Page 93 of The Deal

“Not even in the same universe is that remotely comparable,” I retort, raising an eyebrow. “And let’s be clear … I drove you back to my lair in comfort; no dragging was involved.”

“Metaphorically, I was dragged kicking and screaming.”

“We travelled in complete silence,bella.”

“I can promise you, my mind was anything but silent,” she grumbles, sitting up and snatching her pillow. For a brief moment, I think she’s about to start a pillow fight—which I’mdefinitelydown for—but instead, she begins to rise from the bed, so I quickly reach out and grab her arm.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I ask.

“To sleep in Giovanni’s room.”

“I don’t think so,cuore mio,” I say, tugging her back onto the mattress. “After that stunt you pulled tonight, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

I wake with a boner and a smile on my face. Chloe is wrapped in my arms despite her constant effort to build a wall between us last night. It rivalled the one on the United States and Mexico border. A fortress of pillows and blankets, which I sat back and watched her painstakingly construct, only to knock it down time and time again.

I’m pretty sure by the end, she was ready to knock me the fuck out, but eventually, she gave up, shimmying to the very edge of the mattress and falling asleep. That’s when I dragged her back to the centre and held her tightly against me for the rest of the night.

I can deal with her anger; it’s the tears that cut me to the bone.

I’m not sure if we are still in danger from the Mortelli gang, but we are heading back to Sydney after breakfast nevertheless. Dante is being moved to the Royal North Shore Hospital later today, so I want to be there for him when he arrives.

Angelina will be coming with us; she has nowhere else to go. She’s just as much a victim in this mess as her daughter, and I can only hope Chloe will realise that in time. Regardless, I refuse to turn my back on her in the interim.

She may not have been romantically involved with my father—he had a harem of beautiful women on the side to fulfil his needs—but he did come to care for Lina, as he affectionately called her, in the years she spent at his house. In a way, I think she cared for him too. I don’t doubt she missed her family every day. She simply accepted her fate and made the best of a bad situation.

I slide out of bed, careful not to wake Chloe, and head to the bathroom. I wash my hands, clean my teeth, and run a brush through my thick hair.

As I go to exit, I glance at the bathtub. Chloe will have trouble standing on her injured feet, so if I can coax her intothe bath, I’ll at least be able to dress her wounds properly once she’s out. Leaning over, I turn on the taps and head back into the bedroom.

“What are you doing?” Chloe asks in a sleepy whisper as I lift her into my arms, bridal style, and carry her into the bathroom.

“I ran you a bath since I doubt you’ll be able to stand on those feet for too long.”

I sit her on the edge of the tub. “Lift up,” I say, reaching for the hem of the sundress she slept in last night.

Still caught in her sleepy haze and forgetting she hates me, she does as she’s told.

It’s only after I’ve removed it that she snaps out of her daze, covering her bra-clad chest with her arms and narrowing her eyes at me. “Get out,” she growls.

“I don’t think so,cuore mio; it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

“Or will again,” she retorts.

I glance down at her and smile, the tip of my knuckle grazing the side of her face.

I will not only have her again, but I’m going to marry this woman one day. I’d bet my life on it.

I decided to give her the space she was asking for, within reason, of course. I agreed to stand outside the door on two conditions: first, the bathroom door remained open; second, she tossed me the rest of her clothes.

There was no guarantee she wouldn’t try to escape naked, but it was a risk I was willing to take. She jumped from a two-storey fucking window to get away from me in the past, so I wouldn’t put anything past her.

Once she’s bathed and dressed, I tend to her feet andwrap them in bandages. Despite her protests, when I’m done, I carry her out to the kitchen, where we find Giovanni sitting at the breakfast bar and Angelina standing in front of the stovetop.

“Morning, Daddy … Chlo.”

I gently place Chloe down on one of the stools and ruffle my son’s hair. “Morning, buddy.”

“Nonna Lina is making me Mickey Mouse pancakes.”Nonna Lina?That escalated quickly. He’s known this woman all of five minutes. “She said they used to be your favourite when you were little like me, Chlo. Is that true?”

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