Page 35 of His to Break

That’s true. Benny might be physically intimidating, but he’s never used his fists against another person. I smile fondly as the man in question comes into the room. He places a plate down in front of me.

“Thanks, Benny. This looks wonderful.”

“Can I get you anything else, Signora Volante?” It surprises me when he addresses me that way, but I guess he’s afraid to appear too friendly in front of Leo. When I shake my head, he turns to my husband. “Signore Volante?”

“No, but I want you to drop that Signora, Signore crap. She’s Vinnie, I’m Leo, capisce?”

“Si, Signore… uh, Leo.” Blushing fiercely, Benny hurries from the room. He’s clearly intimidated by Leo, but he’ll get used to him in time. The moment Benny’s gone, I get up from my seat and fling my arms around Leo. He pushes his chair back from the table and pulls me onto his lap. I kiss his cheek.

“What’s this about?” He’s clearly bewildered by my sudden show of affection.

“You’re not what I expected.” Tears prick my eyes. “With everything I heard, I thought you’d be a tyrannical asshole.”

Leo shrugs. “Tyrannical asshole’s my day job. I prefer not to bring it home. Unless you fuck me over, I’ve got no reason to be mean to you.”

I kiss him again, this time brushing my lips over his. Then I push up from his lap. Leo yanks me back down.

“Is that all the thanks I get for being a model husband?”

“You’ll get your thanks later.” I swat his hand away as he slides it along my inner thigh, trying to entice me to give in to him. “I want to eat before my eggs get cold.”

“Yeah.” Leo’s reluctance is obvious. “I’ve got to get to work, anyway.” He lifts me to my feet and then gets up. He bends to kiss my cheek. “The purse you had at Aphrodite’s is in our closet.”

My ears prick up at that. “Is my phone there?”

Leo shakes his head. I didn’t think he’d return that to me, but I’m grateful to have my wallet. My debit card is in there along with a couple of photos of my mom that I carry with me.

“Dino and Marc are outside,” Leo continues. “They’ll take you and Benny wherever you want to go today.”

“Okay,” I tell his retreating back. “Have a good day.”

As he disappears into the elevator, I can’t help smiling. There was something oddly domestic about our exchange. I like how things are between Leo and me right now. I mean, I could strangle him for making me fear he’d drop me off the edge of the building last night, but other than that, I’ve got no complaints.

Not wanting to eat alone, I pick up my plate and cutlery and head into the kitchen. Benny is sitting at the end of the granite-topped island with his own breakfast. He’s already cleared away the pots and utensils he cooked with. He likes to clean the kitchen as he goes.

I set my plate down and climb onto the stool adjacent to his. Benny’s eyes widen, as if my presence startles him.

“Don’t worry.” I pat his hand reassuringly. “Leo’s fine with us being friends.”

Benny blows out a breath. “He said the same thing to me, but I wasn’t sure if I could believe it.”

“You can believe it. If Leo didn’t want us to be friends, you wouldn’t be here.”

I slice into one of the perfectly poached eggs in front of me, experiencing a deep satisfaction as the yolk runs out to coat the mushrooms. I spear a couple of mushrooms with my fork and pop them in my mouth. It’s delicious, as Benny’s food always is. He has a delicate touch with seasoning that seems at odds with his impressive size.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I tell him.

“Me too. I was scared for both of us.”

Guilt tugs at my chest. I should never have brought Benny into this situation. He wasn’t one of my father’s soldiers. He was hired to cook for me and always did his best to stay away from the guards whose job it was to ensure I didn’t misbehave.

“Well, as you can see, I’m alive and well.” I’m almost afraid to ask about his experience, but I have to know. “Did the Volantes treat you badly?”

“They asked me a lot of questions about you, your family, how things were for you in London. At first, I didn’t tell them anything.”

That doesn’t answer my question. A chill goes through me at the thought he might be trying to withhold some unpleasant truth. “Did they hurt you?”

Benny shakes his head and a strand of hair flops over his eye. He brushes it out of the way. “No, but they threatened to.”

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