“No, I’ll be fine.” The pain will fade in a few days. There’s a box of Epsom salts in my bathroom. I’ll take a soak in the tub in the morning. Angelo told me I had to stay home tomorrow while Kane and he review the security arrangements.
As much as I like my freedom, I’m not keen on a repeat of yesterday, so remaining here for now makes sense. And if Angelo wants me to carry on looking at his accounts, he might let me have a laptop that connects to the internet and the office network.
But I won’t hold my breath.
While I’ve zoned out, Kane has come closer. It’s not until Coco growls menacingly that I realize he’s next to me.
“Shush.” To my surprise, Kane drops on one knee and offers Coco his hand.
“You’re brave,” I comment. “She hates men.”
He snorts. “Really?” When I look down, Coco is sniffing his fingers and then, to my surprise, she licks his hand. He chuckles before rubbing my dog’s head.
“She’s all bark.”
“Not always.” She once bit the guy who came to clean the pool. The creep tried groping me when I walked past him. My loyal dog heard me shriek and came running. She sank her teeth into his ankle, and he fell into the pool.
“Your muscles have probably locked up. That’ll be why you’re in pain.”
I know he’s right. I can feel the tightness across my shoulders and back.
“Let me ease it for you.”
My eyes narrow. “Aren’t you worried Angelo will think you’re overstepping?”
Kane smirks. “He’s not watching the cameras right now, kitten.” Then he sighs. “You look exhausted, sweetheart. Letme ease your discomfort so you can sleep, yeah? No funny business.”
“No funny business,” I repeat, while simultaneously wishing that he would do a lot more than massage my aching shoulders and neck.
46
Kane
Ihad planned to go home for a few hours. Catch some sleep. But I can’t leave her. Lorenzo heard about the attack on our car and called Angelo in for a meeting. He’s concerned this is an escalation of the bullshit we’re currently dealing with.
Angelo hates involving his father, but Lorenzo isn’t quite ready to retire yet. Truthfully, Lorenzo is bored and searching for reasons to remain relevant, even though Angelo is supposed to be in charge these days.
Turns out, fucking random women and playing golf every day isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Who knew?
Like that lifestyle would ever be mine.
If I don’t die in the line of duty, so to speak, I’ll probably drink myself to death. Either is fine. I’m not expecting to live a long and happy life. Men like me rarely do.
Chiara stands in front of me, facing the table, her shoulders tense. I expected her to crash hours ago once the adrenaline faded. The little dog sits at her feet, watching me with baleful eyes. I have a feeling that if I step out of line, she’ll attack.
But I ignore the dog, and after a few seconds, she rests her snout on her paws and closes her eyes.
“This would feel better with massage oil,” I comment while digging my fingers into the tight knots across Chiara’s shoulders. At my request, she’s removed her sweater. Her tee is loose enough that it hangs off one tanned shoulder. I wonder if she’s wearing a bra and then decide I can’t let my thoughts drift in that direction. Not unless I want my cock to get hard.
“Maybe Angelo has some.” She chokes out a laugh that turns into a moan when I tackle an especially tight spot. “Fuck, that feels good.”
She moans again when my fingers slide up the column of her slim neck. I lean in to inhale her scent, all the while knowing I’m crossing a line. The only thing that would stop me right now is Angelo, but he’ll be too busy managing Lorenzo’s absurd expectations to focus on his cameras.
“Does that feel better, kitten?” She whimpers when I press harder into a knotty spot between her shoulder blades.
“No, it hurts,” she admits.
