Page 39 of King Of Order

‘Let’s reset.Buongiorno,’ he rasped with a relaxed smile.

I blinked, gripping the countertop tighter. ‘Rio, what the hell are you doing here?’

My voice was sharp, cutting through the heavy air between us.

‘Relax,’ he said, leaning back in the chair he was catching up with an old friend. ‘I’m only making sure you don’t start your day hungry. Breakfast?’

He gestured to the table where a plate of fresh pastries sat, gleaming like they’d just come from the best bakery in Naples.

I stared at him, thrown off, a trail of goosebumps glissading over my skin.

My body thrummed with desire, and my pelvis throbbed with the memory of his scorching cock and its searing press against me moments ago.

Along with the fear, the confusion, the anger—it all swirled together until I wasn’t sure how to react.

‘You broke into my house again,’ I clipped, narrowing my eyes. ‘Now you’re offering me breakfast?’

He took another sip of his beverage, the corners of his lips twitching upward. ‘I didn’t break in. I found your back door unlocked, and to be honest, I made the coffee for both of us.’

‘My back gate was shut with a digital padlock,’ I grumbled.

‘Your hedges are too low,’ he shot back, mouth curling, eyes gleaming. ‘Sit, woman, eat.’

I glanced at the pastries again.

Croissants,sfogliatelle, all still warm.

Their buttery scent filled my nostrils, and my stomach growled involuntarily, but I wasn’t about to let that distract me.

‘I’m not interested in breakfast with a stranger,’ I snapped, stepping closer but still keeping a reasonable distance between us.

He raised an eyebrow, amused by my reaction. ‘Stranger? After all we’ve been through? You wound me.’

He placed a hand over his heart in mock offense, and despite myself, a slight twitch touched the corner of my lips.

‘Look,’ he continued. ‘I get it. You’re freaked out. Who wouldn’t be? But I’m not here to hurt you. If I were, we wouldn’t be having this charming conversation over pastries.’

I let out an exasperated sigh.

Something about his demeanor—his calmness, the way he didn’t seem phased by my aggression—took the edge off my panic.

‘You expect me to sit down and eat croissants with you after you’ve violated my privacy?’ I asked, hands on hips.

He shrugged, giving me a lopsided grin. ‘Hey, it’s Naples. This town has worse things than an unexpected breakfast guest.’

I glared at him, my annoyance slowly yielding way to something else.

The whole situation was ridiculous. I was scared out of my mind a minute ago, and now this infuriating man had somehow stilled my anxiety. I wasn’t quite calm, but neither was I terrified.

‘Fine,’ I said, conceding. ‘But if you try anything, I’ll—’

‘Hit me with the cane? Got it,’ Rio said, smiling wider. ‘Now, how do you like your coffee?’

Without waiting for my answer, he turned to pour another cup from the pot, his movements slow and deliberate.

His suave confidence irritated me almost as much as it intrigued me.

It also infuriated me that at our last encounter, he’d shown such sensual mastery, making me come, and was now acting like it’d never happened.

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