“No way! That doesn’t count. Next time, Alessia takes my chair.”
When Alessia’s gaze met her Daddy’s, she burst out laughing at the amusement dancing in his green eyes. “How about if we both work on your side when I visit next?” she asked Carina.
“Ooo! Two against one. I like those odds.” Carina linked her arm with Alessia’s and guided her down the stairs and out the back.
In a few minutes, Alessia stood in front of a large closet with women’s swimwear on the bottom rack and men’s trunks on the top. Overwhelmed by the choices, she glanced helplessly at Titus. “Would you choose something for me?”
“Of course. One piece or two?”
“Two. It’s easier to go to the bathroom,” Alessia answered immediately. “Nothing too revealing.”
Titus ran his fingers through the rack and pulled out a deep green tankini top with a modest bikini brief. “You’d look beautiful in this, Little mate.”
“I love it.”
Alessia stood patiently as Titus stripped off her clothing and helped her into the swimsuit. The fabric fit like a dream. She couldn’t wait to get outside to play. Excitement built inside her. The Costa house didn’t have a pool. Alessia hadn’t gone swimming since the last time she visited the country club. “Come on, Daddy. I hear Carina splashing.”
“I’ll be fast,” he promised and shucked off his jeans and T-shirt.
She hoped she’d always find him shockingly handsome. Alessia plopped down on a chair to enjoy the show. His muscles were lean and strong. When he pulled the trunks up to his waist, covering his most private assets, a squeak of protest escaped from her mouth.
“We’ll play swim instructor and his student tonight when we get home,” Titus promised as he took her hand.
Alessia couldn’t wait. Dashing out of the changing room with Titus on her heels, she winked at him before joining Carina at the ladder of the curving slide. “Catch me at the bottom, Daddy.”
“I’ve got you, Alessia.” Titus dived into the pool, joining Marcus in the water.
As she slid down the smooth fiberglass slide, Alessia didn’t worry. Her Daddy always took care of her.
Chapter
Twelve
Alessia slept in late on Friday morning and woke up alone in her Daddy’s enormous bed. Stretching as she looked around, Alessia listened closely to see if Titus was in the bathroom. When she didn’t detect any noise, she pushed the covers away and sat up on the edge of the bed. She headed for the bathroom. After flushing the toilet and running the water to wash her face, Titus still hadn’t appeared.
Puzzled, Alessia grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped the soft fabric around her. Her Daddy was always nearby and came to find her as soon as she or the bedding made a whisper of a sound. His hearing was unbelievably good. She’d made the equivalent of a herd of stampeding elephants in his world, and Titus hadn’t reacted. Something was going on.
The hallway was quiet. Shivers of concern ran down her spine. Usually by this time, his staff bustled around, cleaning and taking care of routine tasks. Alessia crept down the stairs, straining her ears to hear anything from the quiet house. Downstairs, she noticed a pool of light spilling out of Titus’soffice. She peeked inside the door and spotted him, leaning back in his office chair.
Instantly, he focused on her. Titus held out a hand, and Alessia ran toward him. Without saying a word, he lifted her onto his lap and hugged her. Without saying a word, she studied his face, trying to figure out what was going on.
Titus’s eyes didn’t quite connect with hers. His vague expression made her freeze. Alessia sat quietly. She’d learned to spot when he communicated with his clan. His look was subtle but recognizable. This time, the corners of his mouth pulled down slightly. Bad news. Her earlier eerie sense that evil was coming returned. She shivered against him.
His gaze centered on her. Alessia swallowed hard. The conversation going on in his mind was about her.
“What’s up, Daddy? Do I need to leave?” she whispered, scared he would answer yes but feeling like she should offer. His eyes narrowed, and Titus shook his head like that was a ridiculous question. She breathed easier.
Her brother had already caused problems for Nightfall. Carina had shared what had happened to her. Alessia couldn’t believe the sweet woman would even talk to her, much less befriend her, after Enzo’s men had tried to abduct her. When Alessia had asked how Carina could be so nice to her, Carina had indignantly told Alessia that a sister wasn’t responsible for her sibling’s mess.
A few minutes later, Titus leaned forward to kiss her softly. “All done.” He assured her that the messaging had ended. “I can’t sugarcoat this to make the news better. But first, you are my mate. No one will separate us. My clan would never consider that either. If they did, that would be my last day in that group. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Daddy.” She swallowed hard. This had to be bad. She forced herself to be brave and sat up straighter. “Just tell me,”Alessia said. Better to rip off the bandage than to try to ease the adhesive off slowly.
“Bram reports Enzo has declared you a traitor to the Costa family and put out a bonus for someone who locates you,” Titus said.
“A bonus? Like he’s going to pay someone to bring me back?”
“Alessia, you must stay with someone who can protect you. On the weekends, you and Carina will be safer on the observation deck instead of at the bar with me. I can send you a drink whenever you’d like one.”
