Page 34 of Dangerous King
"Yeah, you're so stiff." She leans into me, drapes her arm around my shoulders, and says, "Nobody in our family will ever hurt you, Cat. Nobody. Alright."
I can't help but lean back into her. "Thank you."
She kisses me on the cheek. "I've always wanted a sister. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Her eyes shine with so much affection, I feel mine turning teary.
She grabs my hands and shakes them up and down. "Loosen up and let's have some fun."
A smile curves my lips as I slowly allow myself to let go. Izzy is not Camilla. The Sartoris are not the Giordanos. I take a breath and feel the weights that have been sitting on my chest for years lift off.
Shopping with Izzy is nothing like it was with Camilla. For the first time in my life, I get to pick the clothes I like. The styles I've secretly put together on my laptop come to life as we enter one store after another. Always followed by the guards.
Enrico vanishes for a little while but rejoins us later with his own shopping bags, which he hands to Manollo.
Now and then, one of the bodyguards takes our bags to bring them to the SUV. When the last one returns, I hear him whisper to Manollo, "Not much more is going to fit, unless one of us walks home."
"Izzy," I grab her arm. "Isn't that enough?"
She throws a calculating glance at her brother. "I was sure he would be tired out by now… Okay, one more, and we'll leave. You do need some purses. Do you want Gucci or Louis Vuitton? Oh, what am I saying? Let's look at both, and oh… that's new… Bottega! Yes!"
She pulls me inside. The scent of leather and vanilla greets me. Manollo yells because Izzy didn't give him time to clear the store, but it's too late; we're in.
"That one and that one, and this one," Izzy points. "Oh, and I want that one. Do you see one you like in particular? We also need wallets for them."
I spy a black, simple-looking purse and tentatively approach it. Instantly, the saleslady, Rowena, appears next to me, holding it out. "Oh, you have great taste. It's calledHopand will look fabulous on you."
She drapes it over my shoulder, and Izzy jumps up and down, "Yes, it's perfectlyyou."
I smile. The leather is so soft. But I feel bad already; we've bought so much stuff. I have no idea how much all of this costs.
"I've never owned anything I picked myself," I say quietly.
"It suits you," Enrico manages once again to sneak up on me.
"Then we'll have to get it." Izzy decides. "With a matching wallet, of course. Oh, and she'll need some luggage and a makeup case."
"Luggage?" I ask.
"A lady should always be prepared," Izzy announces, arms full of luxury bags, her tone so serious it makes me giggle.
Enrico snaps his fingers at the salesperson. "Add a full set of luggage. She'll need something to carry all this."
I blink at the mountain of items being wrapped and boxed, the final swipe of the black card like a bell tolling. I catch a glimpse of the receipt—the purse alone is twenty grand. The running total is nearing $300,000. And that's justthisstore.
My stomach flutters. Not from the number, but from something more, something uncertain, less measurable. Like he's reading my mind, Enrico steps closer, slipping his knuckles gently undermy chin and lifting it until our eyes meet. "You don't need to look down," he says quietly. "None of this is too much."
His voice is low, firm—but there's no judgment in it. No pressure. Just steady certainty, like he's anchoring me to the floor.
"I can see it in your eyes, mio tesoro.You're trying to make yourself smaller. Don't."
A breath catches in my throat.
Our eyes stay locked, and something shifts in my chest—slow and hot and terrifyingly tender. A jolt sparks through me, like I'm suddenly aware of every point of contact between us. The warmth of his hand. The scent of his cologne. The steady way he'swatching me, like he sees right through my skin and into the part of me that still doesn't believe I'm allowed to want anything.
But with him here, this close, grounding me with nothing more than a touch and a look—I do.
I want to belong to this moment.
