Page 28 of The Consigliere

I studied her for a few seconds, trying to keep my rage in check. To make matters worse, her fragrance drifted into my nostrils, the light floral infused with spices having the same effect as it had at the bar. My desire was off the charts.

Lock it down, Viper. Lock it the fuck down.

As if that was possible at this point.

“Madisen. What the hell are you doing in my house?” I heard the gruffness in my voice but at that moment I didn’t care if it terrified her.

The fact I’d thought of her more than once meant I needed to stay the hell away from her. As Max had told me several times, trouble seemed to track me down. While Mike hadn’t issued a second nasty warning after the incident at the bar, he’d eyed me carefully all night, barely saying two words after I’d kicked the guy and his buddies to the curb.

“I um… Well, see, I was in the neighborhood. Just taking a sightseeing tour of the rich and famous. I did knock on the door, but you didn’t answer. Now I know why. I didn’t mean to interrupt your shower.” Her face flushed and she averted her eyes, but not before giving me a long onceover for a second time.

After securing the towel, I folded my arms across my chest, taking several deep breaths but remaining quiet. She’d acted like a spoiled brat in the bar, dancing and flirting with every man who paid her any attention. The big brute I’d tossed out had been just one of several. I’d wanted nothing more than to drag her over my lap, providing the very discipline her brother insisted she needed but refused to give her.

“No one knows where my house is. It’s listed as owned by a corporation. Now, how in the fuck did you find it?”

“I have my ways.”

None of which she was going to tell but I’d get it out of her one way or the other. I needed to plug the hole and fast. The last thing I needed was every crime syndicate to know where they could find me.

“So you think the fact I ignored your banging on the door gave you the right to break in.” It wasn’t a question but an accusation.

“Technically I didn’t break in. Your back door was unlocked. I didn’t figure you’d mind.”

One minute she’d treated me like a bastard she never wanted to see again. Then she suddenly appeared inside my home. I didn’t need to reflect on my years of protecting diplomats, politicians, and moguls to know she was desperate for help.

She seemed vulnerable, as if being chased by the boogeyman. Mike had asked little about her during the time spent at the bar, instead trying to glean any information about my involvement with the former Arturo dynasty. I gritted my teeth, contemplating my actions. The last thing I needed was to be derailed by whatever situation she’d gotten herself mixed up in.

When she laughed nervously, she shifted from foot to foot, which sparked something deep inside, a carnal need that left my balls tight. She was wearing tight blue jeans, holes in the knees, the ridiculous oversized jacket and ballcap not something anyone would wear on a hot summer day. Yeah, she was definitely running from someone. Still, she was the kind of vision that could make a man weak in his knees. She was also one of innocence. Fuck me. I wasn’t supposed to be having feelings for my friend’s kid sister. That wasn’t allowed in almost every playbook.

I moved closer and could tell her lower lip was quivering. Even the garish attire couldn’t hide her natural beauty, voluptuous lips meant to be kissed. The jeans accentuated her rounded hips, perfect for a man to grab onto when he fucked her.

I closed my eyes, rubbing the stubble on my jaw, finally cognizant I was wearing nothing but a towel and her presence alone was powerful enough my cock was at half-mast. Damn it. “Madisen, I think you know that doesn’t give you the right to walk in without being invited. Did Mike tell you where I lived?” He knew, but almost no one else in Los Angeles had any clue, the only exception the men I worked with and trusted. I kept my private life secure from prying eyes and enemies. Even in the security business, I’d garnered several, many of them threatening me over the years.

“No. He doesn’t know I’m here and please don’t tell him. He’s… let’s just say he’s very possessive. I know he means well, but he forgets I’m no longer a child.”

In my eyes she was. Hell, I was almost twice her age, for fuck’s sake.

There was a distinct skittishness to her tone, but not because she knew she’d broken several rules, because she feared something.

Or someone.

“Sit your ass down at that table and tell me what the hell is going on.” I resecured the towel and folded my arms. I’d put on some clothes when I learned what I was dealing with.

“It’s nothing really. I just need a place to stay for a little while.” She did as she was told, her action tentative.

“Hold on. From what I understood, you’re staying with Mike.”

“Fine. I can tell I came to the wrong place.”

When she started to stand, I growled. “Sit the fuck down. I need to ask you some questions. You appeared out of nowhere, somehow managing to track me down, which isn’t easy. So what is the deal? Are you or aren’t you staying with your brother?”

“No, he threw me out. See, we had a terrible fight and his place is so tiny. I had nowhere else to go and thought maybe, you know if your girlfriend doesn’t mind, I could stay here just for a little while. I promise I won’t be any bother to you. With as huge as your gorgeous home is, you won’t see me almost at all. I’ll stay in my room. Really. I promise.”

She was lying through her pretty white teeth, which would ordinarily irritate the hell out of me, but the fact she was in some kind of trouble wasn’t something I could just walk away from. That was also a code in my book, my mother instilling the need to take care of the women in my life. Maybe she’d dropped in like a cyclone, but that didn’t mean I could shirk my responsibilities.

“The truth. Now. If you don’t, I’ll throw you out my door.”

“Don’t do that! Please? I told you the truth. I just need a place to stay for a couple days. Maybe four. Okay?” She gave me a pouty look and I could tell I wasn’t going to get through to her easily. She was playing on our relationship as well as my manhood. And fuck if it wasn’t working.

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