Page 16 of She Belongs to Me

Which drew my attention to his lips. They were full, cherry red, and kissable. That forced me to look away.

“We’ll see. For now, just enjoy the time. I’ve already put in a call to the university administrator about your exams.”

He followed through. I was shocked he’d gone to the trouble. “Thank you.”

“I know that’s important to you and something will be worked out.”

Will.

He issued the single word as if no one would ever defy him under any circumstances.

“Where shall I meet you?” I asked, trying my best to break the tension between us. Too bad it couldn’t cut through the heavy jolts of electricity. I’d heard that existed, at least in romance novels, but learning it was true could possibly shatter everything I believed in about passion and love.

I’d certainly gone off a deep end at this point, but my mind was whirling with thoughts, fear still there just below the surface.

“You’ll catch a whiff of the bacon and sausage. Jasmine is an incredible chef.”

I wanted to ask how many people worked for him, but I certainly didn’t want to insult him. He owned a jet. He had burly men at his disposal. I’d seen more than one weapon. The man might just be as dangerous as this Greek he mentioned.

“Okay. I’ll change into something. I didn’t bring anything… formal. I just tossed clothes into my duffle bag.”

“After risking your life by heading to the condo where you lived with your roommate, Sherry. Which we’re going to talk about after breakfast. There are rules here as there are in any organization. They are required to be followed. That is something else we will discuss later. However, at this point you need time to decompress and accept you are safe.”

His tone was once again stern. He knew about Sherry. What else did he know?

I continued to tell myself my life had been completely disrupted. Of course I was grateful that he’d dropped everything, coming to my rescue. I was amazed he had and there was no way I could repay him adequately, but the twinge of anger and guilt, frustration and hatred of all things evil prevented me from thinking entirely rationally. That would change. I was a big girl. My father had been murdered inside a church, for God’s sake. I understood violence and bad people. It was just that I’d strived my entire life to live differently.

He was studying me, waiting for some nasty girl retort. I honestly had none. I’d yet to get my bearings, other than knowing I was in a place akin to heaven. “Understood.”

“Good. If you need anything, I’ll get it for you. Just be yourself. You’ll be able to enjoy the grounds and all they have to offer, but know there will be guards surrounding you.” He finally stood and at the sight of him, carved muscles highlighted by the tightness of his shirt, I had to suck in my breath.

This was going to be incredibly difficult.

I hugged the towel closer, a stupid and very fleeting thought of ‘accidentally’ letting it drop suddenly appearing in my mind. Was I nuts? I had to be out of it. I clutched the soft terry more tightly around me, praying he’d leave soon. There was nothing more vulnerable than being naked wearing a towel in front of a man you barely knew.

Did he honestly think I’d try to run away? I had no idea how we’d gotten here, other than fleeting views in the dark. I didn’t have a passport so there was nowhere I could go. I guess certain rules didn’t apply to a man like my godfather.

The sound of his boots thumping against the ornate tile floor made me jumpy for no other reason than another reminder I was far away from home. There was a fluffy oversized rug under the bed, but the rest of the floor was created in a Mediterranean design. I would guess the rest of the house was that way.

When he was gone, closing the door behind him, I took a deep breath before slumping against the dresser. This wasn’t just going to be difficult. Living here with him was going to be the most intrusive, powerless situation I’d ever been in in my life.

Great.

Realizing I’d been so crazed I’d brought crappy clothes with me that barely matched was also debilitating. Yes, it was a stupid thought, perhaps the worst I’d had since the incident. Now that was what I was calling it? I guess I needed to put it into some kind of perspective in my mind.

At least the khaki cargo shorts never seemed to wrinkle and the red tee shirt was clean and more of a Henley style with three buttons. It was decent. Nothing more. I owned—correction, had owned—two dresses. When you spent most of your time in school or in a lab, you certainly weren’t going to get dressed up. They’d not been a choice when I’d tossed things into the bag. Too bad. If my godfather was going to have me going anywhere formal, he would need to buy me some clothes.

As I walked downstairs, I realized how ridiculous I sounded. I was twenty-five years old, determined to create and maintain a life of my own. Yes, I’d been eternally grateful for the help he’d provided, including to my aunt, but I’d never planned on relying on his wealth and generosity for the rest of my life. That just wasn’t me.

Almost instantly as I reached the bottom floor, the scent of everything breakfast assaulted my senses. My mouth watered, my stomach grumbled, and my eyes even watered. I easily found the dining room, a beautiful location overlooking the grounds and a better view of the pool. It wasn’t as stuffy as I’d expected, but the table could seat ten if you were having a formal dinner party.

However, there were two place settings, one at the head of the table, and one overlooking the gorgeous outdoors. And there were mounds of food steaming underneath silver domes. There was a container of orange juice, another juice that I couldn’t distinguish, and coffee. God love the smell of coffee. I’d thrived on coffee for years. I thought I might have just died and gone to heaven.

“Please, sit,” Nico said as he did so himself. Somehow even in less formal clothes, he looked no less formidable. Not that it changed who he was. I had so many questions, not only about the Greek mafia but about him. Who was he really? What business was he in? I could guess and my aunt had speculated and not in a good way.

While she’d been grateful for his assistance, that didn’t mean her stout Catholic beliefs had abated. She’d condemned him like any other criminal, even blaming him and his affiliation with evil for the death of my father. I’d grown to tolerate her tirades over the years. There’d been no sense in arguing with her.

My cousin thought the entire situation was cool, benefitting from Nico’s generosity. It was funny how life was altered on a dime.

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