Page 22 of Fierce Protector

“You, a man I’ve just started dating, want to move into my house? Because I got sent a bunch of flowers?” I don’t need to look up to know that she’s talking through gritted teeth.

I reach across the counter for a napkin, wiping my hands before throwing it down again. Turning slowly, I don’t miss the subtle little shift in her seat or the nervous swallow.

“I want the woman I’m dating to be protected in her home, whether it’s from the idiot harassing her, or from Max De Luca who is looking for any excuse to hurt anyone who’s aligned themselves against him. I am the consigliere. You are our primary medical care.” Her eyes widen, and I grimace at the bluntness of my words, hating that I’ve scared her. “You’ve always been a target; we’ve just guarded you from the shadows. If you’re in this. If you really want to see where we go, then I need to know that you’re protected.”

“This is a lot, Stefano. Don’t you think you’re moving just a little too fast?”

I pull her stool to me, sliding her so her knees are bracketed by mine. “I’ve wanted you for years. If we go much slower, the ice caps will melt before I can tell everyone you’re mine.”

She remains quiet for longer than I’d like, stretching it out into something uncomfortable that makes the hairs on the back of my neck twitch nervously.

“You’re very territorial for a man I’ve only seen naked in the last twelve hours.” Her familiar wry smilereturns, and I huff out a sigh of relief that she appears to be conceding to me. I thought this would be a bigger battle. Katerina Mancini has never liked being told what to do.

“I’m territorial for a man who doesn’t want to see you get hurt.”

She nods, and her pupils flare wide when I reach for her hands, holding them together in mine. “I’ll do you a deal.”

“I’m listening.”

“You let me turn your house into Fort Knox and I’ll be the one who tells your father about us?”

“You already agreed to that,” she says, raising her voice in mock outrage.

“Alright then. Name your price.”

She cants her head to the side as she considers her demands. “No taking Danny to one of Etta’s interrogation rooms. Don’t think I’m going to let you terrorise a co-worker, let alone the son of a board member. Are you trying to get me fired?” I try to object, but she pulls out a hand and covers my mouth. “No interrupting,vecchietto.” I furrow my brow in protest, but she continues, “This is my career. You don’t get to control every aspect of my life.”

Dragging her hand away from my mouth, I growl in frustration. She cocks her brow and huffs at my frustration. She’s right. “Fine. I won’t do anything that jeopardises your job.”

She smiles broadly, taking the win and adding, “Just promise you won’t make me feel like some incapable damsel in distress.”

“I promise,” I reply, crossing my hand over my heart and returning her smile.

Whatever she needs for me to be close to her, I will make it happen.

I should have expectedher to push back against me moving in. If it’s one thing my Katerina hates, it’s men making decisions for her. That was a rookie mistake on my part. In my defence though, I’d woken up with her nestled into me, arms draped across my chest, hair cascading around her shoulders, and I wanted nothing more than to wake up like that every morning.

My chest warms and my pulse races at the thought of having her close to me, even if it’s only for a short while. I bite my cheek at the thought of her padding about the place in those tiny silk shorts and realise my mistake as soon as my cock hardens behind my zipper. I’m flooded with vivid memories of how she tasted on my tongue and the mewls that escaped her lips as I made her come. Not to mention how my legs buckled at the sight of her on her knees for me.

If the only way to achieve that was to stay with her, so be it.

There is no way I’m leaving her unprotected. I don’t care whether she thinks it’s overkill. I hate the idea that anyone was lurking around on her property. Even if it turns out it was just a delivery driver. My second, Marcus, discovered through Danny-boy’s very public socials that he was out of town visiting his family’sestate, a few hours north of the city, for a family wedding.

It doesn’t reassure me any, though. The escalation to home deliveries pisses me off no end. As far as he’s concerned, Katerina is seeing someone, so where does he get off sending her roses? I may have promised not to take him to an interrogation room, but I’m going to make sure he knows exactly who he’s dealing with when the weaselly little twat returns. Gripping the steering wheel, my knuckles blanch white, and the leather creaks in my palms.

I left a few hours ago to head home. It should concern me how much the distance from her affects me. It feels like my body is rioting at a cellular level. My heart thumps in my chest, chasing the blood around my veins so fast it feels like I could hear it whooshing if I listened closely enough. It feels wrong to be away from her for any length of time. Not only because I’m overwhelmed by the urge to keep her safe, but because now that she’s mine I’m loathed to be apart.

There was no avoiding it though; I have a job to do and Aurora is keeping me busy—as any don should. Having kept me as her consigliere, it’s my responsibility to get the new capos up to scratch. I’ve been holed up in my office, going through the updates from yesterday.

I run my hands along the stubble on my jawline absentmindedly, my fingertips grazing through the growth, reminding me how late in the day it is.

I’m about to head upstairs to pack a bag when my phone buzzes in my jacket pocket. The screen lights up with a familiar name and I pause. I can’t not answer it,but when my best friend greets me over the speaker, waves of guilt wash over me almost instantly.

“Fratello, did you get the breakdown of the accounts I sent across this morning?” Dante says.Brother.That’s not what you want to hear when you spent the previous night fucking the man’s daughter. While I agreed I’d be the one to tell her father, over the phone is not the time. “Are you there, Stef?”

Shaking off my conscience, I reply before I let the pause multiply into an awkward silence. “I’m here, just walking and talking.”

“You never were great at multitasking,” he replies. To anyone else, his tone would sound brusque, but I’ve known him long enough to hear the hint of humour he’s infused it with.

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