Page 13 of Aching for His Discretion

Which is why I’ve been trying to ignore her. If not, I wouldn’t be able to stay away. I would try to change myself to fit the man she could want. I would become entirely pussy-whipped…if I’m not already. I had one taste, and now I feel like an addict.Just fucking perfect.

And God, was she an innocent little thing. So concerned about everyone and everything around her. So loving and caring from what I could tell… she even cared about her neighbor, who was so drugged up most of the day that he didn’t even know his own name at times.

And still, she cared about him moving and his bruises and even thought of me as a good person for helping him… Little did she know he was actually paying for his debts and is nowdead.

I didn’t care that he was, but if my Tesoro found out it was me who killed him, I don’t think I’d ever be able to forgive myself. Despite the fact that I’d kill anyone to make her happy… even that fucking doctor who made her cry the other day.

And she was so damn beautiful. It pissed me off that other men would have no trouble looking at or speaking to her. She had no idea how fucking adorable and sexy she was. Any man could take advantage of her,including myself.

Which is why I had to stay away. I was losing control and starting to not trust myself around her.

But when I saw the missed text I received from her while I was in the shower, I ignored everything I’d just mentioned and read the message eagerly.

Tesoro: Hi, Mr. Amante. It’s been a few days since we’ve talked, and I don’t want things to be weird between us. If you want, we can just sweep this under the rug. Grayson misses you, and I don’t want to losea new friend over something that was probably a mistake. Hope to hear from you soon!

I threw the phone to the side in annoyance as I finished getting dressed. A new friend. Do friends imagine other friends whimpering and pleading for a release, or do they imagine degrading them and praising them while they’re being fucked relentlessly?Didn’t think so. So, I decided to do the opposite of what I truly wanted to do. I ignored her and pushed her away from me, which would probably be for the best.

After getting dressed for the day, I made my way downstairs, only to hear my front door being opened.

“Capo,” I heard one of my right-hand men, Elliot, call. He was a good friend of mine from my childhood years, and I trained with him as well. He was covered in tattoos, around the same height as me, and worked out like a madman.

“Elliot. What brings you by...” I muttered.

He remained stoic. “Same stupid shit as usual. College kids are filling up your bars and clubs every evening, and some of the guys aren’t happy about it. It’s become a hazard with the Russians coming in for their occasional meetings, and we don’t know when there may be a shootout or potential bloodbath.”

I shrugged as I took a sip of my water. It was a typical thing we often dealt with, college kids trying to get into the club. Unfortunately, the clubbing aspect was secondary as business deals and exchanges took priority.

“Find a way to take care of it… the last thing I need is the police trying to take whatever money they can from me to satisfy the entitled parents of those kids,” I muttered, and he nodded.

“Also, we dropped the thief’s body off at some hospital. Kind of fucked up to cut his arm off and let him watch it bleed out... even for a sadistic fucker like you,” Elliot said, though I knew he found a bit of joy in it too.

“Think of it as a stress reliever.” I shrugged again, leaning against the wall.

“Where did you even get the idea to use that kind of drug?” he asked, and I remained silent as the image of my sweet Tesoro filled my mind once again.

Shaking my thoughts away, I spoke nonchalantly. “Someone told me about it.”

He didn’t say anything in reply, and I tilted my head slightly as I continued, “What hospital did you dump the body at?”

“Goldriver General Hospital. Why?” he asked.

I did my best to breathe evenly as Teegan’s current hospital she was rotating in came out of his mouth.They won’t find anything… and she won’t find anything.All this was simply a coincidence. Besides, I was planning on putting some distance between us anyway… for both of our sake.

“No reason at all,” I muttered, placing the glass in the sink and leaving my home with him following me.

Teegan

Hi, Mr. Amante. It’s been a few days since we’ve talked, and I don’t want things to be weird between us. If you want, we can just sweep this under the rug. Grayson misses you, and I don’twant to lose a new friend over something that was probably a mistake. Hope to hear from you soon!

Mr. Amante: No.

I felt slightly sad as I read his message. I thought we were getting along nicely and had a bit of a connection… maybe I came on too strong, but he kissed me. Obviously, friends don’t kiss. Maybe in his mind, they do? Does he not want to be my friend? Is that why he said no?

I pouted, placing my phone down and leaning my head back as I sat in the library. I was supposed to be studying, but here I was, making a big fuss over a guy who I hadn’t even known for a long time.And who I’m starting to grow a liking to.Gosh… I just need to focus. I should not be worried about guys or kisses…no matter how good he smells.

Beverly walked over to my table and took a seat with her coffee. “Are you ready for Alec’s party next week?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t really know if I should go, Bevs.”

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