I turn my phone so she can read the screen, and when she does, tears fill her eyes.
“Matteo,” she breathes. “Thank you!” She pulls me into another torturous hug, forcing me to smell her and feel her and touch her. “I can’t wait to put this nightmare behind me,” she cries softly into my neck. “Thank you.”
“It’s all good,” I tell her, backing up to get some space. “You’re Lorenzo’s sister, and I would do anything for him.”
The words are more of a reminder for me, but she must get the insinuation because her smile drops and she nods in understanding.
I want to correct myself—tell her that the truth is, I would do anything for her—but that’s crazy because she’s only been in my life for a fucking minute. The feelings she’s stirring within me are insane. I’d blame it on going through a bit of a dry spell, thanks to being behind bars and then moving her in, but the fact is, the way she has me feeling is more than physical attraction—I crave talking and hanging out with her.
Since I can’t voice-text in front of her, I do my best to send Lucian a text to let him know that the gym is good to open back up. For the most part, my phone autocorrects the words I misspell,but sometimes, it changes them to the wrong words, which is why I prefer to voice-text.
A second later, he texts back.
Lucian:Thank you, Matteo. Don’t forget, you have a fight coming up soon, so I’d better see your ass in the gym to train. You’ve had months to fuck around. Time to get serious again. Diesel is no fucking joke.
I don’t realize I’ve groaned out loud until Dani says, “What’s wrong? Did something happen to my brother?”
“No, my trainer just reminded me that I have a fight coming up that I need to train for. Like I don’t have enough shit going on,” I mutter.
“Meaning me?” Dani asks softly.
“What?” My eyes meet hers. “No, not you.”
She rolls her eyes, and I turn to face her.
“You are not the shit I have going on. What happened with Enrique is only one small piece of the puzzle. There’s bullshit coming at us from all sides, and we’re not sure who’s responsible. It’s my job to protect this family, and I feel like I’m barely keeping us afloat.”
“I don’t know,” she says. “I think you’re doing a good job of keeping me safe.”
The corners of her lips curve into a playful smile, and I internally groan.
“That’s because you’re in this bubble. This morning, the inspector who had been blackmailed to shut down the gym I co-own was blown up in his car after we met.”
Dani’s eyes widen. “Oh my God.”
“Yeah. I love fighting. It keeps me grounded, but the training requires a lot of my time, and right now, I need to be focused on figuring out who is fucking with our family.”
“You don’t think it’s Enrique?”
“I don’t think he has that reach, but I could be wrong. In a way, I hope it’s him because if it’s not, that means we have more than oneperson coming at us.” I stand and blow out a harsh breath. “All right. I need to get a workout in.”
“Can I join you?” she asks, surprising the hell out of me.
When I quirk a brow, she explains, “When Enrique cornered and beat me and raped me, I’d never felt so helpless in my life. I know, realistically, I don’t stand a chance against a guy like him, but I’d love to learn some moves that would make me feel like I could fight back.”
I step toward her, in awe of her words. Most people would cower and hide after what she’s been through—and nobody would blame them—but here she is, wanting to take back control of her life. And how can I deny her that?
“Sure,” I tell her. “Put on some workout clothes, and I’ll meet you in my gym.”
I should’ve toldher no.
Because as I gaze at her from head to toe—with her hair up in a ponytail, exposing her neck; a tight tank top stretched across her tits; and leggings that show off every curve she has—I have no idea how I’m supposed to be close to her without ripping her clothes off and fucking her on my mat.
“Am I dressed okay?” she asks, glancing down at herself self-consciously since I was staring at her for far too long. “This is what I wear when I go jogging.”
“You’re perfect,” I tell her, then flinch when I realize how that sounded. “I mean, you’re dressed perfectly for working out.”
“Okay, cool.” She steps toward me. “So, where do you want me?”
