Page 200 of Safe Word

And then, the wife shifted in her seat.

‘You can both stay here,’ she said, her tone still smooth, clearly accustomed to overriding male egos. ‘We have an ensuite upstairs with a double bed.’ Then, with a pointed glare at her husband: ‘I’m sure Cain is devastated after losing his home.’

The uncle exhaled hard, adjusting in his seat. His wife had a bite, and he knew what it felt like.

I liked this lady.

‘Thank you,’ I said, letting my voice soften just enough to rub it in.

The teenager, still watching me like I were some kind of exotic creature, tilted her head. ‘Wait… I know you. Aren’t you that model?’

I clenched my jaw. ‘Not really.’

Her old man snorted. My fingers flexed on Paula’s knee, and she covered it with her palm. The warmth was calming but did nothing to dissolve my growing irritation.

‘So what do you do now?’ he asked.

‘I’m an author,’ I replied to him.

Gianna grinned. ‘A dark romance author.’

Well…

There went the Big Bad Wolf.

Her uncle’s face twisted with disdain. ‘You write chick books?’

I stared at him blankly and levelled my voice. ‘If that’s what thrillers are considered to be.’

Gianna smirked. ‘And he’s very good.’

I angled my head at her. ‘I’m sure you know all about my work, Miss Bellini.’ She was at the Spice Me Up convention, after all.

Paula turned to glare at me again, and fuck, she was absolutely fucking hot when she was mad.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she opened her mouth. ‘Thank you so much for letting us stay for the night, but I don’t like this. If he comes here, he’s bringing trouble.’

Alessio scoffed. ‘Trouble’s already here, tesoro. Might as well welcome it with open artillery.’

‘You mean open arms,’ I corrected, narrowing my eyes at him.

The side of his lip quirked up.

‘No. Artillery,’ Gianna interjected. And just to drive the point home, she leaned back in her chair as she stretched out her leg, displaying a .32 calibre nestled snugly in its ankle holster. ‘Besides,’ she said, ‘Travis is just a man. And men bleed easy.’

I looked to my feet, Gianna’s comment suddenly reminding me how Paula kept the truth about her family from me. I wasn’t scared of them – I don’t think I had it in me to be scared. But I was fucking pissed off.

When Paula made no retort, it made me wonder just how much of a little angel my little angel truly was.

She huffed and crossed her arms, levelling a glare at her cousin. ‘This isn’t a joke.’

‘Oh, I’m not joking,’ Gianna mused. ‘But if he does show up, I’d love to see if Cain here can actually fight as well as he glares.’

That made me grin.

Her uncle gave her a warning look, but I caught the amusement behind it. These women weren’t just packing heat for show. They were capable.

Which only made me feel more eager for the fight I had planned.