Page 30 of Twisted Knight

“Yes, but the difference is my secret won’t hurt you.”

I frowned. “I assure you, my secret won’t hurt you either. I’ll be back. I need somestuff,” I finished rather lamely. I just needed to be away from him right now; he was messing with my resolve.

“Of course they will. If they hurt you, they hurt me.”

I just stopped walking and stared at him. “What?”

“Us, they hurtus. You’re part of the family and we protect our family.” He cleared his throat. “Go get what you need. I’ll meet you at the register. I realized I need something too,” he replied quickly before turning around briskly and disappearing down the other side of the aisle.

What the hell was that? How could he not realize how his words affected me?

He’d just made this declaration and kept on going like nothing happened, like he hadn’t just admitted something that changed so many things between us. He just admitted that I mattered.

I shook my head, picked up the few things I needed, and met Dom by the registers.

I almost had to laugh at seeing him standing there in his dark suit, his arms crossed on his chest, and what seemed to be a very constant glower in his eyes.

Maybe it was the male equivalent of the bitch resting face. I needed to look into that.

But despite the air of danger and dominance coming off of him in waves, the few housewives shopping around in the daytime in their classic yoga pants and high ponytails kept throwing him looks full of lust, and that really grated me the wrong way.

What’s wrong with you, India McKenna? That man is not yours! You have no right to feel territorial.

“You’re done?” he asked when I reached him with my basket full of crap I didn't really need. I just needed a few moments to compose myself both because of my conflicting feelings for him and Jake’s call.

I nodded. “I thought you needed something too.”

He shook his head. “I changed my mind.” He reached for the basket in my hand and just the brush of his warm calloused fingers on my hand made me shiver. “Let me take care of this.”

“I’ll pay!” I said, reaching in my handbag.

He rested his hand on top of mine, the first real conscious touch between us. I looked up and saw his pupils dilate. Yes, there was no doubt I was affecting him too and he was fighting it probably even harder than I was. Why?

“I pay, don’t start,” he commanded, tightening his hold on the basket handle.

“Okay.” Did my voice sound as breathless as I heard? Lord, kill me now.

I let him take the basket and take care of everything. I waited by the door, looking at the candy store across the road as I thought of all the reasons why having an infatuation for Dom the Mafia guy was a very bad idea.

One, he clearly had issues and I was not talking about a small sports bag. No, he was clearly carrying a set of ten giant suitcases. Two, well…Mafia. That in itself should have me running in the opposite direction. Three, I ran from Calgary for a reason, and it was not to fall in the arms of a damaged, dangerous man, and four—and I could not stress this one enough—I was convinced that this man, if I let myself go, would break me beyond repair.

“I never thought the candy store was so fascinating.”

I startled back to reality to find Dom standing beside me, a brown bag in his arms.

“Cassie asked me to get her a few things. I was thinking about what to get.”

“Of course she did.” He rolled his eyes before turning around and walking slowly toward the exit. “I swear I don't know how that woman can stay so small with all the sugar she is ingesting. Don’t overthink it; just buy anything with sugar. That’s what I do.”

“Oh, you got another love note,” I joked as we reached his car and I noticed the piece of white paper stuck to his wiper.

Dom looked around, his jaws tight, his eyes like hawks trying to zoom in on their prey. “Yes, crazy soccer moms can be clingy…” He trailed off absentmindedly, still scanning the almost empty street.

I wanted to diffuse the atmosphere; I wanted the carefree Dom again. “That’s the problem when you give a good dick.”

His dark eyebrows shot up in surprise. I enjoyed that, taking him by surprise. I was not what he expected and somehow it pushed me to be myself more and more around him.

He recovered his cocky facade quite fast and let out a derisive snort. “Please, I don’t give good dick. I giveamazingdick!”

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