Page 49 of Faking it with the Damaged Protector

His are more serious than usual, his usual smirk gone, and I’m already afraid of why that might be. I long to know what happens in that mind of his, certain there’s so much more than what I see on the surface.

“So,” he begins. “How’s the hangover?”

I slurp my milkshake, dragging it out so I can take longer to answer. “Better now. Thanks for lunch.”

“And did you have fun last night?”

“Yep.” Flashes of last night come back to me. My friends and I danced for hours, a few of them finding people to hook up with in the club, but I avoided any guy who paid an interest in me. Not because I owe anything to Roman, but because I’d been satiated enough by the way he’d pounded into me. No other man could make me feel nearly as good. I didn’t want their drunken breath and groping presence all over me.

All night, I wanted him. Eventually, I’d gotten drunk just to clear my mind of him, and yet still, I’d ended up in his bed.

And I now remember that I admitted the truth: I wasn’t out on a date. Drunk me is such a blabbermouth.

“Where’d you go on your ‘date’.” He flicks his fingers in air quotes, and I roll my eyes.

“I know I told you the truth already. It’s all coming back to me.”

“Then you’ll remember something else you said.” He clasps his hands over his stomach as though challenging me.

I frown, my pulse racketing as I go over the hazy pieces of the night. I remember him carrying me upstairs and me embarrassing myself with all sorts of stupid comments, but nothing of note. “What would that be?”

He purses his lips, glancing warily at Leo to make sure he’s not listening. “You said I’m the only person who lets you feel safe.”

Shit. I said that?

My cheeks burn, and I pretend to be interested in my paper straw. “That, I don’t remember. Are you sure it wasn’t something your ego invented?”

“You said it, Madison, and I’d like to know why.”

There’s not a chance I’m going to tell him about Elio. I wasn’t lying, though. Roman does make me feel safe, and not just because he has enough money to pay for the building’s security. I know that, despite everything, he wouldn’t let another person touch me.

He’d protect me if I needed him to.

That’s also why I can’t tell him. He’d make a fuss, and all I want is to wait this out until Elio returns to Italy. Unless he applied for a Visa without me knowing, he can’t stay in the States forever.

“I don’t know. I was drunk, Roman. I was blabbering.”

His jaw tenses. Clearly, he doesn’t believe me. “If you feel unsafe?—”

I glance at the clock behind him, glad to find something is working in my favor today. “Well, lunch hour is over! Shall we head home, Leo?”

Leo immediately goes into pouting mode, his bottom lip jutting as he stands up with slumped shoulders. “Can’t we stay with Daddy?”

Roman shakes his head, clearly affronted by my change of subject, but thankfully, he drops it as he begins clearing his desk. “I’ll be home in just a few hours, bud. Be good for Madison until then, okay?”

“I want to stay!”

His brows furrow and I see the worry cross his features — that Leo will make a scene or that he’s genuinely upset, I don’t know, but I decide to fix it before it escalates.

“Hey, how about we stop by the comic bookstore on the way home?”

Leo hops up and down, excitement buzzing through his tiny limbs. “Really?”

I grab Leo’s hand and together we walk to the door. Roman kisses Leo on the crown of his head, but he’s already grappling to get out of the office. Roman mouths a “Thank you” to me, and I nod, feeling timid all of a sudden.

I like the way he talks to me when we’re tasting one another, touching one another, but I like this praise more. I like feeling like an important part of his and Leo’s life. It’s rare that my clients acknowledge the work I put into making their kids happy when they’re not around, but that’s one thing I’ve never fought for with Roman.

He knows that Leo’s bond to me is a special one, and isn’t afraid to show it.

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