Page 9 of Taming Mika

He’s my boss. Myengagedboss, no less. There’s nothing remotely appealing about the situation—or at least, there shouldn’t be. Yet I can’t shake the way my breath hitched when his lips were close enough to graze mine, the magnetic tension that crackled between us. It was—intoxicating. Dangerous. And wholly unprofessional.

Unbidden, a sharp exhale escapes me, startling Fate. She shifts, lifting her head, and I soothe her with a gentle stroke to her neck. “Sorry, girl,” I whisper. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Still, the thoughts won’t stop spiraling. I don’t want to want him—not his pretentiousness, his power, or the deadly confidence in his dark eyes. Most of all, I don’t want to deal with what feels like an inevitable implosion if I let this go any further.

And yet, the danger only deepens.

Francisco’s hushed voice drifts down the aisle as he approaches the grooming station beside Fate’s stall, his Spanish barely audible over the clatter of hooves on concrete. “—don’t want to get on his bad side.”

The low warning pricks at my attention. My grooming slows, and I hold my breath, straining to hear.

“Why not?” Alex’s voice carries back, equally cautious.

I don’t need to guess who they’re talking about. Alfie Bonetti’s name has been on everyone’s lips since he showed up, larger than life and twice as intimidating.

Francisco lowers his voice further, but the tension in his tone sharpens. “My cousin said he’s bad news. The Bonettis aren’t just a hotshot family from New York—they’retheFamily. And our new bossman? He’s the don himself. They say he’s ruthless. Lupe says he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants.”

A chill slices through me.

Alex’s nervous whisper follows. “Ruthless, how?”

Francisco hesitates, then drops the answer like a grenade. “Rumor is, he wiped out an entire family because the man wouldn’t sell his shop. They just… disappeared. Then he got the business for dirt cheap at auction.”

My blood turns to ice. My breath catches, and for a second, I forget where I am.Is that what would have happened if the Carvers hadn’t sold the farm to him?

Fate shifts under my hand again, sensing my tension, but I can’t bring myself to move. Pieces of the puzzle start falling into place—the money, the bodyguards, Alfie’s fearlessness. His dominance isn’t just swagger; it’s backed by something far more reckless.

I force myself to breathe, trying to mask my growing dread. But the sharp tap of dress shoes down the aisle snaps my focus, and my heart stutters to a stop.

Francisco and Alex immediately fall silent, the atmosphere charged with distinct fear.

“Give us the room, please, gentleman,” Alfie’s deep voice commands, calm yet unyielding.

Francisco and Alex scramble, releasing the horse they’ve been grooming and leading it out without hesitation. My pulse pounds in my ears as I catch a glimpse of one of Alfie’s bodyguards stopping in front of Fate’s stall.

“Marco. Vincent. Wait outside,” Alfie says, dismissing them too. His voice drops an octave, a quiet authority that sends a shiver down my spine.

I swallow hard, palms clammy against Fate’s coat, as the stall door creaks open behind me.

“I apologize for the interruption,” Alfie says, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation—or permission.

My breath catches as he stalks toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. It’s a power stare that tells me I have nowhere to run—even if I wanted to. And I’ll admit, I’m surprised when he doesn’t glance down to find a path that would avoid the manure. He doesn’t seem to care how dirty his designer shoes might get, or even notice if they do.

“It’s your barn,” I say curtly, fighting my urge to flee. “You have a right to take calls whenever you’d like. Besides, I can’t imagine you would want to keep yourfiancéewaiting.”

I don’t know what’s come over me. It must be my instinct to defend myself, since I have nowhere to run. Still, I shouldn’t have said that. Not only does it make me sound jealous—which I’m not—but the level of sarcasm imbued in my tone makes it perfectly clear how I feel about the matter. The last thing I should want is to get on this man’s bad side, if he’s willing to kill an entire family over a shop. Normally, I don’t take stock in barn gossip. But when you hear thatkind of secret, I don’t think it’s one to take lightly. My stomach knots as I register the smile that curls the corners of Alfie’s lips at my response. He caught the jealous undercurrent of my words, and he likes the thought. Because that would mean I want him. That it might even excuse his transgression. As far as I’m concerned, it does not.

Heart hammering against my ribs in an effort to escape, I take an involuntary step back.

He follows my movement with his gaze, tracking it like a predator watching its prey. “Let’s resume our meeting then, shall we?” he offers, but the look in his eyes says that’s not why he came to find me. He came to finish what we started before we were interrupted.

“What more is there to discuss?” I ask, continuing my cautious retreat until he has me backed against the far wall. The coarse grain of the pine wood snags on my shirt, but I don’t dare step forward to fix it.

Once again, my new boss has removed the extra space between us. I can feel the air shift around me with each of his relaxed breaths. Heat radiates off him in waves, raising fresh goosebumps across my arms and the back of my neck.

“Well, we’ve established whatyouwant out of this new business arrangement, so I think it’s time to talk about what I want,” he says, his voice low and oddly threatening for being so soft.

“What do you want, Mr. Bonetti?” I ask breathlessly, my heart lodged firmly in my throat. I think I already know. And I have no intention of giving in.

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