Page 32 of Of Desire And Deception

“You brought some extra men tonight,” I observed casually, looking at where they stood like gargoyles guarding a cathedral. “Is there anything I should be worried about?”

“Just a glitch in the security,” Cosimo answered, the muscle in his jaw tightening. “I brought in extra help to make sure the back was covered. Nothing for you to be worried about.”

I nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“You haven’t seen anything off tonight, have you?” he asked, his eyes nearly black in the dim light.

I swallowed and shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

He seemed pacified by that, standing and tapping his tattooed fingers on the bar top, leaving fingerprint smudges where I’d already cleaned the surface. “Do you have a ride home?”

“I take the bus,” I answered, buffing the surface when he moved his hand away. Zach caught my attention and waved as he headed to the back, and I moved to follow.

“I’ll give you a ride.” Cosimo’s voice was demanding, making it clear he wasn’t asking for my permission. His expression was impossible to decipher. “Go get your things and meet me out back.”

“Okay, sure.” What else was I going to say? I hurried to the employee room and put my coat on, then grabbed my purse. Franco locked up the building, so there was nothing else for me to do as an excuse to stay longer.

The hallway seemed longer as I headed toward the back door. I’d scoped out the parking lot but never used the rear entrance. I could only hope I wasn’t walking to my doom at the end of the corridor.

Cosimo met me there and motioned for me to follow, leading me to a car more suited to a soccer mom than a mafia enforcer. It was another anomaly in the puzzle I couldn’t seem to put together. The icy wind bit my cheeks as I waited for him to open my door, then slid into my seat. He grabbed the seatbelt strap, and I thought he would buckle me in for a moment, but he just shoved it into my hand and closed the door.

“Where do you live?” he asked when he climbed in. I gave him a nearby cross street, and he arched a brow.

“I’m not telling you the exact address,” I said stubbornly. It was mostly for my own peace of mind.

“Stubborn woman,” I thought I heard him mutter as he pulled away. “If I wanted to accost you at home, I could check the employee files.”

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that,” I shot back. “I don’t need to think of you invading anything.”

He chuckled, and the dark tone made me shiver despite the head blasting through the vents. “I’ve had my tongue in your mouth, goldilocks. Don’t pretend you wouldn’t welcome me if I walked through your door.”

Fuck him for being right. No, Remi, don’t fuck the target! “Consensually. If you walk through my door, it will be because I’ve invited you.”

It seemed my vagina had a direct line to my brain, and she wanted to call the shots. Unacceptable.

“So you’re saying I have a shot.” He smirked, his teeth bright in the streetlights.

“Absolutely not,” I snapped back. “That was temporary insanity.”

“We have that much in common, then,” he murmured. “Because I feel like I’m losing my mind when you’re close.”

I needed to shut Casanova up before he flirted his way straight into my panties.

However, my buzzing phone was not the distraction I wanted. Cosimo’s eyes darted to my purse, but I couldn’t open it where he might see the screen. One glance could ruin everything. The device practically burned through the black leather as it vibrated again. I pretended it didn’t matter, watching the tall buildings pass by.

Thankfully, my phone went silent, and Cosimo turned classical music on for the rest of the drive. He pulled to the curb at the cross street I’d given him, and I clambered out of the vehicle.

“Thanks for the ride, boss man,” I leaned down and said before closing the door.

Staring straight ahead, I set off briskly, only realizing a dark metallic shadow was following me at the next corner. I stopped in my tracks and turned, crossing my arms over my chest. The window rolled down, and I could barely make out Cosimo’s grin.

“You can stop following me now,” I yelled.

“Just making sure you get home safely,” he called back.

“I’m going to stand here until you leave,” I declared. “So, if you don’t want to be responsible for me catching my death from hypothermia, I suggest you drive along.”

He just sat there in his car, all warm and comfortable, while the frigid air cut through my jeans like it was nothing. There was no way I could wait him out, so I tried another tactic.

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