Page 47 of Temptation and Tyranny

Allegra moved on from her pasta to the tiramisu, and I watched her lick her lips, my head instantly going to a dirty place. It seemed to take her forever to finish it, and at one point I wondered if she’d been doing it on purpose. When she was finally done, I walked over to my closet and pulled out a first aid kit. My leg was feeling a bit better, but I knew that it would be sore in the morning.

Returning to the couch, I sat down and looked at Allegra. She sighed, removing the flat black shoes she had on. I gave her a glare, and she seemed to understand without me having to say anything, which I appreciated. She put both feet on my lap.

Anger raged through me again as I looked at her soles. She’d obviously run hard and fast for an extensive period of time. The skin was scraped and raw, and I could see the marks where gravel had dug into her heels.

“God, sweetheart.” I pressed a soft kiss on her insole. “I’m so sorry.”

I looked up at her, and her facial expression was hard to read. For a second, I thought she was going to make some kind of smart-ass remark, but instead, she looked at me, her eyes blinking rapidly, as if she had some great puzzle before her that she was trying to piece together.

“My turn to put you back together, huh?” I murmured. As soon as I said it, I felt the air change, heavy with the implication of the words hanging. The silence stretched on, and I cleared my throat. I got to work, cleaning the scrapes and bandaging her feet. Then, before she could protest, I scooped her up, carrying her towards the back of the building. My leg hurt, but I tried not to limp, not wanting to her feel even worse than she did.

We entered the deepest part of my room, and she tensed.

“Don’t worry, baby. You’re just going to sleep here tonight. I’m going to sleep on the couch.” I laid her down carefully on my bed, surprise etched in her soft features.

I marveled at my own restraint. If she had asked me, I would have stripped her naked in seconds and worked my way inside of her. My resolve wasn’t that strong, and I wasn’t that good of a man. But she kept quiet, just looking at me with those hauntingly beautiful eyes of hers.

A movement from behind startled me, and I nearly grabbed for my gun in the nightstand, but it was just her cat. Bianca jumped on my bed, curling herself next to Allegra. Shaking my head, I mentally reminded myself to have Mario buy me some new sheets tomorrow. I rummaged through my dresser drawer, pulling out one of my tee-shirts and tossed it to her. “Something to sleep in,” I said. She reached for the shirt, her fingers playing with the fabric absentmindedly.

I turned to leave, but before I made my way out, I heard her whisper, “Thank you, Cooper.”

Chapter Sixteen

Allegra

I laid in the dark on Cooper’s satin sheets, trying to make sense of what had happened in the past twenty-four hours. My mind was racing, and I was having trouble keeping up with all of these new developments. Bianca kneaded the sheets next to me, her claws catching on the satin, most likely snagging it. But, since I wasn’t here by choice, I refused to feel bad for it.

It was Cooper’s fault I was in this mess.

But even as the thought crossed through my mind, I wondered if there was any chance that my father could be involved. It was odd that he was in Paris since the bulk of his operations were in Milan, but I hadn’t given it too much thought, considering it just a strange coincidence.

Should I tell Cooper?

My gut turned as I envisioned telling him that I was a giant hypocrite and was the offspring of a man who was a vicious, cruel dictator. My father granted no mercy, took no prisoners, and left nothing but despair in his wake. I knew that he’d been involved with drugs, weapons, and even orchestrated large hits on entire factions of what he considered to be his competitors. But my father operated in plain sight, so this type of stealthy attack, having me followed, wasn’t his signature.

It was easy to convince myself that this was entirely Cooper’s dealing. Besides, I’d been living in relative peace, Tomas aside, for years now. There would be no reason for me to get wrapped up in any type of underground dealings that my father commanded.

I continued to toss and turn in Cooper’s room, lying in his sheets. I could only imagine the sheer volume of women who had come before me (literally and figuratively.) Beautiful women that Cooper had seduced and screwed all night. Suddenly the thought made me ill, and I ran to the bathroom, feeling the buildup of sweat along my hairline.

“Allegra?”

Cooper stood in the bathroom doorway, looking at me with heavy eyes. The top floor of his building was basically an entire bedroom suite, but the actual bed was directly against the wall on the far-right side, with a wall preventing direct viewing access to the bed. The wall stopped on each side, creating a walkway on each side of the alcove. The bathroom was just off of the sleeping area.

“Are you okay?” He watched me as I fiddled with the copper tabs on the faucet, letting the water get cool. I dipped my hand in, then placed some of the cold water on the back of my neck.

“I’m fine, it’s just been a long day.”

He nodded, his sweatpants low on his hips. His shirt was gone, and he was barefoot. There was a five o’clock shadow on his face, and somehow that made him even more handsome. He wasn’t one to dress up, and aside from the event supporting the hospital, I hadn’t seen him in anything but jeans or athletic apparel. He had looked dashing in his tuxedo that night,but I found I preferred him like this. Cooper wasn’t the type of man who needed to wear a power suit; he exuded control and confidence in whatever he wore, simply by manipulating the handsome features that made up his face.

“Do you want a drink? Maybe something to take the edge off? Scotch? Wine?” He looked awkward, leaning against the door of his own bathroom, watching me with those observant eyes.

“That might not be a bad idea,” I conceded, knowing that I was so wound up that sleep wouldn’t come easily. Cooper motioned for me to follow him, and I made my way out of his bedroom space and back out to the living area. He had a small bar in the corner, along with a refrigerator and a sink. Standing behind the bar, he looked at me.

“So, what’ll it be?”

“Red wine, if you have it.”

He smirked. “I have everything.”

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