Page 87 of King of Omen

‘Mauri and I need to meet with a few local contacts in Sydney. You’ll need to stay and not leave the house,’ he commanded, his tone severe.

I glanced up at him, giving him a side-eye. ‘I’m well aware of the rules. I might have been born to be wild, but I was raised wise. I promise I’ll remain put and not escape.’

He shot me a slightly crooked smile that sent a rush of warmth through me. ‘Bene. Because if you do, I’ll hunt you down and drag you back by your hair.’

‘Such a Neanderthal, baby,’ I shot back. ‘So alpha.’

I laughed, loving the outrage and possessiveness in his eyes. ‘Sempre,’ he growled.

Lorenzo’s phone buzzed on the table, and he picked it up, glancing at the screen before answering.

‘Si, sto arrivando,’ he murmured into the phone before turning to me. ‘Got to go. Mauri’s got the car outside.’

He leaned in and tugged my head close, his hands sinking into my hair. ‘Stay safe, cara,’ he rasped, kissing me with touching tenderness.

I smiled, caressing his strong jawline. ‘You too, honey. See you soon.’

With that, he slipped on sunglasses and headed out the door, the sound of his SUV fading into the distance.

I stood in the empty kitchen, soul aching, longing for him already.

But I also had to focus on my day.

To underscore the point, my alarm went off, alerting me my class was in less than an hour.

The Zoom lecture went off without a hitch until the end, when my professor announced that our Finance Theory 101 papers were due in a week.

I jolted, realising the corresponding handbook and texts were still at my apartment.

I had to refer them to them to complete the paper on time.

I also had no idea how long I’d be stuck at Lorenzo’s house.

That’s when I had a wild tear.

Linda. My housemate.

Perhaps if I asked her nicely enough, she’d drive the texts to me, I thought in fervent hope.

I pulled out my phone and dialled Linda’s number.

She answered on the second ring with a groggy drawl. ‘Hey, Mia. What’s up?’

‘Hi roomie, it looks like I’ll be staying with my family friend for a while longer, but I can’t leave the house. I left my finance books at my apartment. Do you think you might please bring them over to me? I’ll do whatever it takes to pay you back: fuel money, Uber fee, drinks on me, you name it. I need them for a paper I must submit in a week.’

A slight pause lingered on the other end as Linda processed my words. ‘Mia, why can’t you fetch them? Are you okay?’

‘I am, but I can’t leave where I’m at right now. My friend insists on me staying put,’ I admitted. ‘I have to finalise this report and can’t do it without the books. Pretty please?’

She sighed and snuffled. ‘As much as I’d love to, I’ve got a cold. I’m under my doona, shivering with a fever.’

My worry for my paper was replaced by concern for her. ‘I’m so sorry, honey. How bad is it? What can I do?’

‘I’ll live,’ she muttered.

‘Look, forget it. I’ll find another way.’

‘No, wait. Perhaps Tony can drop them. He’s over here taking care of me. At least that’s what he said; most times, he’s on his phone or gaming on his iPad,’ she chuckled.

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