Page 32 of Blood Money

A frustrated sigh escaped me. “It’s personal,” I quietly admitted.

His brows nearly shot to his hairline. His surprise wasn’t a shock. The man went nearly everywhere with me. If I’d been involved with someone, he would’ve known.

Shaking his head, he dropped his arms. “Fine. But I’ll be the one here for you in the morning. Are you going to inform Gabriel of where you are, or do I need to?”

“This doesn’t concern him. I’m safe, so there’s nothing to share.”

He huffed. With a final glare, he left the bakery but waited outside until I locked the door. Distrustful as a motherfucker, he pushed on it to make sure it was secure. I rolled my eyes, and he smirked, then gave me a finger wave but didn’t budge.

“Jesus,” I grumbled and walked away.

Before I hit the office, I double-checked the doors. If I knew the damn code, I would’ve armed the system. I’d noticed it when we cleared the place earlier. I was pissed that she’d been here alone without the doors secured and the alarms set.

With a shake of my head, I climbed the stairs.

Once in the apartment, I glanced around but didn’t see Kendall. Then I heard water running and knew she must be showering. That was a vision that had me groaning. Imagining her body as the water sluiced over it was torture. My fingers twitched as I pictured soaping her up, and I groaned. “Fuck.”

On edge, I shrugged out of my suit coat and meticulously laid it over the back of one of the barstools. Not that the suit was worth a shit now, but it was habit. Then I loosened my tie and pulled it off. I unfastened several of my shirt buttons, along with my cuffs, and rolled up my sleeves. Then I made her an ice pack for her head and carried it to the living room, where I set it on the coffee table.

Trying to think of anything else but her naked curves, I dropped to the couch with my elbows on my knees and held my head in my hands. This was such a mistake, but I couldn’t leave her on her own.

Finally, the water stopped, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Until I imagined her in just a towel.

Christ.

When I heard her feet padding on the hardwood floors, my spine stiffened as I waited.

Please let her be dressed, please let her be dressed, please let her be dressed.

Her scream had me off the couch like a shot and spinning to see what had scared her. Except her wide-eyed stare was focused on me, not anywhere else. Her usually rich red hair, a dark auburn from her shower, fell over one shoulder, and I tried not to follow the water that dripped from the ends and ran down her alabaster skin.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she snapped once she got herself under control and found her voice. One hand tightly held the top of the towel, and the other was splayed over her chest.

Her very ample chest.

I swallowed hard but kept my face impassive.

“I’m staying with you tonight to make sure you don’t have any complications,” I calmly explained, though inside I was anything but. In fact, at the moment, I was nearly coming out of my skin from how bad I wanted to be near her. It was ridiculous. I hadn’t seen the woman in almost ten fucking years. I should’ve been over her. She shouldn’t still be affecting me like she was.

“No you’re not. Absolutely not. No. Uh-uh,” she rambled as her hand sliced through the air.

“This isn’t up for discussion,” I informed her in the coolest manner I could manage.

“It most certainly is!” Her face flushed, and I began to worry about what the increase in blood pressure might do to her. “This ismyfamily’s home, not yours. You have no say so here, and you absolutely have no obligations to me.”

“Kendall, Santino specifically said you needed to relax. He also said it was a bad idea for you to be on your own tonight. You don’t know him or Dario, so I wasn’t having them stay with you.” It seemed perfectly logical to me. And over my dead body would they stay alone with her.

“I don’t knowyoueither,” she ground out between gritted teeth.

Damn, that hurt. Though I didn’t blame her. She had every right to hate me for what I’d done, but I couldn’t help wishing she didn’t.

“Please. I’ll sleep on the couch.” I wanted to sleep next to her. “You won’t even know I’m here.” I’d be checking on her all night.

“Why do you even care?” she asked in exasperation.

“Because I feel bad. Because I wish….”

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