I clear my throat, securing an indifferent mask to my features, and gaze down at Elena. “There’s been a change in plans. As I’m still your guardian, you’ll be staying with me until I deem it safe otherwise.”
Her mouth opens, then closes, only to pop open again. I resist the sudden urge to lean down and brush my lips against hers, to taste her for the first time. I’m sure she’d be delicious.
“Do you have something to say?” I arch a brow. When she doesn’t respond, I, lead us toward the waiting car.
Her grey eyes narrow as I glance over my shoulder, revealing a touch of that fiery nature she keeps so well hidden from the world.
“I no longer need protecting. The threat to my life is over, so I?—”
My sharp, bitter laugh cuts her off. “The fact that you’re a mafia princess, in New York, and think you don’t need protection only proves my point. Don’t be naïve. You will have bodyguards with you whenever you leave the apartment. While you’re inside the place, you’ll be under my protection. Now come.”
I toss her carry-on into the back, where my driver, Vincent, has already stashed the rest of her luggage. Opening the door, I usher her inside, then slide in across the smooth leather seat.
A smirk touches my lips when I notice how she puts as much distance between us as possible by settling at the opposite window. In contrast, I sprawl, filling up as much space as I can. My knee almost brushes against hers—until she jerks it away.
My chest tightens. I hate how reactive she is to my nearness. This is nothing new, she’s been this way for as long as I’ve known her. Yet after four years, I want her to be more comfortable with me, instead of this frightened, docile creature that brings out my internal predator.
Though, I suppose I haven’t made it easy for her to warm up to me. I’ve mostly kept my distance. I’ve certainly kept my thoughts and feelings about her to myself. All she knows is my cold exterior, the face I wear to keep everyone at bay. After all, a ruler must be feared. Emotions are a weakness if shown too easily. So I’ve kept those from her and everyone else.
I watch her from the corner of my eye. Over the years,I’ve glimpsed beneath her meek mask a couple of times. I know there’s more to her that she carefully hides away. I’ve seen it. I want that. It’s what draws me toward her no matter how many times I’ve tried to deny the way I crave my second cousin.
I’ve kept my distance from her because each time I see Elena, I fall just a little bit more. My curiosity has becomedesire, my interest in her has morphed into obsession. The kind of obsession there’s no coming back from. So I’ve waited, I’ve watched, and now I can make my move.
Elena… I crave this woman in a way I’ve never wanted anyone before. I’ll settle for no less than all of her.
One day, she’ll show me all of herself. Every damaged edge, unspoken desire, and deepest secret. Elena doesn’t know it yet, but every part of her belongs to me. I came to that conclusion years ago. Some day soon, I’ll claim her for all the world to see.
I let the silence stretch as we ride from the airport to the city. After all, I have plenty of business that can be taken care of remotely. I spend the ride pretending to focus on my phone. I don’t want to crowd my sweet girl, not yet, she’s just arrived. I’ll give her a moment to catch her breath before I pounce. I’m thoughtful like that.
As the minutes tick by I’m aware of her every small sigh, the way she fidgets with her nails, even the sly glances she darts my way. Do I affect you as much as you affect me,cara mia?
My driver parks the car in the secure underground garage, then deposits Elena’s luggage in my private elevator.
Stepping out of the vehicle, I turn and offer her my hand. Because chivalry isn’t dead. She stares at my palm like it might bite her, which I try not to let offend me, then scoots out of the car on her own. So stubborn.
She shoots me an unreadable glance before starting toward the elevator. Ah, she thinks she’s escaped me by not accepting my hand, but she’s wrong.
As we walk toward the waiting elevator, I gently curl my fingers around her elbow. She stiffens at my touch. Her questioning gaze slides up to meet mine. I offer a brief smile that brings more color to her cheeks. She quickly looks away.
I enter the code on the keypad and the doors close with a soft hush. As the carriage takes us up to the penthouse level, Icontinue to hold her elbow as she carries on pretending like I’m not touching her. My thumb draws lazy circles over her flesh. My fingers burn from the contact. The air grows thick with tension.
I don’t even think she’s aware of it when her body sways towards mine. We’re like two magnets. That attraction’s undeniable. It’s a force of nature.
If I wasn’t afraid of her running away, I’d pin her to the wall right now and show her how ignoring me changes nothing. How she’s mine—now and forever. It’s our destiny to be together.
But I manage to restrain myself. I’d rather seduce her, slowly and inescapably, than scare her off in a moment of raw, wild passion. The time for showing her who she belongs to will come. Later.
The doors part and then we’re standing in the foyer of my two story penthouse. I had some updates done around the place, and hired a professional decorator to turn what was a starkly furnished bachelor pad into a real home fit for a mafia don and his queen. Or at least, my future queen.
Elena steps forward, breaking the physical contact between us. She takes it all in. The floor to ceiling windows with a stunning view of the river. The floating staircase leading up to the next level. Plush area rugs, potted plants, and leather furniture ground the open and airy space.
She turns her attention to me. “You live here?”
No, we live here,cara mia. This home is ours.
“Yes. I do. Why are you surprised?”
“It’s just… so nice for a,” she gestures in my direction, “bachelor.”
