“Sure.”
“An espresso, perhaps?” Now I know he is amused by me.
I roll my eyes at him and he chuckles outright. He opens a cabinet, revealing a space-age-looking espresso machine built right into the wall, like a safe.
“Un latte,then. I will steam the milk.” He lets his finger dance over the buttons, turning the machine on and programming it with practiced ease. “Trust me.”
Trust me.For some reason, I do. Not only with coffee drinks.
The machine does its work, and Royal sets the tiny cup and saucer on the island next to me. But he must see my uncertainty because he comes close, crowding into my space. A Royal invasion, but I don’t hate it. I’m too busy drinking in his beauty and his scent.
He puts a finger to my lips. For a moment, he just rubs my bottom lip as if fascinated by its smoothness. I feel his touch all the way down to between my legs.
“Would you feel better if I let you call Mr. Rossi?” he murmurs.
“Yes.”
He drops his hand. Without moving out of my space, he pulls out his phone and dials a number. He holds it to my ear, holding my gaze as we both listen to it ring.
“Hello?”
Relief trickles down my spine as I recognize my boss’s voice. “Mr. Rossi? It’s Leah—are you all right?”
“Ah, Leah. Yes. I’m fine. The doctor is here. He stitched me up. Now he’s looking at Cedella.”
“The doctor came there?” I repeat, because I’ve never heard of a doctor doing house calls.
“Yes. He check me first. The men are downstairs, cleaning. It is a miracle.”
“Men? What men?”
But Mr. Rossi doesn’t seem to hear. “Thank you, Leah,” he’s gushing, “for delivering the money.”
Right, the money. Royal’s men must have delivered it.Thank you,I mouth to Royal. He lifts his chin.
“I must go now,” Mr. Rossi says in a distracted rush. “Everything will be fine. Big storm today. We will close the shop until it passes. Ciao!”
“Ciao,” I say, but he’s already hung up.
“The doctor came to his house,” I say, because I can’t quite believe it.
“I told you I'd take care of it.”
“What is going on?” My call with Mr. Rossi didn’t explain anything.
“Stefanos made a move, but I was ready. What I didn’t anticipate was him targeting the bakery. I had men watching before today, but I had called them away. I’m sorry,principessa.I failed you.”
Men watching?“Stefanos made a move?” I repeat.
“He did. But you don’t need to worry about him anymore. He won’t bother you or anyone ever again.”
I stare into Royal’s coffee-black eyes. All the pieces are falling into place, and I know more than I want to. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I won’t keep anything from you, Leah. Not if you ask me. Not if you really want to know.”
I squint at him. It’s like he’s answering a question, but one I haven’t yet thought to ask.
“This is a lot.” I raise a hand between us, but he captures it. His fingers are long and so warm.
