Grabbing glasses, I left her to pull her hand back without the feeling of my eyes studying her every move. Setting them to the right of each of our plates, I grinned at her when her eyes settled on mine.
“You’re left-handed,” she said, her honey eyes wide as she looked up at me with confusion.
“I’ll manage,” I answered, shrugging it off. But I didn’t miss the way her shoulders relaxed and tension instantly faded from her body. It served as another affirmation to my suspicions, leaving me wondering just how she hid it from everyone else. I’d never heard mention of her having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and sadly things that separated those of us with disorders from the rest of the population came up in conversation far too often. If it were common knowledge, someone would have mentioned it to me in passing.
Cutting off a slice of the cheesecake, I set it in the center of the plate with the point facing toward her. A few moments passed where Sadie just stared at the cheesecake, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.
Biting my bottom lip to stifle my chuckle, I moved to sit next to her after filling the glasses with water. Settling my right hand on her thigh, I squeezed her gently. “I told you I see you, Baby Girl.”
She swallowed past her nerves, picking up her fork carefully and ignoring me. “I never see you drink coffee,” she said, changing the subject.
I allowed it, knowing I’d pushed her to her limit for one night. Her life was changing around her, and if I’d learned anything about Sadie, it was that she resisted change on principle. “It makes me jittery. I don’t like to feel like I’m enhanced or altered by anything,” I explained. “I never thought to offer you any. I can dig out the coffee pot.”
“No,” she said, smiling softly. “I don’t drink it either. The last thing I need is an energy boost.” She watched as Rebel finished her food, moving over to her bed in the corner and curling up to sleep. “Do you think she has an owner?”
I sighed, swallowing my bite of cheesecake and turning my full attention to her. “I think that dog found you for a reason, Carina. She’s yours, and we’ll figure it out after we hear back from the vet if anything is standing in the way of that.”
“You’re right. I know it’s stupid to worry about it until I know for sure. I just—” She paused. “I don’t want to lose her,” she admitted, shoveling another bite into her mouth. “That’s ridiculous, isn’t it? I’ve had her for a few hours.”
“Sometimes you just know when someone is a part of you,” I said. Her fork clattered to her plate, the sound particularly jarring since Sadie always set her silverware on her napkin.
“Who knew criminals were such firm believers in soul mates.” She finished her last bite with a roll of her eyes. “How many have you successfully seduced with that line? You don’t have to bother with me. I think I made it clear in the gym that I don’t need sweet lies from you.”
“I’ll never lie to you, Carina. I know that doesn’t mean anything to you right now since you’ve got your head fully planted up your own ass, but one day you’ll realize I mean it. One day soon, you’ll understand that I’m not like whoever hurt you before. I won’t lie. I won’t cheat. I won’t leave you.”
“I give it a week,” she argued, standing and retreating to the stairs. “Thanks for the chocolate, Big Guy. I needed something satisfying,” she purred. She kept her steps casual, her pace slow as she made her way up to her room.
But she’d forgotten to take care of her plate, and that alone was a sign of how cornered she was. When I combined that with her little escape attempt at the estate, I knew she rapidly approached the point where she’d need to lash out.
Rebel glared at me briefly before racing up the stairs to follow after Sadie.
Women.
15
Sadie
I didn’t think I’d ever before hated someone the moment she opened her mouth. I tried not to judge other women, since men judged us enough for everyone involved.
But the moment she twisted Enzo’s last name around on her lips like a sensual ploy of seduction, I wanted to stab my real estate agent in her perfect boobs. “Miss Hicks,” she said, shaking my hand after she introduced herself to Enzo. As if the obvious flirtation hadn’t been enough to make me dislike her, greeting the man before me, when I was her client?
I’d rather stub my pinky toe than give her a cent of commission.
She led the way up to the brick building. The interior of the ground level was dark compared to the storefronts surrounding it. Immediately, I suspected the space would be too small for what I needed.
I’d been trying to convince Dad to open up a second location for years, but he insisted I needed more time to get my feet under me. With the gym more profitable than ever after Mike became a regular patron and brought all his buddies from the Underground to train at Fists of Fury, even Dad couldn’t deny the time had come to think about expanding.
With no interest in coming out of his retirement, Dad had hesitantly allowed me to be the one to tour properties and find a location I thought would work.
Following behind the agent with Enzo at my side, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I practically skipped in my boots, even suspecting it wouldn’t be the location I settled on renting and despite my irritation with Rose. Finally, I’d earned Dad’s trust enough that he had no choice but to let me take some more control.
I lived for that gym, but the time had come for me to live for a second location too. “The owners used it for an antique store before, but they’ve tentatively agreed to your remodeling plans,” the real estate agent, Rose, said as she put her pin into the lock box hanging from the door. She deliberately bent over to give Enzo a perfect view of her ass in her pencil skirt. Under any normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have blamed her in the slightest.
A girl had to do what a girl had to do.
But this was Enzo, who had his hand on me every step we took. Enzo, who made no secret of his lack of interest in her display or the way she’d purred his name.
“How many square feet is it?” I asked, watching as she twisted her lips in thought and seemed unhappy with my interruption.
“Just under three thousand square feet,” she said. “I know it's smaller than you wanted, but you’ll have a hard time finding something that will allow extensive renovation with that kind of space in this neighborhood.” Stepping into the space, I bit my lip. The antique store layout involved various small rooms for displays. I’d hoped to find something more open that would involve fewer structural renovations so we could move in more quickly.
“What’s the rent?” Enzo asked, ignoring the glare I shot his way.
It was only the price she said that drew my glare away from him and back to the woman. “So it's smaller than I wanted and over budget?”
“Miss Hicks, I’m afraid your budget is just too small for this proximity to the Loop. If you’d like to expand your area, then I can show you a variety of options. But working within the parameters you set has proven difficult.” She turned her gaze to Enzo, easily dismissing me. Even though he wasn’t wearing a suit, she seemed to think he would be the one to make the final decision when the reality was, I’d just dragged him along for the ride. I suspected she was more accustomed to dealing with clients who put on a suit for commercial property tours, but I was renting the building for a boxing gym. I wouldn’t pretend to be something I wasn’t.
Not when I’d spend most of my time in the building I chose in a sports bra.
“So this doesn’t match any of the things you requested, Carina?” Enzo asked, turning his hardened gaze my way and ignoring her catty stare.
“No. Not a one,” I said with a sigh. Tapping my fingers on my thigh with one hand, I pinched the bridge of my nose with the other. Already a migraine threatened like a thrum inside my head, the initial ache lurking and waiting to knock me on my ass.
“Right. Rose, was it?” Enzo asked. She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest to push her breasts up and pouting at him as she wait
ed for his reprimand. A scolding never came as Enzo leveled her with a bored look and simply fired her. “We won’t be requiring your services any longer.”
“Surely that’s extreme,” she laughed. “If you’d give me some leeway, I can find Miss Hicks something that works for her aspirations.”
“No need. I’m sure David Miller will find something according to our needs,” Enzo said.
Rose paled in the face of that name, swallowing down her discomfort. She nodded, all traces of flirtation gone from her face. “Very well then. It seems we’re done here.” She gestured for the front door, and Enzo guided me toward it with a hand at my waist.
“No, we are not done here,” I hissed at him. “I don’t know where you get off thinking you can just insert yourself into my business, but this is my gym, Enzo. I won’t have you sticking your nose in it.”
“Relax,” he soothed, guiding me to the SUV until my back hit the door. He leaned over me, caging me in as his hand cupped my cheek and thumb dragged over my cheekbones. “The gym will always be yours. Miller is Lino’s agent. I’ll give you his number. His reputation opens doors that might otherwise be closed, Sadie. Your connection to the Bellandis has hurt you. It’s time you started using the perks of it, too.”
I sighed, hanging my head forward and considering my response. The independent part of me wanted to tell him to shove it, but I loved the gym enough that I’d take every advantage I could get.
If it meant my father would be more impressed with the location and price I negotiated, then I had a feeling I’d sell my soul to earn that approval.
I hated to say it. I really, really did. But Enzo amused the shit out of me. He'd kept his eyes on me all day since we’d left his house, refusing to accept that I hadn't actually been trying to escape at the estate. All I'd wanted was some fresh air.
The friend coming to get me was just in case an opportunity presented itself. There was absolutely nothing wrong with taking an opportunity when it popped up, but his watchful gaze contradicted that entirely. I'd practically pranced around the gym all afternoon, even after my annoyance at him for sticking his head into the gym business. I was too wrapped up in enjoying the way his eyes narrowed whenever I came too close to a male client. It felt like payback, since I’d had to watch Rose ogle him like he was a tasty forbidden dessert. Ivory, Samara, and Calla had constantly complained about the jealousy when they first got together with their husbands. At least until the opportunities for that jealousy to show through no longer existed because they were locked away with bodyguards and very clear rules. That would never happen with me, because I'd like to see Enzo try to lock me up in his house permanently. I'd break every goddamn window and cut his balls off with the jagged glass before I let that happen.
I liked Enzo, despite my misgivings, at least if he could adjust to me not being the pretty little pet he seemed to want. There was no white picket fence in our future. No wedding bells. No kids. None of those things would ever happen for me, but if he could accept that what we had was all fun and games and we could establish some boundaries? I’d be more than happy to bounce on his pogo stick until it all came crashing down.
He didn't seem to be on board with that, but he'd come around. Men always did.
After I finished up with a new client, instructing him through a back kick and getting him set to practice on the bag, I moved to where Enzo lurked near the front desk. The few female clients who moved through the space eyed him each time they passed, chugging water so they would have to go bend over the fountain in front of him. He was oblivious, absorbed in the work on his tablet. His eyes darted up every few seconds to check on me, and it was a heady sensation to feel that pull. To know that he didn't have the time or inclination to glance at women who bent over in tight workout pants to catch his eye, but that he had time to look at me constantly. His hazel eyes warmed, sparking with that familiar heat as I made my way to him. The muscles of my stomach clenched, as if his gaze was a physical caress, and I could feel the fingers of it trailing over my skin in a delicate tease.
The knowing smile that curved the edges of his lips was intoxicating, drawing anyone into his orbit. I stepped around him, staying just out of his reach. His teeth sank into his bottom lip as I rounded the front desk, stepping behind it to check on Rebel where she lay sprawled out on her new doggy bed. The massive, plush thing was like the Lambo of dog beds, just like the one at home, and if it wouldn't be unbelievably ridiculous, I'd probably have been tempted to curl up on it with her.
She'd slept with me the night before, curling up at the foot of my bed in Enzo's home. I'd wondered briefly if I could sleep in a bed with a dog and the potential hair she'd leave behind, but I found that my issues with such matters weren't concerns with her. If anything, it was like she calmed the more relentless parts of my nature that never seemed to leave me alone. Making life more tolerable just by being there with me.
I refrained from disturbing her even though I wanted to pet her, chuckling at the way her chest rose and fell in perfect timing with her soft snores.
One of the weights to our right crashed to the floor with a massive bang, the sound echoing through the room. A glance at Enzo showed his body suddenly going solid, all traces of emotion wiped from his face. Turning away from him, I yelled to whoever had dropped the weight so carelessly. "Easy! I—" Enzo lunged over the counter, his body moving with a ferocity I'd never seen. It collided with mine, tackling me to the floor so suddenly that he forced the breath from my lungs in a sudden heave and stole the words from my throat. His body covered mine, every inch of me suffocated by the shield he created with his own weight. "Enzo," I whispered in surprise as my voice came back slowly, my throat tight as I formed the words.
He didn't respond, didn't even flinch, even though there was no way he couldn't hear me. His ear was right next to my forehead, his chin by my nose. My fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, gripping lightly until I maneuvered it up and touched my fingertips to his bare skin beneath it. His muscles tightened, as if his body sensed my touch, but he never moved. He never acknowledged the touch with his words. Nothing but a solid block between me and the rest of the world. The hand next to my head held his Glock. His gun drawn, eyes alert, I realized with a start that whatever happened had made him tackle me, protect me with his body as his priority.
But voices approached us from the rest of the gym, laced with concern that I could barely hear over the muffling effect of Enzo's body. "Enzo," I repeated. "It's okay." Rebel's nose brushed against my hand as she nudged his side, nuzzling into him. Her tail flicked back and forth like a whip, cracking against my hip now and then as she curled her body into ours. "Lorenzo," I murmured softly. I pulled my hand out from the place he'd trapped it between our bodies, cupping his coarsely stubbled cheek in my palm gently. "Where'd you go, Big Guy?" I asked. Some of the tension drifted from his frame, his body relaxing over mine as he let out a slow breath. He still didn't speak, didn't move to get off me, but his face came into my line of view.
His hazel eyes were blank, and I knew whatever memory played out in his head, he didn't see me as I was. "Sadie," he whispered, his voice hoarse. As if he tried to pull free of the grasp of the memory he was trapped in, of the trauma that pulled him back to a place I didn't want to contemplate.
"I'm right here, Lorenzo," I sighed, touching my lips to his softly. The moment felt unbearably intimate. Seeing him in such a state, touching him when he was so vulnerable, felt like far more than a fuck buddy would do.
Knowing that he still protected me, wherever he went inside the horrors of his mind, only worsened the nagging emotion in my chest that felt an awful lot like love. I didn't want to want him. I couldn't want more, because the moment I did it would be ripped away from me. Just like always.
Life filled his hazel eyes as I pulled back, his entire body going rigid the moment he realized where we were. "Fuck," he groaned, shoving his weight off me. He sat with his back to the front desk counter, hanging his head in his ha
nds and shoving his gun back into his holster. "Did I hurt you?"
"No." I shook my head. "That was probably the least painful tackle ever. I don't even remember hitting the floor," I said with a light tease as I moved to a sitting position. He glanced around, probably wondering who had seen his episode. Rebel butted her head up against his hand, wiggling into his side to demand attention, and he absentmindedly stroked her short fur.
"Can we get out of here for the day? I just...I need to go," he admitted. Normally, I'd have never tolerated leaving the gym early two days in a row. But the humiliation on his face and the soft sound of his voice fell only slightly short of begging. There was nothing left to do but nod and go change and get my things. The gym would be fine for the day with Beth to run it and several other trainers on duty.
Enzo was more important.
I'd been to Indulgence before, but something about walking in with Enzo felt different. The club was still quiet for the day, only one of the bars downstairs open to serve finger foods and alcohol to the people who came in midday. They were few and far between, because while Indulgence had the highest quality of everything, who went to a nightclub for lunch?
Enzo didn't bother with any of the people who looked to him as we strolled in the front doors. Rebel hovered behind us, her feet padding across the hardwood floors quickly to keep up with his rigorous pace. People who wanted his attention seemed to get the hint as he stormed through the space, avoiding him to the best of their ability.
I kind of envied them for that, since I felt like wherever we went wouldn't end well for me. Something was coming. Enzo wouldn't hurt me, but the rigidity of his frame set my anxiety to a rapid pitch, my fingers tapping against my thigh in steady bursts of five. Rebel bumped my hand, but even she couldn't distract me.
Not from this.
"I can just hang out here. Learn to be a bartender or something," I said as we reached the bottom of the stairs.
Shielded Wrongs: A Dark Mafia Romance (Bellandi Crime Syndicate Book 4) Page 13
