Page 24 of Ink

But I still greeted him cordially. No reason to make an enemy. “Harry.”

“This your girl?” he asked, his expression gentle when he looked at Annika.

“Mine,” I confirmed with a sharp nod.

“Got here quick,” he grunted. “Good man.”

I raised an eyebrow at Daniel, and he mouthed, “Reminds him of his granddaughter.”

“I tried to tell him I’m okay,” Annika insisted with a sigh.

Harry frowned at her. “Doesn’t matter. When a man’s woman is in trouble, he should be there for her. From the way he’s protecting you, I’d say you got yourself a decent fella, miss.”

Daniel suppressed a grin, but I wasn’t about to risk any ground I’d gained with Harry by coming off at all disrespectful.

“Thank you for watching her until I could get here,” I said with genuine gratitude.

“Of course. Now, I’d like to go over it one more time, miss. In case you think of anything else that could help us track down the reckless bastard who ran you off the road.”

By the time we finished speaking with the police, Cross had collected Annika’s Jeep, and we were left alone next to my truck.

“I don’t like it,” I muttered.

“I wouldn’t like it if you were in an accident either, Matteo. But life?—”

“No. I mean, this doesn’t feel right,” I told her as I walked her around to the passenger side. “I’m not convinced it was an accident.”

Annika eyed me with confusion as I helped her up into her seat. “What else would it be? It’s not like someone would have hit my Jeep on purpose.”

“Gonna put Wizard on it anyway,” I mumbled before slamming her door shut and stalking around to the other side of the truck. Once I’d climbed inside, I turned over the engine and pulled away from the curb. “Until we know for sure, you’re not leaving my side.”

Annika huffed. “You can’t just lock me up in your bedroom, Matteo.”

A wicked smile curled my lips. “Was that a challenge,dolcezza?”

“Um…no,” she answered hesitantly. Then she squirmed in her seat and breathlessly asked, “But what if it was?”

“Oh,dolcezza,” I crooned. “Then I’m up for it.”

The double entendre wasn’t lost on her.

9

ANNIKA

Being confined to the Hounds of Hellfire clubhouse should’ve been a punishment, except I spent most of the past two days in bed with Matteo. I couldn’t complain too much when he gave me more orgasms than I could count, fed me delicious food I didn’t have to cook, and talked me into taking plenty of naps so I was well-rested for our next round of sex. It was better than any vacation I’d ever taken, but I had reached the point where I missed being outside.

“Pretty please,” I begged, pressing my palms together while I widened my eyes with a pleading expression. “We don’t know that my accident was anything more than whoever hit me getting freaked out because they don’t have insurance, and that’s why they drove off. And the compound is surrounded by an electric fence. I’ll be perfectly safe if I go outside for a breath of fresh air.”

I loved how protective Matteo was over me. I didn’t feel suffocated by how he was because it had been so long since anyone looked out for me the way he did. Having someone in my life—besides Rachel—who truly cared meant the world to me.

“Shit.” He scrubbed his palm across his chinstrap beard and sighed. “I guess we can have lunch on one of the tables out back. We’re surrounded by woods on that side.”

“Like a picnic,” I squealed, clapping.

“Yeah, we can do that if that’s what you want,dolcezza.”

I bounced on my heels. “I do.”

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