Page 18 of Savage Mafia King

And now, I have her all to myself, in my home for the foreseeable future. It might not be how I expected our little dalliance to play out, but hey, when things go the way they have, who am I to complain?

Chapter Eight—Isabella

Fear wakes me the next morning, and I jolt up in bed with a start.

Where the fuck am I?

I look around, trying to remember everything that brought me to this moment. I can remember waking up the night before, panicked. I can remember calling Marcus and telling him that I needed his help. And I can remember him coming to get me, and then...

Oh. Oh, right.

And then, he went down on me and made me come harder than anyone ever has in my life before. Afterward, he ordered some food for me and left me to rest up in his bed. Sprawling in his bedsheets with some Thai takeout, I felt right at home, though I wished he could have been there next to me.

But he was keeping his distance, at least then. I didn't blame him. He was likely trying to figure out what was going on with the people who broke into my penthouse. He seemed genuinely pissed when he turned up at my place, ready to take on anyone who might have caused me harm. And while I appreciate his dedication, I don't know if it's a good idea to get him involved in all of this. Maybe I should have kept it all to myself instead of spilling the truth to him, but at the same time...

At the same time, who the hell else am I going to turn to with all of this? I can't just expect it to go away on its own. The first note, maybe that would have been enough to ignore, butthe ransacking, the destruction? That came from a place of clear anger, and I'm up against a force I don't fully understand yet.

I have no idea who would have done something like this to me. Of course, it's not like I'm stupid enough to think nobody has a problem with my family or me—but this? It's another level. It's someone who is outright trying to threaten me, but I can't figure out why they would have gone so far.

I glance over to the other side of the bed, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I see Marcus sprawled there beside me. He's so handsome, so muscular now that I see him undressed. I know he used to be involved in some of the boxing that he oversees in his clubs, but I didn't expect him to look this damngoodunder all of his clothes.

I reach out and trace a finger down his spine, between his strong shoulder blades, and he shifts slightly in his sleep, his hair rustling against the pillow.

I kind of want to wake him up so the two of us can pick up where we left off, but I know I should be getting to campus. It's not far from here, so I can call a cab to pick me up and take me in. It wouldn't surprise me if some gossip has spread about Marcus and me by now, and if I can steer the direction it takes, I might be able to get a little more information on who broke into my penthouse and caused all that chaos.

I slip into a shower and change back into the dress I was wearing the day before. I feel a little heat rise to my cheeks when I slip it on, remembering the way his fingers slipped up beneath the fabric so he could taste me. He knowsjustwhat he's doing when it comes to physical intimacy, and I can't deny how much I want more. Shit, maybe the person who's been coming after meused to be with him and this is their way of trying to make me pay for distracting him.

I smirk. Yeah, I know it's not that, but he really isthatgood in bed. I can't wait to take things to the next level and see what other tricks he has up his sleeve. Something tells me that there's a whole lot more to him than I've given him credit for, and I'm looking forward to finding out just how far that goes.

I climb into the cab and head off to campus a half hour or so later, not bothering to get breakfast at his place. Even though I'm sure he'd tell me I need to eat, I don't like the thought of hanging around while he's not awake, eating his food, drinking his coffee. I'll be coming back here tonight, of course, and I'm already looking forward to seeing him again, but that doesn't mean I'm in any great rush. I want to see what's happening on campus and to find out what people are saying about the two of us.

Sure enough, as soon as I arrive at my lecture hall, I hear voices muttering my name. People are staring at me, peering at me as though trying to see what's going on inside my head. I ignore them and head to my seat, making like this is the most natural thing in the world to me.

I take notes during the lecture, and as soon as it finishes up, I text Martha to ask her to meet with me at the campus coffee shop. It's just off the quad, and I make my way down there, glancing around at everyone who's looking in my direction to see who's paying attention. I notice a couple of girls who were rushing the sorority the semester before lurking nearby, hands over their mouths as they whisper back and forth to one another, and I cock my head at them and smile.

"Is everything okay?" I ask sweetly.

Both of them nod quickly. One of them, the younger of the two, it looks like, manages to pluck up the courage to ask me something.

"Is it true you and Marcus Silva are together?" she blurts out.

I take a deep breath, then nod. My gut reaction is still to deny that with everything I have in me, but it's the truth, and I need to remember that.

"Yes, we are," I reply. "Why?"

"Oh, I just— we heard some people talking about it, that's all," the other one replies, digging her elbow into her friend's ribs.

"Who have you heard talking about it?"

"Nico Castellano." She blurts out the name and then instantly looks as though she wishes she could take it back.

Her friend winces, and I narrow my eyes at them.

"Castellano? That's his name?"

She nods, and the two of them scurry off before they can come out with anything else incriminating. The name bounces around my head, something about it pinging a note of recognition, though I'm not sure why.

When I reach the coffee shop, Martha is already there, and she waves me over. She's already ordered me my usual, a vanilla latte with a pump of hazelnut syrup on top, and she practically drags me to my seat.

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