Page 25 of Enzo's Vow
I sighed, determined to thwart her plan, whatever she schemed. First a phone call, next she’d demand to see her loved ones. She now carried the Cammarata name; my enemies equaled her enemies, and whoever she affiliated with stood at risk. Besides, Elisabetta stewing over her daughter’s well-being amused Carina, and I wasn’t about to rain on my mother’s long-awaited parade. “...No.”
Growls echoed in the distance. My two Dobermans charged toward us.
A panicked spark entered her glare, and she hooked her vise-like nails into my bicep, her body burrowing into my side. She clung to me? Not just clinging, but desperately holding onto me. A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. I’d arrange for Lupo and Fico to surprise us more often.
“Enzo,” she whispered in sheer horror.
The tremor in her voice struck me, a protective instinct I hadn’t asked for, controlling my limbs and dragging her closer to my side. I grit my teeth at my two loyal guard dogs, now perceiving them as a threat and disliking the sensation. One swift command, and the two dogs ran off in the opposite direction. Her uneven breathing matched her shaking body. I gripped her hand and slanted over her ear. “They’re gone now.”
Her trembles rippled through me as she twisted left and right, searching for the dogs herself. Evident distrust shone in her amber eyes.
I bit the inside of my cheek, not liking this one bit. The day she tried escaping, she’d looked ready to pass out when confronted by my guard dogs. I summed it down to exhaustion, butthis… I’d been mistaken. “Why are you afraid?” The question slipped out before I could stop it, devoid of emotion.
She sucked in a breath, her watery gaze revealing the depths of her trepidation. “I’m not afraid of anything.”
Her tremors told me otherwise. No one held this level of alarm unless it stemmed from something deep. “What happened?”
She puffed out a breath as if to dismiss me, but then sighed, her face down-turned. “I… a dog almost attacked me as a child. I don’t trust them. They’re unpredictable animals.”
This affected her since childhood? And she’d gone on this long, neglecting her phobia? I’d not get rid of Lupo and Fico. They made excellent guard dogs and loyal pets, and we needed them on the villa grounds. No wonder she stayed cooped up inside. If she permitted Lupo and Fico a chance to adapt to her, she’d have no reason to fear them. I squeezed her shoulders. “Can you trust me?”
She cocked one brow in blatant mockery.
Of course, she’d be skeptical. I clamped my lips together with a grunt. “Trust me on this at least.”
“What?” She shook her head, pleading with me. “What do you have in mind?”
Whether or not she liked it here, this place counted as her home now. I’d prefer her content to wander the grounds whenever she desired. “I’ll call back my dogs and let you pet them.”
Sweat dotted her brow, and she tried backing away, but I kept a firm grasp on her arms.
“No.” Her shrill cry pierced my ears. “Bad enough those dogs already chased me. Now you want me to get near them. Please don’t do this.”
She’d have more peace of mind if she tried my idea. “You can’t live in fear forever.”
“What if…” She panicked now, her chest rising and falling on the brink of hysteria. “What if I like the fear? It’s a good reminder to keep my distance.”
I dragged her close, pressing her head against my chest until she could feel the steady rhythm of my heart. “Calm down. Breathe with me.”
Her first breath was a ragged, shuddering gasp against my shirt. Then another, slightly deeper. I kept my hand stroking her hair, a slow, steady motion from her crown to the nape of her neck. Gradually, the rigid tension in her spine began to melt, and the frantic trembling of her shoulders subsided into a faint quiver. “Look at me, Gemma.”
She analyzed me for a long beat. “Enzo,” she whispered, her gaze searching mine.
My body flexed with the need to possess her, to claim her fears as mine to vanquish. She provoked such a response in me, one I’d never encountered in all my thirty years, and even hated admitting to myself. “Don’t release my hand.” I encased her hand in my own. “If at any stage this becomes unbearable, say the word and I’ll send them away again.”
She stilled, her eyes bloodshot from unshed tears. “What word?”
“Any word.” I patted her hand in hopes of masking my humor. She had no idea how adorable she was when she overreacted. “Tell me to stop and I will.”
She nodded. A silent consent, but a consent nonetheless. Good start.
“Lupo! Fico!”The dogs bounded down the slope, and I used my free hand to halt them. “Seduto!”
Both dogs sank to their bottoms. The air hung heavy with the scent of damp earth and their musky fur.
I inched closer to my dogs, careful not to startle them or Gemma. “Fermo!”
The dogs stayed in their poised posture.
