“Queens.”
“Queens? I thought being in the city wasn’t safe for me.”
“Look around. The place is practically Fort Knox. No one is coming in without getting past my security.”
“Am I prisoner?”
“No. We have to sort some things out, and you may need to stay here for a while. But you are not a prisoner. I won’t hold you against your will, Livy. But I hope you’ll stay here until we have somewhere safe for you. I have three guest bedrooms, and they all have an ensuite bathroom. I have a living room and a den, plus a fully finished basement. I will keep you company, or I will give you space. Whichever you want. There’s plenty of room for us to never see each other if that’s what you want.”
“That sounds like solitary confinement.”
“I just don’t want you to think I expect—”
I know what I hope, but I don’t want her believing I’m going to take advantage of her. She watches me before she nods.
“Can I call my mom? We don’t talk every day, but we do a couple times a week.”
“Of course.”
“What do I tell her? We both live in Brooklyn, and she knows I’m single. How do I explain this?”
“We’ll figure that out together, but I don’t have an answer right now.”
I ease her off my lap and open the door. Once I’m out, I offer her my hand as she climbs out. I let go, but I don’t want to. She’s a fraction of a second slower to release my hand than I expected. Does she like holding it? I lead her into the house and start pointing out the rooms on the first floor before showing her the basement. I have a theater down there and a gym. I let her know she’s welcome to use either whenever she wants. When we get to the second floor, I stop at the top of the stairs.
“My room is to the right, and the guest bedrooms are down here to the left.”
She glances toward my door before following me in the opposite direction. I show her each of the three rooms, and she chooses the one that looks out over the backyard. One of my guys grabbed her gym bag before we left the accident scene, so someone brought her bag upstairs while I was giving her a tour downstairs. It was waiting beside the railing that looks over my living room.
“Thanks for having someone grab my stuff. What about my car? The police are going to know it’s mine. Then they’ll want to know how I’m involved in the shooting and the crash.”
“They won’t find your car. Gabriele—the guy who stood to my right last night—will have made sure we took the plates off and fakes replaced them before a tow truck brought it to one of our salvage yards. I can already tell you it’s totaled.”
“I figured, but how do I file an insurance claim? I can’t just get a new one. I don’t have the—”
“Livy, we will sort all of this out. I don’t have answers to everything yet. You’re going to be here for a few days, and I think it’s best that you don’t leave the property. But if you do, I have more than one car you can use.”
“I can’t—”
I hate not touching her when we have these kinds of intense conversations. Yet another thing I have no way to explain. I slide my arm around her waist, but I keep my hold loose as I interrupt her. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea about my intentions since we’re standing in a bedroom.
“You can. I get that this is a bizarre situation. I’m asking you to trust me when you don’t know me. I know that’s no small thing. I told Manuel that you’re my responsibility, and you are. But only because I want that. I’m not looking for some Stockholm Syndrome shit where I kidnap a woman to make her fall for me. But I want to take care of you, Liv. I feel protective of you, and I not only need to know you're safe, I want to do what I can to make you happy while you’re here.”
“I still don’t understand why. I don’t get why you’re doing this. And I sure as hell don’t understand why I’m agreeing to any of this. It’s insane.”
I sigh. I’m going to muddle my way through the truth as best I can when I’m not sure what to say.
“When you stepped out of that building, I thought you were the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”
“You must not have had a very good view.”
Anger pulses through me at her flippant comment. It’s unreasonable, but it vibrates within me. My arm is still around her waist while my other hand fists her short hair. I’m not trying to hurt her like Arturo did. But I want her to understand the man she’s about to share a home with.
“I know exactly what I saw, piccolina. I have eyes like a hawk and ears like a dog. Do not contradict me about how I feel. I said I saw the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen, and that’s what the fuck I meant.”
“You think I’m gorgeous? I’m short, and I’m too—”
What the fuck possesses me? My lips slam down against hers as I lift her off her feet. My tongue presses against her lips, demanding entrance. She’s hesitant—smart girl. But she lets me in with a sigh. I’m ready to devour her—heart, body, and soul. I want her like an addict wants his next hit. I crave it now that I’ve started. However, a sliver of reason tells me to slow down. I pull away and put her back on her feet.
“Whatever you think are your flaws may be very real to you, but I don’t see them.”
I’m panting as my heart races from our kiss. I’m no monk, but I don’t date. I don’t do random hook-ups at my age. There’s a woman I fuck when the mood strikes us. We don’t go on dates. We don’t snuggle on the sofa and watch movies. We don’t chat about our days. I tie her up and fuck her until we’re both too tired to keep going. The sex is amazing. But nothing with that woman or any before Livy can compare to that kiss. Holy fuck.
“Luca.”
She trails her finger softly along my scar as she stares into my eyes. I want her to take those fucking contacts out right this fucking minute.
“You’re the hottest man I’ve ever seen. Men who look like you don’t hook up with women who look like me.”
I lean forward and whisper in her ear much like I did in the SUV.
“Argue with me one more time, piccolina, and I will spank you.” And fuck you until my eyes cross.
“Spank me?”
It’s a breathless whisper that shoots straight to my cock, which is fucking hard and uncomfortable. I know she felt it while we kissed. She pressed her hips forward.
“With great pleasure—at least for me.” I squeeze her ass. “I wouldn’t tolerate anyone else insulting you, so I won’t listen to you do it. I’d beat the shit out of a guy, and I would have nothing polite to say to a woman. Don’t test me, piccolina. Your ass wouldn’t like the outcome.”
I watch her, and the heat that flares in her eyes tells me she might like it very much. I know lust when I see it.
“Or is that exactly what you’d enjoy?”
“I—”
She shakes her head. We’re moving way too fast. She’s not ready to confess her sexual desires to me, and I can’t blame her. I’m not ready to tell her I like my sex kinky and hard.
“You asked me why, but I didn’t get to finish explaining. There’s a fire in you I saw last night. It draws me like a moth to a flame. You intrigue me, but I also admire your strength. It took a lot to witness what you did and not fall apart. Most people couldn’t handle it with that calm and rationality. My guy followed you last night. He watched you in both pharmacies and at Walmart. He said you were methodical in making it look like you weren’t there for just the things you needed. You kept your back to the camera at the gas station. Somehow, you got a hotel room without using your ID or credit cards. I hacked the hotel and know you gave a false name and address. You’re resourceful. I admire you, and I refuse to let anyone extinguish that flame or diminish you in any way. That’s why I’m so protective. You went to a hotel because you have no one else to protect you or because you refuse to endanger anyone else. Right now, you’re alone in this if I don’t help. That’s why I want to take care of you.”