Page 31 of Broken Prince

“Why? Do you have better things to do?”

I shrugged. Spending too much time with her wouldn’t be good for her or me. She managed to make me feel so much in such a little amount of time.

I couldn’t get deeper with this girl. She was forbidden for so many reasons, one of them being that she was perfect, pure, kind. She came from hell; she didn’t deserve to go back in.

“So you’re staying?” I asked, still turned toward the garden. It was easier for me to sound professional when I kept my back to her.

Her beautiful eyes, freckles, and sweet face had a tendency to make me forget how much I deserved my penance.

“I am,” she replied carefully, probably noticing the change in my tone. “One more condition though.”

I sighed. “This is not a negotiation.”

“Of course it is.”

“What do you want?” I replied a little more gruffly than I intended.

“I want you to help me at least twice in the garden, and if it’s not your thing, I won’t ask again.”

“That’s it?” I could maybe offer something else, maybe a dinner in the confines of the library.

“And a TV. I miss Netflix.”

I had to laugh at that, it was so unexpected.

“Done,” I replied before realizing I’d agreed to everything including the garden work.

“Very well. I’ll see you later, Mr. Montanari.”

“Call me Luca,” I said, somehow mortified I did so. What the fuck?

I turned around, looking at her with wide eyes. She had to be a sorceress; there was no other way.

I eyed her through narrow eyes. I barely knew this girl. She’d been here three weeks. Was I just that lonely that—

She smiled so brightly that I didn't have it in me to tell her I changed my mind.

“Very well, Luca. I’ll see you soon.” She swirled around and left before I had a chance to say anything stupid and ruin the progress we’d just made. Smart girl.

I shook my head. Cassandra West was a force to be reckoned with and part of me just wanted to surrender to her purity before I risked tainting her with my darkness.

Chapter Ten

CASSIE

I stood by the bed of flowers, looking down at all the bulbs I needed to plant. I might have gone overboard with my order, but I had hoped for Luca’s help but while he did good on his TV promise and I came back from my visit with my brother yesterday to a gigantic flat screen mounted on the wall across my bed with a Post-it on it with Netflix logins, he still had to make good on his promise of helping me with the garden.

I looked at my watch once more and sighed. Luca was twenty minutes late now. He was not coming, I could always ask Dom to help, but it didn’t feel right somehow.

I knelt, reaching for the first bunch of red tulips when I saw him exit the house by the back door, all dressed in black.

I leaned back on my knees, waiting for him to reach me. I couldn’t deny that, despite everything, that man was a force of nature—well over six foot, wide, and exuding power. He was wearing black jeans, combat boots, and a black hoodie with the hood down.

My eyes trailed up to his face and the perpetual scowl he was sporting. He was tilting his head slightly to the side, and I suspected it was a subconscious way to hide the scarred side of his face.

Something I hoped he would stop doing once he knew me and how irrelevant his scars were to me.

He stopped in front of the flower bed, looking down at me, clearly annoyed with being here but he’d agreed.

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