Page 22 of Worth the Heat
“I haven’t been to a Santo birthday party in quite a few years,” I confess, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. “Maybe I subconsciously stopped attending because of her, but I think it was also a safeguard for my own heart.”
“Why?” she asks quietly.
I sigh, the weight heavy on my chest. “Because I feared how you might react, and I knew I couldn’t take it if you were upset. If it impacted how you treated me.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense,” Isabella whispers, her gaze pinned on the ground. Before I can say more, she swivels, turning to walk toward the garage. As she gets closer, she stops with a gasp. “My car isn’t here!”
“It is, actually,” I tell her, reaching around her to grab her keys from a hook by the door. “Trace and Zee went back to get it so you’d have it here.”
“Zee?” she asks.
“His name is Zach, but he goes by Zee.”
“Is that like a club name?”
“No, we have never really bought into the club name thing. Some of the guys have nicknames. But we call everyone what they choose to be called. I don’t feel like we need to issue a new name or identifier just because they’re part of the club.”
“Do the guys have nicknames from their time in service?” Isabella wonders.
“Some do. It depends on the career field. Pilots definitely do, and some of them are weird as hell.”
“So not all Maverick and Goose?” she says with a smile.
“Nope. One guy had the call sign Tater. I never did get an explanation as to how that came to be.”
I reach around Isabella again to open the door, holding it forher as she breezes through. Following her into the garage, she stops when she sees her car is in place of mine.
“I don’t want to displace you, Sebastian. This isn’t right,” she murmurs, her eyes seemingly zeroed in on her license plate.
“I’m not leaving your car outside where anyone can reach it. I’ve debated on dropping you off so your car isn’t a sitting duck in town.”
Her eyes whip to mine, horror evident. “Should I be worried?”
“No,” I tell her quietly, grabbing her hand and bringing it up to my chest. Placing it against my heart, I wait until she feels the steady beat, and I visibly see her relax. “I promise I will never take your safety for granted. Everything I do is in an abundance of caution. Trace and Zee will be taking shifts keeping an eye on the bakery until we have more information on who is pulling the strings here. You’ll never be alone.”
Isabella’s lower lip trembles slightly as a sheen of tears over takes her pupils. I don’t even think, I just yank her into my arms. I’m not sure who is more surprised when she willingly circles her arms around my waist, but I’m not about to ask. I worried last night was a one-off, her needing to sleep with me in my bed. Burying my face in her hair, I relish how her body lines up perfectly with mine.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like you to leave your car here. I’ll drive you to work today.” I wait, holding my breath, for Isabella to respond.
I feel her relief before she answers, “Okay.”
“I wish I could be there with you all day today,” I admit softly, running a hand up and down her spine.
“Me too,” she whispers, and I think my heart stops.
“Seriously?” I blurt out with a laugh.
Her head tilts back as her eyes find mine. “Is it that surprising?”
“That you’d want me to bearound you? A little, yeah.”
Isabella shrugs as she snuggles back into my embrace, and I bite back a groan. Good fucking God, she feels perfect. Her voice is quiet when she speaks. “You make me feel safe. There aren’t many men who make me feel that way, but you … do. I know I haven’t been the nicest to you over the years, Sebastian, but I find comfort with you. I’m struggling to undo the damage in my brain that tells me all men are jerks, but I’m trying.”
“I’ll always keep you safe,mi Cielo,” I say reverently, and I feel her arms tighten around my midsection almost imperceptibly. A tremor wracks her body, and I assume she’s struggling. In an attempt to break the tension, I joke, “Besides. Your brothers would straight up murder me if anything happened to you on my watch. And I expect Leo and Alex would make me suffer for the fun of it.”
Isabella giggles. “They absolutely would. They definitely fall under the safe category, but they’re slightly feral when family is involved.”
I chuckle, pressing my lips to the top of her head. “I fully support a feral family. Wait until you meet my sisters.”
