Page 21 of Fierce Protector

I furrow my brow. “But there wasn’t a delivery notice on that box?”

“He could easily have paid someone to drop it off for him,” Stefano responds.

“I still think you’re overreacting.”

He raises a brow and leans over me, settling on the bed and caging me in. My heart stutters when his hardening cock presses against the apex of my thighs.

“Not that I don’t relish our little disagreements, but on this one, you’re not going to win.” He drops a trail of tender kisses along my jawline and I whimper. If I could muster enough fucks-to-give I’d be disappointed in myself for folding under the weight of his alpha male tenancies but while his breath is heating my skin and his cock is hardening between my thighs, he can call the shots when it comes to my not-so-secret admirer.

“Fine, you win. Have it your way,” I say.

“I intend to,” he growls as he lowers himself down my body, lavishing every inch with his attention. He kisses his way down my chest, stopping to take each of my peaked nipples between his teeth, gently tugging until I’m writhing against the weight of his body. He continues his descent down my navel and feathering his touch over my hips until his tongue is gliding over my clit.

He lifts his head, sliding two fingers into my aching heat, making me arch off the bed and forcing my gaze to his.

“Make no mistake, sweetheart. Now I finally have you, I won’t allow anyone else to lay claim to you. You’re mine.” His words are everything I want to hear andsoothe my soul, only adding to the bliss he’s drawing out of me.

His head dips and my eyes roll back as his tongue sweeps along the length of me before finding my clit. He’s ruthless in his ministrations, pushing me closer and closer to my release with every flick and curl.

When I shatter beneath him, I lose myself, drifting into a haze of pleasure that, punctuated with a feeling of security, I’ve never felt with a man before.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

STEFANO

Isnuck downstairs to prepare Katerina breakfast after she’d drifted back off to sleep. When I’d seen the crumpled box of flowers on the floor, where I’d hurled them the night before, my blood pressure rose. I hated the idea that anyone so inferior thought they held any claim on the heart of a woman as breathtaking as Katerina. It made my blood boil. I’d snatched it up and stormed outside to find a trash can. It had seemed like a good idea until I’d found myself freezing my ass off in my boxers and button-down, bare feet like blocks of ice against the cold stone driveway. As I’d stuffed the box in the trash, the handwritten card had fluttered to the ground. Picking it up, I slipped it into my shirt pocket and headed back inside to start on breakfast.

The pan gives a gentle hiss as the scrambled eggs cook through. Taking them off the heat, I plate them up with some toasted bagels, but as I turn to search for atray, a telltale creak lets me know she’s coming downstairs.

“Smells amazing. I could get used to this kind of treatment,” she says playfully as she rounds the bottom of the staircase. My heart soars. This is the Katerina I’ve been wishing for. She’s wearing silk sleep shorts and an off the shoulder gym shirt, hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She looks contented and completely at ease.

She has none of her usual armour on. Not the surgical scrubs, not the doctor's coat, and definitely not the reserve she’s forced to project when she’s dealing with life and death situations. She’s always had a reputation as a cold-hearted ballbuster, but I’ve known for years that couldn’t be further from the truth. Any man in her profession would be praised for their ability to compartmentalise. Celebrated for their focus.

The fact that she performs her job as well as she does, in addition to being at the family’s beck and call, only goes to show how accomplished she is.

Anyone who takes the time to look beneath the veneer of professionalism will find one of the most caring women they’ll ever meet. It killed me to see how affected she was by treating Aurora and Enzo. I’m relieved that she’s off shift for the next few days. The woman needs a break.

“Funny you should say that. I’d like to make a suggestion.” I keep my tone even, knowing I’ll have to phrase the next part well if I want her to go for it.

“What type of suggestion?” she says, eyeing me with suspicion as she takes the coffee mug I’m holding out toher. She takes a sip and smiles, inhaling the wafts of steam rising over the brim.

I slide the plate and cutlery across the island and motion for her to sit.

“If you’re taking the trouble of bribing me with caffeine and home-cooked food, I get the feeling I’m not going to like this.” Her tone is sceptical, but hunger must win out because she takes the offering, perches herself on the stool, and digs in. “Ohmagod, what did you put in these eggs?”

Smiling, I say, “More butter than a doctor would probably recommend and some cream cheese with chives.”

“I had chives?” she says, looking up in astonishment.

“You have an herb garden on the porch,” I say incredulously.

“Correction, my gardener has an herb garden on my porch. I have no idea what most of it is.” I take a seat next to her and make a start on my plate. “Come on then. Hit me. What am I not going to like?”

“I’m going to start by saying this is not because I don’t think you can take care of yourself.” She picks up her bagel, loading it with eggs, and uses her fork to gesture to go on. “I want to add some security measures to your house, so I’d like to have one of my crews fit out the place with security cameras and an alarm system.”

“I mean, so far I’m not hearing the unreasonable part,” she says, her expression morphing into one of suspicion.

I clear my throat before continuing. “I’d like to stay here with you. At least until I’m sure there’s no realthreat.” I look down at my plate, ignoring the glare burning into the side of my face.

---