Page 11 of Falling for the Knockout

She closed her eyes and laid back and for a minute, Tony thought that she wasn’t going to give him an answer. “Fine,” she breathed. “But I think that Elio should have someone with him too, just in case Joe shows up there.”

“Done,” Tony said. “His in-home nurse starts tomorrow, and she was a former Army medic. She’ll be able to handle Joe if he shows up at my grandfather’s place. I can also have Rocco and Luca stop by there a couple of times a day until you and I can check in on him.”

“It just seems like a lot of trouble that I’m putting everyone through,” she said.

“Not at all,” he insisted. “Just accept the help, Aurora. Let me take care of you,” he said again. He sounded like a lovesick sack, but he didn’t care. He wanted her to stick around, and if that helped, he’d do it all over again.

“If you’re sure, I’ll stay at your place until I can decide what to do next,” she said.

“Good, now let’s find the doctor and get some answers,” he said. “I’m going to step into the hallway and check on the status of your test results.”

“They won’t give them to you,” Aurora insisted.

“Of course, they will,” he said. “I’ll need to know what’s going on with my wife, after all.”

Luckily, Aurora only had a concussion, and although it was a nasty one, she didn’t have any brain bleeds or broken bones, so that was good news. They kept her in the hospital for two nights, and even though she protested that she was good enough to go home, the doctor disagreed, and Tony had to admit that he was happy about that. He needed a couple of days to get everything set up and get his cop friend to come in to talk to Aurora. He wanted her to file another restraining order, and his friend would be able to convince her to do it. He liked to scare the hell out of people to get them to do the right thing. He could turn a wayward teen straight and even had criminals wanting to reform. Tony was sure that he’d be able to convince Aurora to file that restraining order.

He also had to clear things with Jonesy, so that he could take some time off. He had a gym in his basement, and Rocco and Luca agreed to come by to spar with him, to help keep him in shape for his upcoming fights. Jonesy was reluctant to say yes to his request for time off, but he eventually agreed after Tony told him what happened to Aurora, and about Elio’s diagnosis. Jonesy even agreed to stop by and check on his grandfather for him, and Tony was grateful for his help. They were his makeshift family now, and he appreciated everything that the guys were willing to do for him.

When Aurora was released from the hospital, he had everything in place and was ready to bring her home. He even had the guys move everything out of her tiny apartment and into hishouse. He didn’t want her to have any excuses to have to leave to pick up something from there. Plus, it would give him the way forward to asking her to move in with him until they could find her a better, safer place to live. Her place was in a horrible neighborhood, even though she protested that it was fine, and he hated the thought of letting her ever go back there again. Of course, Aurora gave him hell, but Tony brought in the big guns, Elio, and she finally agreed to move in with him until she was able to find a safer place to live.

He helped her into his place and she looked around. “Your home is nice,” she whispered. “It doesn’t look like a bachelor pad at all.”

“That’s because Nonna helped me decorate. It’s also why some of my furnishings look like they belong in Grandma’s house.” Tony laughed and dropped her overnight bag at the front door. “How about I show you around, and then, you can rest a bit while I make us some dinner?” Tony asked.

“I’d love to lay down. I can’t believe how much just sitting in your truck has worn me out.”

“You’ve been through a lot, Aurora,” he said. “It’s understandable.” Yesterday, his buddy from the force stopped in to see Aurora in the hospital. He explained that putting in a restraining order against Joe was the only way that the local authorities would be able to help keep her safe. He warned her that not doing so would only mean that Joe could get close enough to her to hurt her again, and that was all Aurora needed to hear. She agreed to put in the restraining order and filled out the paperwork on the spot. His friend was good enough to offer to take everything down to the courthouse to file it immediately, and Aurora thanked him. Tony had to admit; he was relieved that she had agreed to file the restraining order. It would makehis job of protecting her easier, and hopefully, would allow Aurora to relax a little bit, and maybe even stop talking about leaving town. He didn’t want to admit it, but the thought of her leaving broke his heart, and he wasn’t quite sure why that was.

He showed her up to his spare room and promised to wake her for dinner. Aurora started to shut the door and quickly pulled it back open again. “Hey, Tony,” she called. He turned and looked back down the hallway at her. “Thanks for everything.” Tony wasn’t sure what to even say to her. He’d do it all again if it meant keeping Aurora safe. He nodded and she shut the bedroom door. He just stood there like an idiot, looking at the closed door, smiling like a loon because he had the woman he had wanted for a while staying in his spare room. Now, his only problem was figuring out how to get her into his bed—because he knew that eventually, that was where she’d end up.

It had been three very long weeks of cold showers, late-night encounters at the refrigerator, and having to see Aurora parading around the house in her skimpy little pajamas. She was driving him insane and every time he tried to make a move she’d shut him down.

They’d go into the bakery together every day because she insisted that closing wasn’t an option. She told him that if they shut down Joe would win, and she wouldn’t allow that. She was stubborn as a mule, and God, he wanted her with every fiber of his being.

After they closed the bakery every afternoon, she’d go back home with him where he’d spend the rest of the day and part of the night working out. Rocco and Luca usually came over afterdinner to spar in his makeshift ring in the basement, and Aurora retreated to her room, shutting him out. Tony was starting to lose count of how many times he stood outside of her room, staring at the closed door, trying to work up the nerve to knock. But he hadn’t and now, he wasn’t sure that he could face one more cold shower.

Tony got up in the middle of the night after realizing that Aurora liked to raid the refrigerator at about two every morning. He knew that if he was in the kitchen at the same time as she was, he might get up the nerve to ask her to come back to his bed with him—but that never worked out for him either. Tonight though, tonight was going to be the night that he told her how he felt about her and hoped like hell that she felt the same way about him.

“Oh, did I wake you?” she asked as he walked into the kitchen. She asked him that every night and every night, he told her the same thing. He looked over her body and realized that she was only wearing a tank top and panties and damn if she didn’t look good enough to eat.

“Nope,” he breathed, “I just came downstairs to get some water.” That was his response most nights. They’d make small talk and then, he’d chicken out and go back to his bedroom to be alone. “That’s a total fucking lie,” he admitted. She put the ice cream back into the refrigerator and turned to look at him.

“What’s a lie?” Aurora asked.

“I’m not down here for water,” he said, “I’m down here because you’re down here. Hell, I come down here every night at this time just to see you. And then, you go back to your room, and I stand outside your door trying to work up the nerve to knock.” She crossed the room to stand in front of him and Tony wascareful not to touch her. If he did, this might all be over, and he wasn’t ready for that to happen.

“Why haven’t you knocked?” she asked.

He shrugged, “Because I’m a fucking chicken. Because I was worried that you’d turn me down or tell me that you don’t want the same thing as I do.” There, he had laid it all out there and now, it was going to be her turn to decide if she wanted to be a chicken or not. He saw the way that Aurora looked at him at the bakery. She’d often come downstairs with him while he worked out, saying that she just wanted some company, but the way that she stared at him while he worked up a sweat turned him completely inside out with need.

“What do you want, Tony?” Aurora asked, stepping even closer to him. She was so close that all he had to do was tilt his head, and their lips would touch. It was all he wanted to do, and she did ask him what he wanted. Maybe showing her might be the better option.

“This,” he whispered, dipping his head to brush his lips over hers. He had kissed her a few times now, but not since she had moved into his place with him. Kissing her took on a whole new meaning when she moved into his house, and he wanted to be sure that she wanted him and didn’t just want him to keep her safe from her ex.

He broke their kiss, and she smiled up at him. “It’s about time,” she breathed.

“What?” he asked, not sure if he had heard her correctly.

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