Page 20 of Erik's Salvation
“Yes.” Marco lifted a shoulder, his Italian accent thick. “If you won’t take the job, they’ll go with other contractors.” His lips quirked up then. Even though the guy was dangerous as hell, he was good at hiding that part of himself when he wanted to. “You know I generally get what I want, right?”
Erik shook his head.Not this time.The words were a whisper in his head that never reached the air. Nothing about the job sounded right.
The smirk disappeared from Marco’s face, and he pushed off the counter. “Think about what it would mean to me, Hunter. As a friend.”
They weren’t exactly friends. But this man wasn’t someone he wanted to make an enemy of, either.
They stepped outside and headed toward Marco’s Ferrari. When a flicker of movement caught his attention from next door, his muscles pulled tight. He turned his head to see Hannah with her friend Brigid, who was carrying a container. They were walking toward a blue sedan.
When Brigid saw them, she smiled and tugged Hannah’s arm. She tried to pull back, but her friend just tugged harder.
Marco stopped and stared, his brows lifting in interest. “Friends of yours?”
“No.” The word came out too quickly.
Fuck. There was no part of him that wanted Hannah to meet Marco fucking Salvatore. The guy was dangerous. Hannah shouldn’t be anywhere near him.
The women crossed the expanse of yard and stopped by Marco’s car, the redhead smiling.
“Hi, Erik.” She turned to glance at Marco. “Hello, I’m Brigid. And this is Hannah. We just baked some muffins and thought we’d offer one to each of you.”
As Brigid talked, Hannah mouthed, “Sorry,” to Erik.
His gaze focused on her intense blue eyes. On the way the sunlight hit her hair, casting a glow around her head like a halo. When he turned to Marco, it was to see him carefully watching the short exchange between him and Hannah.Fuck.
Realizing Erik wasn’t going to introduce them, Marco stepped forward. “Hi. I’m Marco Salvatore.”
When Salvatore held out a hand, Erik wanted to rip the thing off.
Brigid placed her hand in his first, then Hannah. The second he touched her, Erik didn’t just want to tear his arm off, he wanted to shove it down his fucking throat.
“Marco was just going,” Erik said through gritted teeth, unable to keep the bite out of his tone.
Brigid’s brows flickered, then she opened the container and handed a muffin to Marco. “Here. Take this for the ride.”
The thing was so dark brown, he was sure it was burnt, and the center looked to be sinking. They were the saddest muffins he’d ever seen.
Marco smiled and slid it from her fingers. “Thank you,cara.” Then he gave Erik a look. “I’ll leave you to it.” He got into his car and took off down the drive.
Brigid took another muffin out and placed it in Hannah’s hand. “I have to go. I’ll see you both later.” Then her friend went back toward Hannah’s drive and drove away also.
Hannah wet her lips nervously. “Sorry about Brigid.”
“What the hell are you doing here, Hannah?” The words were rough and angry, but he felt like he had no damn control over his emotions.
She cringed. “I know. Brigid gets a bit excited sometimes. I tried to pull her back, but—”
“You know I don’t like you on my goddamn property.” The second the words were out, he regretted them. God, he fucking hated the hurt that slashed across her face. But he was instantly on edge from seeing her so close to Marco. The guy was a serious threat. And he’dtouchedher.
She visibly shifted from hurt to angry. “Sorry. Next time I’ll just drop to the ground and force her to drag me.” She spun, but before she could get more than a few steps, he grabbed her arm.
The shot of awareness that ran through his body was like a damn bolt of electricity. “I’m sorry.”
It was a moment before she turned. The look she gave him bordered on suspicion. “You’re sorry,” she said flatly.
“Yeah. I know she pulled you over here.” He’d grown used to this woman living next door, but he still needed her to keep her distance. Marco Salvatore, rocking up out of nowhere, was a perfect damn reason why. “Is that muffin for me?”
Her brows shot up. “You want it?”
