Page 54 of That Mafioso Magic
“No.” She put her hand up, silencing me. “This is the life he’s chosen, that he’s excelled at, and when he’s ready to do something different, he will. He is five times your age and has been many things. This… endeavor gives him something other occupations didn’t. He’s not going to ask you to stop doing the things that bring you happiness, so don’t expect that of him. If you can’t accept that he is a mafia boss, then you need to find a way to stop whatever this is before it’s too late.”
“Shi, I appreciate your candor and you have given me something to think about.”
“That’s all I’m going to say on the matter.” She looked past me. “Hey, Sage.” She nodded at him, then walked back to the table to play with her gun again.
“Shi,” Sage greeted. He was dressed in his bathrobe as he toweled off his head. His gray eyes settled on me. I could see them and the golden highlights of his irises. A sure sign he was also a vampire. But really, it just made his already beautiful eyes even more exotic, enchanting. “I thought you’d be gone by now.”
“I… I was leaving. Shi and I just had to clear the air.”
He cocked both eyebrows and cut her a glance. “Oh, really?”
“Just a conversation,” Shi said. God, she was fearless and I’d be afraid to get on her bad side.
“Well, is the air cleared?” Sage asked her.
“As far as I’m concerned—yes,” Shi said.
Sage looked at me now. “And you?”
“The jury is still out,” I said, being completely forthcoming.
Sage pursed those sexy ass lips of his and nodded. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t leave yet. I’ve called Jewel and she’ll be here in a few minutes to escort you.”
I noticed that he didn’t press and I appreciated that. I really did need to think about everything I knew about Sage and what Shi had told me. “You really were serious about giving me a bodyguard?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
“And you’re really serious about me moving in here with you?”
“I don’t make offers I don’t plan on following through on. Yes.”
“What about Xavier, then?”
“No. What if I want to fuck you in the living room on the floor? I like having my privacy.”
I chortled. “Okay… ummm… I get that. But if you think my place is too dangerous for me, then it’s too dangerous for him. He’s my friend and partner. I’d like him safe too.”
Sage sighed, then smiled. “Tell me… don’t dance around it. What do you want?”
Was he really willing to grant me my wish? Just how much rope was he going to give to me? “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. What do you want from me?”
“I can ask anything and you’ll do it?”
He shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m a man of many means. If you’re mine, I take care of what’s mine. Xavier, by extension, gets to benefit. If he’s important to you, then he’s important to me.”
Okay, I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t looking forward to the life he was promising me. I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. In fact, it was more like a spork, and a plastic one at that. Struggle was my middle name, and on the verge of poverty seemed to be my birthright. After my parents died and I went into foster care, I grew up hungry, having to wear old clothes where some didn’t fit me because my guardian often blew money on drugs and alcohol. Children at school would bully me every day. It wasn’t until I entered junior high that I felt brave enough to start fighting back. Sometimes, the only meals I ate that day were at school and I used to always be embarrassed about how poor I was. I never had anything handed to me like this. I almost felt guilty to even want to take him up on his offer. But he was right, my place wasn’t safe.
I licked my lips. “Where can he stay, then?” I asked, mainly because I wasn’t so sure what was on the table.
Sage smirked, just a slight quirk of his full, shapely lips, but it was enough to make my knees a little weak. I wondered if I had the same affect on him that he had on me?
“I own this entire building. My pride members stay on various levels as well as some of my soldiers. It’s just smart to have that level of protection in my business.”
“So, basically, this place is a fortress?” I asked. “And I made it even more of one with the barrier spell I put on it yesterday?”
He nodded. “And one hell of a beautiful one at that.”
