Page 13 of Fierce Protector

It’ll be a miracle if I manage to keep my hands off her.

“Your guest bathroom is insane. That shower is my new best friend. It’s like the jets washed off years of stress.” She reaches for the other glass and takes a sip while using her free hand to run her fingers through her hair, wafting her freshly showered scent through the air.I have to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from groaning at her being saturated in the fragrance of my shower gel. She doesn’t just smell like me; she smells likemine.

This woman is going to be the death of me.

I distract myself by taking her on a tour of the house. As I show her around, her smile slowly returns. Every time I point out something I’ve made myself she teases me a little but goes on to ask me more and more questions. She seems genuinely interested, and it fills me with a sense of pride. Aside from the odd delivery from my people and the rare occasion Dante has picked me up, I haven’t had many people come here, let alone come inside long enough for me to wax lyrical about my obsession with dovetail joints.

When I’ve shown her everything, we find ourselves hovering in the hallway between my room and the guest bedroom. She stifles a yawn, and it’s hard not to notice the adorable way her nose crinkles with it. Closing the distance between us, I lean in and take the glass from her hand. I’m close enough to appreciate the spark of interest in her eyes, like she wants me to kiss her. Our breaths mingle and it takes a mammoth amount of willpower to deny myself her taste. I turn my head and reach behind her for the door handle, pushing the door open for her.

“You need some rest. Go to bed, Katerina,” I say, taking a step backwards. My cock twitches like it’s objecting to my shutting whatever this is down.

I don’t miss the shocked little gasp, and when I look at her face, I half expect to see outrage, but I’ve missedwhatever expression it was and instead, she looks relaxed. Like she’s relieved to have the decision made for her.

The idea that she enjoys giving up even a little control to me has my cock protesting even more and my zipper straining against my now fully hard length.

For a moment, I worry that I’m reading too much into things and then she smiles. It’s sultry; the kind that hints at so much and promises everything. Turning and walking into the room, she speaks without looking back. “Goodnight, Uncle Stefano.”

For fuck's sake.

CHAPTER SEVEN

KATERINA

SIX WEEKS LATER…

The next time I see Stefano Tiero, I’m going to punch him square in the face. I glance down at my clenched fists and decide that’s a terrible idea. I need to protect my hands if I want to be able to do my job. Maybe violence is not the answer, but honestly, I’m at the end of my rope. He’s at the hospital every damn day, and keeping up this charade is becoming increasingly difficult. Especially now.

Two weeks ago, I got a call I never expected to receive. Enzo was alive—barely—and I had to do everything in my power to bring him back to us. My worlds collided that day, but it didn’t matter. My only task was to save him. For Aurora. For the Bianchi Bastards. For all of us.

It took every ounce of my skill, but when he pulled through, I don’t think I’ve felt relief like it. I’ve done everything I can for Enzo throughout his recovery. Pulled every string and called in every favour to make sure that he has the best care on the most secure ward we have.

Given my position, there’s very little the hospital administration would refuse me, but by leveraging my influence for a patient so clearly involved in criminal activities, my colleagues have started asking more questions than they ever had before. Then you throw in that my ‘boyfriend’ is obviously connected with our new VIP patient, it’s getting harder and harder to keep prying eyes out of my business.

It’s like I’m being watched by everyone. There are prying eyes around every corner and it’s nearly impossible to maintain this façade of dating Stefano Tiero. This was supposed to be an easy fix to chase off an idiot with a mild infatuation, and while it’s working and the notes have stopped, I’m now sneaking around my hospital making sure that the staff see me with Stefano while simultaneously avoiding anyone connected to the Bianchi’s.

It's exhausting.

I’ll be so relieved when Enzo is discharged, and everything can go back to normal. Well, norma-lish. Fuck knows when this fake relationship is going to end and some of the nurses are getting a little too attached to Stefano.

Speak of the devil.

I glance around the hospital corridor and see a congregation of scrub nurses watching him as he makeshis way towards me. I beckon him towards the nearest door so we can speak in private. I’m fed up with the perpetual audience I seem to have these days. As I open the door, I’m just about to drag Stefano inside with me when a strained cry of“Occupied”rings out from what I can only describe as a well-fucked Benedict Romano. He’s holding on to a metal shelf above his head that looks like it’s buckled under his weight, while Nico has his face buried in Benny’s neck. He’s rutting into Benny like a wild animal, holding him off the ground, legs spread with Benny’s knees hooked over his forearms.

There’s an animalistic snarl before Nico turns his head and glares at us. There’s no need for words. The “fuck off” is loud enough without them. The last thing I was expecting to see today was Nico Verardi buried to the hilt in Benny’s ass. That wasn’t on my bingo card, and it knocks the wind out of my sails.

Stefano reaches in front of me and closes the door. It doesn’t take more than a moment for me to remember that I’m pissed off at him, however now I’m pissed off and more than a little turned on. I’m not saying I want to head back into that room and join Nico and Benny—hell, no—but oh my god, seeing the absolutely feral look in Nico’s eye and the expression of bliss on Benny’s face has reminded me how dire my own sex life is. How I’d love to be railed with the same kind of reckless abandon.

It wasn’t too long ago that I thought Stefano was going to be the man to rail me, however, since that night at his place, he’s completely shut down on me. He made it clear when he sent me to bed. He’s notinterested in me.

“You need to have a word with them,” I hiss. “I know Enzo needs protection while he’s recovering, but you all need to keep a lower profile around here.”

“You want me to tell Nico Verardi he can’t blow off a little steam?”

“He canblowBenny at home,” I whisper shout. It’s hard not to smile back at him when he lets out an unexpected chuckle at my words. There’s something about how Stefano’s eyes light up when he smiles that has butterflies fluttering in my belly. I shake off my symptoms of unrequited infatuation and steel myself to scold him. “It’s not fucking funny, Stefano. My colleagues are asking too many questions about myboyfriend’sfriend and his many visitors, and need for round-the-clock security. It’s getting harder to explain the longer you’re all here.”

His smile drops and he nods. “Sorry Katerina, I’ll have a word with everyone. The last thing we want to do is risk your reputation, and we appreciate the strings you pulled to keep the hospital from reporting Enzo’s injuries to the authorities.”

It’s really difficult to rant at someone with conviction when they’re agreeing with you.

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