Page 31 of Fierce Protector

How fucking dare anyone treat me—Katerina Mancini—with so little respect? I’m done letting this delusional asshole get to me.Who the fuck does he think he is?It’s insane to me that the Danny, who I’ve seen comfort dying patients, is the same asshole sending such vile things to me.How did I misjudge him so badly?

I storm back across to my locker and tug on a pair of jeans and a blouse that’s somehow managed to stay relatively wrinkle-free in my bag today.

By the time I’ve dressed and made it to the parking lot, I’ve managed to work myself up into the healthy little whirlwind of rage. As I reach my car, my phone buzzes in my pocket and for a brief moment, I think it will be yet another message from my not-so-secret admirer, but a weight lifts when Stefano’s name lights up my screen.

I’m about to tell him about the latest barrage of messages when he jumps in first. “Are you on your wayhome? We need to talk about something.” I’m thrown because while those are never the words a woman wants to hear, there’s nothing in his tone that suggests it’s bad news.

“Okay, that doesn’t sound ominous at all. What’s wrong?”

“We need to talk to your father about what’s going on,” he says with absolute conviction.

My heart stutters at his words and even though I’m deliriously happy right now, the idea of telling my father anything about us and bursting my little bubble of bliss has me nervous. “With my stalker or between us?”

“Both,” he says after a pregnant pause.

Something in my brain short circuits. I knew we’d have to face him sooner or later I’m just baffled as to why now all of a sudden. “Why the urgency? Don’t you think we should, I don’t know, date for more than a few weeks before we start adding the metric fuck tonne of pressure that telling my dad will add? Why now?”

“Because the don took me aside today and tore me a new one. She wants us to tell your father about your stalker?—”

“Does she know about us?” I interrupt. I’m not sure how I’d feel about Aurora knowing before I’ve had a chance to tell my father.

“No, but I can’t lie to your dad and Aurora is right—your father should be aware of any threat to you,” he says softly but resolutely. I’m nodding, but I don’t know what to say. “And you’re not some dirty little secret. I won’t deny us or pretend that it’s not real.”

I don’t say anything.

“Are you still there, Katerina?”

“Uh-huh… I’m nodding.” He gives me a moment and I take the opportunity to get into the driver’s seat and take a few deep breaths. “So, we’re telling my father?”

“We are.”

It takes me a few moments for me to notice I’m nodding again, not speaking. “You get this is ridiculous? This relationship is happening all out of order. You’ve moved into my house without even taking me on a real date yet and now we’re telling my father before we’ve even had the ‘where is this going’ conversation. Not to mention the weeks of kissing me in the corridors, pretending you were mine, before that.” My words run together in a frenzied jumble. My thoughts are disjointed and scattered from having this conversation over the phone and not face to face. If he were here, he would have dragged me into his lap and be kissing my frown away by now.

When we’re together and it’s just us, everything feels right and like it’s happening just as it should be, how it’s always meant to be. Maybe I’ve been foolish, but now we have to tell people and they’re going to ask questions I simply don’t have answers to because we’ve never talked about our future, and that will be the first thing my father asks us. I’ve known Stefano my whole life and loved him for as long as I can remember, but it’s not like I can say that out loud. We’ve been dating for a few weeks, not the years it feels like.

“Breathe, baby girl. I can hear your mind whirring from here.” The rumble of his gentle tenor washes overme and settles over my body like a weighted blanket, making me feel treasured. “Come home, now.”

We say goodbye, and I do as I’m told. I forget about the messages and the fear that was racing through me only a few minutes ago and instead, I’m swept away by the loving and fierce protection that I’ve only ever felt with Stefano.

Wholeheartedly and without reservation, I drive straight back home… to him.

The momentI turn the handle on the front door. Stefano is wrenching it open and pulling me into his arms. I let out a startled cry before dropping everything on the doormat and jumping into his arms.

He kicks the door closed before he turns, pinning me against the hallway wall and I let his embrace soothe all my worries.

“I need to make something clear. I don’t care that we’re doing everything in the wrong order. Now that you’re mine, I can’t see there ever being a future that doesn’t revolve around how I feel for you.”

I gasp. “You can’t possibly mean that.” It’s everything I want to hear, but after waiting and wanting him for so long, there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to let me believe them.

“Dammit, woman, don’t try and tell me how I’m feeling and actually listen to what I’m saying. I’m trying to tell you I love you.” His arms tighten around me, like a physical plea, begging me to hear him.

Rolling my eyes, I reply, “Don’t be ridiculous. We’ve been dating for a matter of weeks. You can’t say things like that and expect me to take you seriously.” My heart thunders, pounding so hard it feels like it’s trying to beat out of my chest.

“For the love of God. Are you really this obstinate? I fucking love you. I’ve loved you since the moment you first kissed me. I just never thought I’d be fortunate enough to get to kiss you again, let alone have a future with you. Now it’s all I can think about, and I’ll be damned if I allow you to carry on for one moment, not knowing how I feel about you.”

Stefano’s breath escapes in great heaving exhalations, blowing the fine hairs that frame my face in ragged huffs. It takes a few seconds for his words to permeate my defences, but little by little my expression shifts as my head catches up with my heart. The corners of my mouth tip up slowly until it blooms into a broad smile.

“Well, what’s a girl expected to say in response to that?” I say, with nothing but happiness lighting me up from the inside.

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