Page 78 of Aching for His Discretion

He walked to his office, and I remained in my thoughts as I stayed silent, still eating my breakfast. I felt confused. These men, these dangerous, cruel, scary men… put me first in front of everything. They did some horrible things to people, bad people, Levi told me. But they did their best to keep me safe.

I guess one of those so called bad people wasMr. John—a man I thought I could trust. I would ask Levi what happened to him, but I was afraid to find out.

The only thing my mind truly wanted to register was that I was safe now and that Levi and the guys would doabsolutely anythingto keep it that way.

Chapter thirty-three

Teegan

Walking into Levi’s office, he sat at his desk as he spoke on the phone. He beckoned me over with two fingers as he continued speaking in Italian. I padded my way over to him and straddled his lap as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He finished up the call, and I felt content as he pulled me closer to him in the hug. He seemed tired, and I could tell he wanted to say something to me.

“I’m sorry, Tesoro…” he whispered, and I shook my head as I ran my fingers through his hair.

“It’s okay. I’ll be okay,” I replied, a bit unsure of myself, and I thought for a moment before speaking once more. “Can... can you tell me about Antonio?” I asked, and he sighed heavily. The topic seemed to be bringing his mind stress.

“My father… is the one who got me into this business. A few years ago, he turned on me and has been running ever since. Call it jealousy, hate, or envy. He didn’t enjoy the fact that I knew how to get shit done better than he ever could… My mother is blinded by the man he is; although he is abusive, she still loves him dearly. I knew someone I was close to had to be giving himsome kind of close information, and I thought I’d found him a while ago, but it turns out John wasn’t the saint we thought he was…”

“What could he have done to me if you didn’t show up?” I asked, and Levi pulled back slightly as he held my jaw in his hand.

“Not a goddamn thing. Do you want to know why, my sweet Tesoro?” he asked, and I nodded slowly as I played with the collar of his shirt.

“Because I will always be there to protect you. If not me, then the idiots in the other room, who would literally take a bullet for you in a heartbeat. Nothing will happen to you, and nothing will happen to the cat, either.”

“And what’s going to happen to Mr. John?” I asked, and he pushed a piece of my hair behind my ear.

“If I tell you, will you try to run again?” he asked, and I gulped softly.

“I don’t know…” I whispered, and he hummed as he pulled me closer and placed a kiss on my neck.

“Just know that he is going to pay for what he did to you.”

Running my hand up and down his back, I sighed. “I don’t know why I ran.”

“You were afraid, Tesoro… your fight or flight systems kicked in, and you needed to do what you thought was best at the moment.”

Laying my head on his shoulder, we remained silent for a while as we enjoyed the presence of one another.

This man was corrupting my brain. I ran because I was afraid… but I felt safe in his arms when he held me, cherished me, and adored me.

His bright red dangerous flags were blinded by my growing need to feel safe with him. It may just be the manipulative tacticshe used on me… but I felt like he was truly trying to do better, and if being honest, I could only hope that I was right.

“My pretty girl…” he whispered, and I blushed as he placed a few kisses on my shoulder and neck. He did something to me, something that made it impossible to stay away… something that made me feel like I wasn’t living if I wasn’t near him.

Was this love?

Was I falling for a man who was the definition of danger? The devil in disguise? A manipulator? A possessive man who would literally doanythingfor me?

“Tesoro?” he muttered, and I blinked a few times as I made eye contact with him.

“Where did you go, baby?” he asked, and I shook my head as I lay on his shoulder. He didn’t say anything in response, just rubbed my back softly as he returned to his work.

My racing thoughts settled as I relaxed in his hold, however, part of my mind, the one that controlled my never-ending overthinking, practically laughed at how naive and gullible I was being. I had little energy to ridicule myself for trusting Levi, so I simply relaxed in his hold even further.

Going into the cafeteria, I grabbed a premade salad and went over to a window. It had been a few days since the incident with Levi’s father and Mr. John, and I kept my mind busy with work and studying to get my mind off of it all.

As I sat down, I flinched as Beverly plopped down in front of me.

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