Page 42 of Unruly Protector
His gaze stays locked on Rocco.“It’s your dog.Not mine.Not ours.Yours.”
“Okay, mister snippy.Go right back to being an asshole.”Dammit, why isn’t there a filter between my brain and my mouth?
I turn to leave but his fingers wrap around my wrist to prevent me.
“I’m always an asshole, Rina.That won’t ever change.But neither will you.”His thumb strokes over my pulse.“Smart mouth, breathtaking looks, skills no woman in our world should possess.And even faced with bloodshed and killing doesn’t throw you off for long either.You process, grieve, and fucking go on fiercer than ever.Suggesting to put yourself right in the middle of something that could very well cost you your life.And I’m fucking struggling to let you.I know very well you will thrive better if I let go instead of holding on to traditional ways of women in our world.”He brings my hand to his mouth.Placing a kiss on my knuckles he murmurs, “You’re nothing like any other woman I’ve met.”
“Well, duh.”I take my wrist from his grip and give his chest a slight push.“Otherwise you would have been snatched up by now.”
He steps closer and leans in right next to my ear.“Never.You were always meant to be mine.”
It’s a mere whisper.A promise dipped with a loaded emotion and it makes me bury my fists in his shirt to drag him against me.He instantly wraps his arms around me and we just stand there, embracing.No words needed, knowing we’re on the same wavelength.And in this moment whatever decision he makes concerning Dustin, Fredo—the whole screwed-up situation—is fine by me.
Because all that matters is the future.One I hope we get to enjoy together; and we all need to be alive for that to be possible.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Read it and weep
— CLEMENTE —
There are a millionthings running through my head and most of them involve the indication about this being a bad decision.And I’ve never doubted any decision I’ve made in my life.Not even if it caused men to die or risk my own life for that matter.
But this is different.Different because I couldn’t care less about my own damn life but the thought of any harm inflicted on Rina makes my chest tighten to the point of physical pain.
“Are you sure he’ll be okay?”Rina questions.
Here I’m thinking about all the things that might go wrong in the next few minutes and all she thinks about is the dog.
“It’s a dog.He’s tired after all the exercise he got, running after the ball until he just plunked down.He’s sleeping safely in his kennel.Stop worrying about the damn dog.”
“Rocco,” she snaps, making me tear my eyes away from the restaurant in front of us.
“What?”
“The dog.His name is Rocco.You keep saying the dog.”
