Page 25 of My Cowboy Bodyguard

“Yes. Make me take you.”

His eyes darken. “How?”

I lick my lips, then suck on my finger.

“Stop that, honey. I need the king to go down before the class so I can concentrate.”

“While you teach, I’ll wait in your office for you, then.”

“It’ll be the shortest class I’ve ever taught.”

I laugh. I’ve never felt free or adventurous, but I want that with him. I want to make him as hungry for me as I am for him. I want him to love me as much as I love him.

That thought floors me, leaving me staring at him, unable to speak or move.

Girl, you’re too dumb for anyone to love you. Why do you think you were abandoned here?

“Amanda?”

I make myself smile like the words from a staff member at the Home weren’t just in my head verbally smacking me.

I’m unlovable. I know that. Leo’s never said he loves me and I can’t expect him to. Can’t hope for that. But he wants me so that’ll be good enough. I’ll make it so.

Leo

Something’s off with Amanda. She gave me a fake-ass smile at the bookstore and then kept saying everything was fine.

I’m at the door of the classroom as the women leave. I can’t close the door after them fast enough and then I rush to the back where Amanda waits for me.

My office is a small, windowless room with only enough space for a desk. There’s no way anyone could break in. Otherwise, I would have kept her with me for the duration. Still, I’m anxious to see her because my biggest fear other than when I was afraid I’d never find her is that I’ll lose her.

When I reach the office, Amanda looks up from her phone. “All done?”

“All done.”

She comes around to take a fistful of my shirt. “Then let me take care of you.”

I cover her fist with my hand. “Maybe in a bit.” I want her physically but right now, I want to know what’s going on with her heart. I lift her and sit her on the desk. “I have some questions.”

Her fingers splay across my stomach, making my cock stir. “Hmm?”

“I want to know about the situation you’re trying to deal with.”

Her face pales. “Why?”

“Because I’m not going to stand around and wait for someone to show up and attempt to hurt you. I’m going to end it first.”

“You can’t, Leo. It’s the mafia.”

I’ve dealt with worse protecting others, but I don’t tell her that. “I want to know,” I say again.

She draws in a deep breath, then says reluctantly, “When I lived in Dallas, I worked at Bella Vita. I thought was a family-owned bar. I didn’t know that it was a front for laundering money for the mafia.”

Amanda starts shaking and I climb onto the desk, sitting behind her and pulling her into the security of my arms. Resting my chin on her shoulder, I say, “Go on.”

Her body relaxes against mine. “The place was raided right after a lot of money went missing and one of the bartenders lied and she said that I stole the money. I heard her say that I turned informant against the family.”

“They believed her?”

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