Page 24 of My Casanova

I glanced around. Yeah, it was small, but who really cared? As long as Dani liked it, that was all that mattered. “I’ve only got a bedroom, angel. You’re doing better than me.”

She squinted up at me. “You rent a bedroom?”

I carried her over to the couch and gently set her down. “I live at the clubhouse. The only space that’s really mine is my bedroom. It’s about the size of your living room.”

Dani looked around her living room like she was seeing it for the first time. “Where do you go to the bathroom?”

I chuckled and ran a hand through my hair. “I also have a bathroom.”

She shrugged. “Then I think you’re fine. The more space you have, the more junk you buy.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, angel.”

She flopped back against the couch cushions. “You didn’t, by chance, order a pizza to be delivered here, did you?”

I shook my head and pulled out my phone. “I didn’t, but that can be easily remedied.”

“Order from Mario’s,” she mumbled and waved her hand in the air. “Thin crust, garlic sauce, pesto, mozzarella, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, sausage, and balsamic glaze drizzle.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Am I supposed to remember all of that?”

She snuggled into one of the couch pillows. “Just tell them you’re ordering for Dani. They’ll know what to bring.” She yawned. “I’m going to take a nap. Just for a minute.”

I grabbed the blanket draped over the recliner and tucked it around her. She let out a content sigh and curled up like a cat. Within ten seconds, soft snores filled the room.

“You’re also a sleepy drunk,” I whispered and watched her with a small smile.

Something about Dani drew me in. She was funny, smart, and easy on the eyes. It was pretty simple to see why I was so attracted to her. She had this effortless charm, the kind that made you want to stick around just to hear what she’d say next.

I stepped back and made my way into the kitchen and dialed Mario’s. “Hey, I need to order a pizza. A fancy one for Dani.” I rattled off her address.

“Dani?” the guy on the other end chuckled. “Got it. You want the usual?”

“Yeah. And add a plain sausage one too, in case all that fancy shit isn’t my style.”

They said they would have it over soon, and I hung up. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went into the bathroom. I rummaged through the cabinets until I found a bottle of aspirin. She was going to need it when she woke up, or tomorrow was going to be rough.

I headed back to the living room and settled into the recliner across from the couch.

I watched her sleep.

Her breathing was soft and even.

This wasn’t how I thought my day was going to go, but I wasn’t upset with the way it ended. Being here, with Dani snoring under a blanket and waiting for pizza, felt oddly right.

Chapter Nine

Dani

I woke up to the crushing weight of a pounding headache that made me groan into the couch cushions. My face was smushed into the rough fabric, and I could feel the scratchy pillow wedged over my head like some kind of shade against the world. Every breath sent a fresh wave of pain through my skull, and my mouth tasted like a vineyard had died in it.

“Uh, I am never drinking again,” I mumbled into the couch.

A low, familiar chuckle floated through the room. “That might be kind of hard to do, seeing as you own a wine shop, angel.”

I froze, and my entire body seized.

Smoke.

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