I’m smiling about the memory now when I feel his eyes on me.
Alessandro sets down his fork and leans back in his chair, gaze pinning me like he can read my thoughts. “What are youthinking about?” he asks, voice low. “You’ve been smiling for ten minutes.”
I shrug and take a sip of water, pretending my face isn’t burning. “Just… how hot my husband is.”
He chokes. Actually chokes. Then he growls—a deep, dangerous sound that goes straight to my knees. “You can’t say shit like that,” he warns.
“Why?” I blink innocently.
He runs a hand over his face. “Because I have to leave in two minutes, and if you say something like that again, I’m taking you upstairs and making sure you can’t walk for the rest of the damn day.”
My cheeks flame so hard I’m surprised the tablecloth doesn’t catch fire.
He stands, pulling out his phone. “We have a lead on Simon. I need to head to the warehouse.” An ache settles low in my stomach. He notices instantly. “I’ll call you later about dinner,” he says, voice softer now. “If you go out with Gia, just message me and let me know your plans.”
That’s when it hits me. I look down at my hands.
He pauses. “What’s wrong, Dove?”
“I… I don’t have a phone.”
Silence. Then he blinks. “What?”
“I never had one,” I whisper. “My father doesn't allow it. If I needed to make a call, I would use the house phone. Or since the wedding, Rocco’s.”
Alessandro stares at me like I’ve told him my father kept me in a cage. Then—He flips.
“What the hell do you mean you’re not allowed? Elena, you’re a grown woman.”
“That doesn't matter,” I say quietly. “He said phones were dangerous. That I could talk to people I shouldn’t. That—”
He cuts me off, jaw clenched so hard I can see the muscle ticking. “No,” he snaps. “Absolutely not. Not anymore.” He grabs his phone and steps away from the table, punching in a number. “Rocco,” he growls the second it connects. “I need you to take Elena to get a phone. Today. Right now. I’m heading to the warehouse.” Pause. “The best one they have. Everything she wants. And stay with her.” Another pause. “Yes, Rocco,” he says with a sigh. “I know you’ll keep her safe.” He lowers the phone and looks at me with a mixture of fury and tenderness. “You should have told me,” he says, kneeling beside my chair so we’re eye-level. “You can have anything you want, Dove. Anything.”
My throat tightens. No one has ever said that to me before.
Before he leaves, he cups my chin with his fingers, brushing his thumb across my lips. “My wife doesn’t live without anything,” he murmurs. “Especially not a way to reach me.”
Rocco shows up exactly ten minutes after Alessandro leaves. “Boss said to take you to get a phone,” he announces, holding the door open and giving me a once-over to make sure I'm ready. “You good?”
I nod and grab my purse. He leads me to the SUV, opening the back door for me like always. He doesn’t say much on the drive, but he keeps checking the rearview mirror every few seconds, like he can’t help himself. It’s been like that the last couple of weeks.
Wherever I go, Rocco is two steps behind. Not hovering—just… steady. Present. Watching out for me without making me feel trapped. It’s comforting. Safer than I thought I’d ever feel with someone who isn’t Alessandro.
By the time we pull up to the phone store, I’m actually excited. I’ve never owned a phone before. I feel like I’m about to commit a crime. Rocco pushes the door open for me and steps in first, immediately scanning the room. Habit. Instinct. Protection.
A teenage boy at the counter looks up. Then down. His eyes widen. Then down again—this time at my chest.
I don’t even have time to feel awkward.
Rocco is already in motion. He steps between us so fast the kid jolts backward. “Eyes,” Rocco says flatly. “Up.”
The kid swallows. Hard. “Y-Yes, sir.”
Rocco doesn’t blink. “Try it again.”
The boy forces his gaze up to my face.
“There you go,” Rocco says, still not moving aside. “You can talk to her when you remember how to act right.”
