Reaching His Heart

by Tressie Lockwood

  Solette was so busy thinking about her lover that she forgot about the man that was coming onto her. She fumbled with her phone as she headed outside to get a little air.

  “Hey!”

  She started and looked behind her. The man had followed her out.

  “Give me another chance, sweetheart. Let me introduce myself. I’m—” He foolishly touched her arm. It wasn’t even that much of a touch, a brush more than anything. He found himself dangling from Vico’s thick fingers around his neck.

  “You don’t touch her,” Vico growled.

  Solette grabbed Vico’s arm. “Vico, stop. It’s not a big deal. He was just…”

  “Just what?”

  Dread washed over Solette. Where the heck had Cason come from? She turned slowly to find her lover coming toward them from the curb. Behind him was the BMW, and Neil was practically sliding over the hood from the driver side as if they had an emergency on their hands. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “What’s going on, Vico?” Cason demanded.

  The man flopped on Vico’s hold, tearing at his hand and making no progress. Instead of being scared for his life, he was obviously ticked off. Solette was pretty sure any second he would start swinging, and when that happened, Vico wouldn’t hold back.

  “Mr. Cason,” Vico said, “he touched Ms. Solette.”

  “My arm,” she hurried to say in case Cason got the wrong impression. “A light brush. It wasn’t that big a deal.”

  She didn’t know how Cason did it, but suddenly he was holding the man by the front of his shirt and thrust him against the wall. Her heart leaped into her throat when he moved in close. The man’s right fist came up, and she cried out, but Cason blocked it. The dull thwack of fist meeting forearm sickened her.

  “No one touches Solette.” Cason’s beautiful blue eyes were flat with fury. She knew in that moment he didn’t hear her words that the touch wasn’t more than a brush. Cason had lost reason thinking he needed to protect her. She had suspected it before, and he had even said it a few times, but now she knew better than words could say. Knowing that she had been abused had killed him inside, and he would rip a man apart if he suspected the guy even thought about hurting her.

  Vico laid a hand on Cason’s shoulder. “Mr. Cason, let me handle him.”

  Cason shifted his shoulder, and Vico’s hand fell away. Neil moved up behind him. “Cason, let us get him.”

  Cason moved back from the man a few inches, but he didn’t let him go. “You want to hit me? Per favore, provare di nuovo.”

  Vico swore and ran a hand over his face. Neil looked as confused as Solette felt. She moved closer to Vico. “What did he say?”

  “He’s challenging him, Ms. Solette. He wants him to do it so he has a reason to put him on the ground. We’re going to have to pull Mr. Cason off him. It’s the only way, but I think we might get fired. I was told—”

  “What were you told?”

  He shook his head and didn’t answer.

  Solette couldn’t stand the thought of Cason allowing someone to hit him. The man might not be as big as her lover, but his fist was plenty thick, and he looked like he knew how to handle himself under normal circumstances. To think of Cason being hurt was more than she could bear. He’d suffered enough pain, and she suspected he still had to deal with it because of the nature of his injuries. She wasn’t going to stand there while he got hurt again for something so trivial.

  Vico and Neil exchanged a look, but to head off whatever they were going to do, Solette darted past her bodyguard. She risked her own injury by ducking under Cason’s arm to stand between the two men. Her rear brushed the man’s leg, but she thrust herself at Cason and wrapped her arms around his torso.

  “Cason, stop!”

  He forgot to hold onto the man and stepped back, pulling her tighter to his chest. “What are you doing, Solette? Either one of us could have hit you.”

  “Well, it would have been your own fault for fighting. You’re supposed to leave this to the guys.”

  He frowned. “No one touches you. I can’t—”

  “I know.” She reached up to press fingers to his lips. He fell silent, looking down at her with such intensity that it went throughout all her body. Her love for him multiplied. “I know, Cason, and I’m going to let you protect me from now on, but not like this. Please? I can’t stand it if you’re hurt. I can’t bear it.”

  Tears unbidden welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. He looked like she’d hit him herself. “Don’t cry, Solette. It kills me when you cry.”

  She sniffed and scrubbed her face. “I didn’t mean to. Tell me you won’t fight, Cason.”

  He didn’t hesitate this time. “I won’t.”

  Solette forgot everything and everyone as she looked into Cason’s eyes. She partially registered hearing Shakarri saying, “Clear this mess up, guys, so we can get out of here.” By that, Solette figured she meant for the bodyguards to get the stupid man out of Cason’s sight.

  After a while, Solette came to herself. “What are you doing here?”

  He raised her chin and kissed her lips. “I wanted to talk to you about something, and I didn’t want to wait.”

  “How did you know where I was?”

  He raised an eyebrow, and she let the silliness of the question pass. Neil held the car door for them, and Solette climbed into the BMW with Cason close behind. She called to Shakarri that she would see her later at the mansion. Shakarri waved with a big grin on her face as if she had enjoyed the excitement. For the first time, Solette noticed the crowd starting to dissipate. Thank goodness no one had thought to call the cops, or they hadn’t arrived yet. She realized the entire incident began and ended in less than five minutes.

  “I’m sorry,” Cason muttered, taking her hand.

  At the back of the car, Vico packed her purchases in the trunk. Neil slid behind the wheel.

  Solette looked at her lover. “You never apologize. You just hug me or try to give me something when you’re wrong.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Am I ever wrong?”

  She swatted his arm. “You know you are. Often.”

  “That’s cruel.”

  She smiled. “But it’s okay. I guess I’ll keep you despite your flaws.”

  “Thank you.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. “Solette, I don’t ever want you in danger.”

  “I know, and I wasn’t.”

  “To think—”

  “Don’t think that way, Cason.” She snuggled close to his side. “I’m fine.”

  He eyed her for a few seconds and then drew her tighter to him. She burrowed beneath his chin and pressed her lips to his throat. Nothing satisfied her like being right where she was.

  “What are we doing?” she mumbled, already settling into a half-awake state.

  “Dinner. First, I’m going to take you home and let you rest. Then we change and go out. I’ve made reservations, but if you don’t like them, we can choose somewhere else.”

  She grinned without opening her eyes. “I’m sure I’ll love wherever you take me.”

  They headed back to the mansion. Solette made sure Joseph was taken care of, and she promised him a full day out tomorrow. After she had rested for a couple hours, she showered and chose what she would wear that night for Cason.

  Shakarri stretched over her bed, lazily giving her opinion. “That dress is the one. Bright red, it’s so not like you, but so hot he’s not going to be able to get his words together.”

  Solette laughed. “I want him to be able to speak so he can tell me he loves me.”

  “Well okay, just that much.”

  “You’re funny.” Solette shook her head. “I’m pretty conservative. The red’s a bit much, but I’m willing to go with this.” She held up slinky deep purple number that would cling to her curves. “I’ll show off some cleavage. I love how it looks on me.”

  Shakarri agreed. “You’ll get a drool or two from that dress. Okay, I’m going to brea
k you into some serious clothing later. How about heels?”

  Solette snagged matching heels from the closet and held them up. They were four inches. “I might be conservative, but I can do heels. These will set it off.”

  “You’re going to blow him away.”

  Solette sucked in a breath and took her time blowing it out. “Tonight, I’m going to tell him I love him, Sha, and I’m hoping and praying he says it back. I think my heart would sing if he does.”

  Her friend grinned. “You’ve got it bad, girl, but that’s okay. I love Cason, and I only want to see him happy. You do that for him, and it’s all I ask. Get ready, and good luck.”

  Solette almost chewed her bottom lip off with nerves. “Thanks.”

  Chapter 17

  Solette walked ahead of Cason as he held the door open for her. His hand never left her lower back more than a few seconds. Even as she walked, she felt his gaze on her. From the first moment she stepped into his presence wearing the sexy dress and heels, Cason looked like he’d been struck by lightning.

  “Little mouse, what are you doing?” he had said. The tone of his voice was almost angry, and she wondered until he spoke again. “How am I supposed to keep my hands off you in public if you’re dressed that way?”

  She’d blushed so hard.

  At the restaurant, Cason paused and frowned. She stilled beside him and looked up. “What’s wrong?”

  He tugged her around just inside the door and made her face him. She blinked, wondering what the heck had come over him.

  “Maybe we should go home,” he suggested. “No, to a hotel.”

  “Why?” She looked down at herself. The dress still looked good to her eyes, not even as daring as she’d seen Bambi go. It wasn’t so wild that it clashed with her conservative nature. Maybe he was embarrassed. At their first meeting, he’d said she wasn’t attractive. Was he ashamed because she looked like she was trying too hard?

  “I just want it to be me and you, and it’s going to get busy.” He grumbled and looked over her head with a frown.

  A lump formed in her throat, and her chest tightened. She hated feeling this way. Knowing Cason loved her had made her bolder, but it backfired. “If I embarrass you, Cason, it’s all right. We can go home. I’ll change into something else, and we can grab something at a chain restaurant or whatever.”

  He looked struck again and this time grabbed her hand and almost dragged her down a short hall off the restaurant entrance. She stumbled along until he stopped and pressed her against the wall with his hands on her shoulders. Solette saw the frustration in his eyes but couldn’t figure out what caused it.

  He kissed her long and roughly, snatching her chin up and delving into her mouth with his tongue. Then something seemed to occur to him, and he wrenched himself away and backed up several feet.

  “Cason, what’s wrong?”

  He pushed fingers into his hair. “I want to make love to you right now.”

  She blinked and then saw the evidence. Warmth stole over her body.

  “You look good enough to feast on,” he growled in anger. “Trust me when I tell you, you’ve teased me beyond my limit dressed that way, especially since I know it’s my beautiful little mouse being extra sexy for me.”

  “Oh.” She was breathless. “But why is it making you mad?”

  “Because—”

  “Are you coming or not?” Ezio snapped from the end of the hall, and Solette gasped. Cason’s brother stood there just an instant before a hand Solette was sure belonged to Shakarri snatched him away.

  She looked at Cason. “What’s going on?”

  He groaned and put his hand out. She laid hers in his, trusting him. They walked back to the restaurant entrance, and that’s when Solette finally noticed. The place was full of family, including Cason’s mom, his Aunt Livia, her son Joseph, the other kids, and close family friends.

  “What in the world?” she breathed.

  “Mom,” Joseph shouted and ran over to her. “Did we fool you?”

  “Oh, you fooled me all right.” Her head was still spinning. “I thought I left you at home playing with Catarina.”

  Ezio’s daughter popped out from behind Joseph and spread her hands to the sides. “Surprise, Aunt Solette. I’m here.”

  “I see.” She spun to face Cason. “I thought we were having dinner alone.”

  He reached to touch her face and then withdrew after only a gentle caress. “Trust me. I wish I never had the brilliant idea for this party just this afternoon.”

  “This afternoon? So when you said you made reservations, you meant you took over a top rated restaurant on short notice?”

  He grinned. “What a Sartori wants, a Sartori gets.”

  Someone tapped a fork to a glass, capturing everyone’s attention. Solette looked over to see that it was Sonya, Romy’s wife. She set the glass down and pointed the fork at Solette and Cason. “If you two don’t get up here to the head of the table, Ezio is going to have a cow.”

  Ezio flared his nostrils and glared at her. His wife touched his arm, and he pretended he didn’t care one way or another. Solette loved how Shakarri could influence him at all times. She gazed at Cason as he led the way to their spot, and she realized they were just the same. One word from her, and Cason did so much. He could be stubborn, and some lines he wouldn’t cross, like telling her when he was in pain. But all she had to do was ask, and he would move the earth for her. She had never imagined a man—or anyone for that matter—loving her that deeply.

  Solette sat down shaking at the head of the table when Cason remained standing at her side. He took her hand and kissed it, his eyes filled with so much love it took her breath away. She knew what was coming now, and she couldn’t believe he chose to tell her how he felt in front of his whole family. Then again, she shouldn’t be surprised. Family was everything to Cason, even when he pushed them away during his recovery. He would have been lost if they had actually backed off.

  “Solette,” he began, and everyone quieted down. “You were there when I went through my worst nightmare. Even when I treated you like crap and said some things I wish I could take back, you were patient with me.”

  She lowered her lashes and blinked a few times, but it didn’t stop the tears from falling. “I was doing my job,” she whispered, lying. That was how it was in the beginning, but very quickly she fell for him.

  When she looked up at Cason again, she saw that he knew the truth. “You love me, little mouse. Don’t deny it.”

  She blushed.

  “But if you need me to say it first, I will.” He leaned down and kissed her. Whoops of delight rose over the crowd. He moved to her ear and murmured with more gentleness than she had ever experienced. “I love you more than life, Solette.”

  Her heart thundered in her chest. “Cason.”

  He straightened and raised his voice again. “I love you, and I want you to be my wife. You mean everything to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much.”

  She cried in earnest when he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black case. The ring inside when he revealed it could outshine the sun it glimmered so much. It seemed like the Sartoris loved to show off their wealth because the rock was huge. Solette stared at it in shock, but Cason getting down on one knee made her forget about the size of the diamond. All that mattered was her assuring him she already belonged to him.

  “I love you, Cason, and yes, yes, yes! I will marry you.”

  He swooped her into his arms and held her so tight her ribs ached. She held on, kissing him, loving him with all of her being. Cheers rose all around them, but Solette couldn’t let go of the man she adored. At last, when they came up for air, they sat side-by-side, holding hands, their thighs touching beneath the table and Solette practically on Cason’s lap. She couldn’t get enough of him.

  One by one, the family began standing, giving a few words of congratulations and well wishes. Solette listened while moving her hand about so the diamond e
ngagement ring caught the light. This was a dream come true.

  Ezio stood. “Honestly, I never thought my little brother would give his heart to anyone, but I’m glad he’s given it to you, Solette. I approve.”

  Solette looked up in time to see Sonya roll her eyes and mutter something. Romy quickly spoke above her and raised his glass. “Fratellino, may you and Solette share a life of perfect happiness. I for one did believe someone special would win your heart, and Solette is very special. I knew the person who drew your love would find a great treasure because you love far deeper than Ezio and I put together. Auguri e figli maschi!”

  “Here, here!” The crowd shouted.

  Solette leaned over to Cason. “What did that last part mean?”

  He looked too excited by whatever it was. Beneath the table, he ran a hand along her thigh and squeezed. Chills of delight raced through her body. “He wishes us many sons.”

  “Many!”

  He winked. “We’ll work on it as soon as I can get you out of here.”

  Solette forgot her natural reserve and slid her hand up along his muscular thigh. “I can’t wait.”

  Cason scraped his chair back and jumped to his feet. “Party over!”

  A short while later, they were on their way to an incredible life together, overflowing with love, desire, and fulfillment.

  * * *

  The End

  About the Author

  Tressie Lockwood has always loved books, and she enjoys writing about heroines who are overcoming the trials of life. She writes straight from her heart, reaching out to those who find it hard to be completely themselves no matter what anyone else thinks. She hopes her readers enjoy her stories.

  A Note From Tressie,