Page 12 of The Bodyguard's Vow

Mamma’shouse phone rang, and our heads jerked up from thepizzicatiwe were baking in her kitchen. We hardly ever used the landline, but Rafa insisted she keep it for security reasons.

“I wonder who that could be.” She brushed her flour-dusted hands against her apron, spearing me with a glance. “There’s no reason for you to stop. Keep pinching that dough. Those cookies won’t bake themselves.”

“Yes,Mamma.”

As I dabbed cherry jam onto the dough circles we’d already cut out, I did my best to eavesdrop on her call, but it was impossible to hear anything with the way she turned her back to me and lowered her voice. So I was surprised when she turned to me after hanging up and said, “Go wash your hands. I’ll finish those. Your brother needs to see you in his office.”

I nervously licked my lips and nodded. “Okay.”

“Vincent will be outside in a moment with one of the golf carts. Wait for him.”

My head jerked back as my eyes widened. I couldn’t imagine why Rafa had sent a guard to bring me over to his house whenMamma’s was only a five-minute drive in my car. I wasn’t looking forward to those added ten minutes from using a cart when I was dying to know what the heck was going on.

I snagged a couple of cookies to munch on during the ride, but I gave them both to Vincent. My stomach was in knots, making it impossible to enjoy my favorite cookie. Especially after mymammadidn’t chastise me for taking them—another sure sign that something was seriously wrong. Sneaking cookies before they were all baked was a big no in her book. She’d gently smacked my hand more times than I could count since she first let me help bakepizzicatiwhen I was five.

By the time we pulled up in front of Rafa’s house, I was a nervous wreck. My heart felt as though it was about to burst out of my chest as I walked into his office. Then I spotted Domenico leaning against the wall and almost stumbled over my own feet.

It wasn’t an unusual reaction when I saw my brother’s best friend and bodyguard. With his piercing brown eyes, thick and curly dark hair, a chiseled jaw covered by a close-cropped beard, and full lips, Domenico was everything I wanted in a man. Just about every time I saw him, I fantasized about climbing his tall, muscular body like a monkey.

But this time, my awkwardness had another cause. Had Vivienne slipped and said something that tipped Rafa off to my feelings for his best friend?

My gaze darted from Domenico to where Rafa was seated behind his desk. “You wanted to see me?”

He pointed at the chair across from him. “Sit down, Gabbi.”

“Okay,” I whispered, my knees feeling weak as I crossed the room and dropped onto a seat. My fingers trembled as I smoothed my skirt over my thighs.

His dark eyes were serious as he leaned back in his chair. “When I agreed to you moving into an apartment in town, it waswith the caveat that you would allow any security measures I felt were necessary.”

I’d been too stunned that he hadn’t insisted on me staying in a house on the estate that I hadn’t listened to much after “yes” came out of his mouth. For the opportunity to truly have my own space, I would have agreed to just about anything. “Of course.”

“A…situation came to my attention today that requires me to heighten your security.”

That was an awful lot of words that gave very little information, but I knew better than to push for details. My brother took the family’s safety very seriously, but that didn’t mean he’d share Family business with me. Not unless it was something that I absolutely needed to know, like when our father was arrested and the story was going to be splashed all over the media. Even then, he didn’t give me many details, and not just because I was only nine.

“What does that mean exactly?” I asked, worried he’d insist I move back in with ourmamma. If that happened, I feared I’d lose most of the freedom I had managed to eke out for myself.

“Domenico will guard you for the time being. You’ll need to give him your schedule so he knows your whereabouts at all times, and he’ll be your shadow anytime you leave your apartment unless you’re here on the estate.”

Santo cielo!

Vivienne had been right about the universe giving me the perfect opportunity to get Domenico to finally talk about the obvious pull between us.

It was nearly impossible to keep my gaze on my brother because I desperately wanted to search Domenico’s expression for any hint of what he felt about this development. But looking at him would give too much of my feelings away, so I forced myself to remain still. It probably wouldn’t have done any good anyway. Domenico was a master at hiding behind a mask.

“I’m happy to go along with whatever you think is best.”

Especially if it meant that I got plenty of alone time with Domenico.

It tookme less than a day to realize that I couldn’t have been more wrong about how being in close quarters with Domenico would go. The stubborn man had taken being uncommunicative to a whole new level.

Two more days later, and I was out of patience with him. Being so close to the only man I had ever truly wanted when he wasn’t speaking to me was torture. And even though I’d made zero headway with him, the time together had proven one thing to me…I needed to end my relationship with George. It wasn’t going anywhere and never would. Not when my heart belonged to Domenico.

Having my brother’s best friend waiting in his SUV outside the café where I was breaking up with my boyfriend “in name only” wasn’t my idea of a good time, but I didn’t have much choice. Domenico had taken my brother’s order about sticking close to me so seriously that I was lucky he hadn’t insisted on sitting right next to us.

Although my relationship with George amounted to maybe a dozen or so dates and nothing else, I was still nervous about possibly hurting him. He really was a nice guy, albeit a super boring one.

My guilt deepened over the fact that he arrived first and bought my favorite latte. I took a few sips before I gathered my courage. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think this is working. You’re a really great guy, but?—”

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