans and t-shirts stood before me, a beautiful woman that I took for granted every day. A woman I would give the world to, if she would let me.

A shy blush graced her cheeks in a look I’d never seen before. “Thank you.” She bit her plump crimson lips that had me all tied up inside, causing me to fight every fiber of my being to kiss them. She might stab me if I smeared her lipstick.

I stood staring for just a moment longer, trying to remember what I had said before she walked out. Were we discussing something? The memory flooded back, and I recalled we were fucking late. “Ready?”

“Yep.”

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