She closes her eyes and falls asleep within seconds.
Dante stands and walks quietly to the door and we step into the hallway together, closing Sofia's door behind us.
"She's getting too attached to you," I say quietly.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"I don’t know anymore," I admit, and I'm feeling my edges going soft around him because the way he makes me feel is so alluring, I can't possibly deny it anymore.
I like being around him.
I like the way he makes me feel, the way he cares about me.
And I love the way he's so tender with my little girl.
It's not at all what I feared from him.
He opens his mouth to respond, but his phone rings.
He pulls it from his pocket and looks at the screen, and his expression darkens.
"I need to take this," he says.
He walks down the hallway to his den and closes the door.
And he doesn't know it, but I follow behind him and stand outside that door and listen.
His voice is muffled, but I can make out enough to understand the conversation.
Antonelli Gerard's name comes up multiple times.
The port raid.
Increased attacks on shipments.
The deadline with the Turkish supplier growing closer.
The words chill me.
It's worse than I thought.
Dante's not just fighting to protect his territory.
He's fighting to keep his entire organization from collapsing.
And we’re caught in the middle of it.
When the call ends, I push open the door and walk into his den.
He stands at the window with his back to me.
His shoulders are tense.
"I heard your conversation," I blurt out, and I'm feeling afraid again.
My insides are warring against each other, the desire to feel wanted and loved battling the fear of his entire world.
He turns around. "You shouldn't eavesdrop."
