Page 164 of My Sweetest Temptation

My body relaxed when I opened the door and got a whiff of her floral bodywash. I quietly shut the door so I wouldn’t wake her and watched her for a minute. I had never felt panic like I had tonight when the shooting started. For a split second, I saw what my life would be like without Winter.

I kept feelings and love out of my heart for the longest time until Winter entered my life. The girl had me twisted from all angles. I didn’t know which way to turn because no matter which route I took, it all led me back to her, and there was nowhere else I’d rather end up.

I had to get back to dealing with the shootout, but I needed to hold my angel. I needed her warmth and her light to bring me up from the hell I had just been through.

I sat beside Winter and watched her shallow breaths and took in the worry lines across her forehead. I gently caressed them, wishing I had the power to ease all her worries.

Her eyes fluttered open, and when our gazes connected, tears filled her eyes. She leaped into my arms. I pulled her closer, burying my face in her neck, and inhaling her scent to calm my nerves.

"I was so worried," she cried in a whisper. She wrapped her little arms around my neck and squeezed me as if afraid I'd leave.

"Me too. But I'm so happy you made it out safely."

When she pulled back, her beautiful eyes were red and swollen. I wiped the tears away with the pad of my thumb.

"Is everyone else okay?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Yeah, baby," I reassured her and offered her a small smile, grateful she was in my arms.

"What now?" she asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Just know that it will be dealt with. But I need you to be safe. Stay at my house unless you're with me. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded with a sleepy smile. "Yes."

"Good." I leaned in and kissed her lips once and then a second time. "I need to handle some business," I said over her cupid’s bow lips. "Get some sleep."

She stood up and gave me one more hug, and I savored her warmth and love for me. She stood on her tiptoes, grabbed my face, and pulled me down for a deep kiss. Our tongues tangled, and I pulled her petite frame closer to me.

We pulled apart, breathless, and laid our foreheads against one another. "I love you, Nico."

"I love you, Winter."

After tucking her back into bed, I left the room and closed the door.

At the bottom of the staircase, I spotted the guard and motioned for him to look after Winter. He nodded and left in that direction.

I returned to the office, my uncle sitting on the leather couch with his head back, holding an ice pack. Matteo, Luca, and Lo sat in the chairs in front of my desk with worried and tired expressions.

Enzo and Miguel stood near the doors, looking as beat as the rest of us.

I sat at my desk and took in the tension in the room.

"How many dead?" my uncle asked in a deep, tired tone.

"Twelve, including the four gunmen," Enzo responded.

"Do we even know who they were?" Matteo asked.

I shook my head. "No."

The men had looked like deadbeat druggies, looking to make quick cash for a fix, not realizing they weren't going to make it out of the restaurant alive. That was why I thought the Puppet Master sent them, because it was just another way for him to keep his identity hidden by not using his own men who could be linked to him.

A phone started ringing. Everyone in the room checked their phones, but it was none of ours. Lo followed the sound to the bookshelf and pulled out a black phone from behind a figurine. I realized it was a burner phone when he held it up.

"Where did that come from?" I asked him, suddenly on alert.

Matteo muttered a curse under his breath.

---