Page 16 of The Don

“Sure. And she’ll have the dog.”

“Eliza’s to stay out of the shed, but she has free reign over the rest of the house.”

“All of it, sir?”

He has a point. “She’s to stay out of the guardhouse too. And she’s not to leave the premises without my knowledge. If she asks the boys to take her anywhere, they’re to approve it with me first.”

Dante nods. “Anything else, sir?”

“No.”

He pushes up out of the chair and yawns. “I’ll inform the boys of their new roles.” When I turn the computers on to get an hour of work in, Dante leaves my office. Once the door is closed, I sit back in the chair and stare at the screen.

My thoughts are overtaken with Eliza in that figure-hugging blue dress. The image of the way it clung to her body and showed off her hips makes my cock stir in my pants.

“Ugh,” I grumble as I sit forward and rub my palms over my eyes. “What the fuck is wrong with me?” I’m old enough to be her father. It’s not like I haven’t screwed my fair share of twenty-year-olds in the past, but this is different.

Eliza’s different.

My Amorina.

Abandoning the idea of getting any work done, I turn the computer off and leave my office. I head into the kitchen where Maria is now dressed and kneading the dough for the bread. “Signore, coffee?”

“I’m going to sleep. Eliza’s asleep, but can you have a full breakfast prepared for nine please?”

“Si.” She nods. “Is the girl okay?”

“She will be.” I stifle a yawn. “I’ll be up in three hours.”

“Goodnight.” She smiles toward me.

I leave the kitchen and head upstairs, but instead of turning toward my room I go to check on Eliza. I knock softly because I don’t want to wake her if she’s asleep. When I get no response, I turn the handle and open the door slowly. Eliza’s asleep on the bed facing the door, and Storm is asleep beside her. He pops his head up, quickly assesses me, then lowers his head again. “Bravo, ragazzo,” I say. Storm’s tail wags once. Quietly, I head into the room and pull the covers over Eliza before leaving, and closing the door behind me.

Eliza is being looked after by Storm. I know she’s safe.

The fact she’s sleeping means she knows it too.

Chapter four

Eliza

Someone is staring. I startle awake when I feel their eyes boring into me. Thankfully, I find Storm’s head resting on my stomach with his eyes glued to me. “Morning, Storm,” I say as I push my fingers into his thick fur. “Do you need to go to the bathroom?” Storm continues to stare.

Storm must’ve slept up against me. I probably used his body heat as my blanket, considering the covers have been shoved off. “Give me a minute, Storm.” I pet his head before standing to go into the bathroom.

Once I’m done, I walk over toward my open suitcase and find a pair of leggings and a t-shirt. I quickly dress and leave the bedroom with Storm. “I guess I’ll take you out the back.”

Storm follows behind me, and when we reach the back door I open it and wait for him to go out. But Storm doesn’t leave my side. “Damn it,” I say. “I don’t know the command for you to go to the bathroom.” It only makes sense that a dog like Storm would be highly trained, including his bathroom habits. “What do I do, Storm?” He looks up at me as if he’s waiting for me to give him the order.

“Bango,” Ruben’s husky voice commands.

Storm takes off with so much speed that I lose sight of him. “Oh,” I say as I turn to look at Ruben. My hand flies up to my chest, startled by Ruben’s handsome appearance. “I’m sorry,” I instantly apologize.

“For what, Amorina?”

“Um.” Yeah, for what? What did I do wrong?

“Are you hungry?” I look over toward where Storm disappeared, hoping he’d be returning already. “Breakfast is served. Come.” Ruben steps forward and offers his elbow. I crinkle my brows in confusion. “What is it?”

---