I watch Gio’s retreating form leave the room, still in shock that he’s here. How is that possible? He’s shown up everywhere I am. I should have been more scared, or noticed that something was going on. I clearly have no street smarts, with my nose always stuck in a book.

“You do kind of have a Dollface,” Thea says, but she smiles and there’s no malice behind her words.

“Because I’m so pale,” I mumble. I look back to where he exited, and I wonder when he’ll come back.

“It’s your eyes. They’re so bright and beautiful,” she adds, then shrugs.

She picks up a piece of bacon, takes a bite of it, and moans at the taste. “This little boy loves bacon,” she says, going for another piece and shoving the whole thing in her mouth.

“Don’t we all,” I say, grabbing a piece off my plate.

“I’ll make sure the cook has this breakfast every morning for you if you like.”

“You have a cook?” I don’t know why I ask. Of course they have a cook. I’m guessing along with a gardener, a couple of cleaners, and maybe a pool boy.

“Yeah. Lately I haven’t been up to cooking as much. Normally I love it. I still do sometimes, but the cook gets all the food and makes breakfast every morning, then makes some easy meals I can throw together for lunch and dinner. Mostly she does prep work for me.”

I nod and go back to eating my food. My mind is still running wild about Gio being here. Gio. I finally have a name. He looks like a Gio. I’d been trying to guess what it might be. I knew it had to be Italian.

“He’s really sweet, you know,” Thea says, cutting through my thoughts.

“Who?” I ask, thinking she’s talking about her husband. I want to snort. Maybe to her he’s sweet.

“Gio. I saw your blush when he walked into the room.”

I want to say that I didn’t, but I don’t want to lie to her or myself. My fair skin shows everything.

“He’s single,” she adds, wiggling her eyebrows.

“I’m not looking.” Well, I thought I wasn’t. I’d always been so busy with school, then I was a live-in nanny for so long that I didn’t have time. Normally I spent my days at the home I was staying in, so dating wasn’t something I’d given much thought to. I’d always wanted to get married and have babies, but I didn’t know when it would ever happen.

“If you say so,” she says nonchalantly. The smile she’s giving me says she doesn’t believe me. We both go back to eating and I savor some of the best food I’ve had in weeks.

“Let me give you a mini tour,” Thea says after we put our dishes in the sink.

We both get up and she shows me around the house. She takes me to the pool, the game room, theater, and then about a dozen other rooms. I’m in awe at the expanse of this place. She shows me the different wings of the house, and I hope I don’t get lost.

“The one place you never go is into my husband’s office. Unless invited in. It’s the first door on the left when you walk into the house.”

I nod. I wouldn’t walk into any room with a door on it without knocking first. Plus, I will probably do my best to avoid her husband as much as I can.

“And this is your room.” She opens the door and steps inside, holding her arm out for me to come in.

I’m a little surprised to see my things are already here. I knew they were coming, but that seemed really fast. Not that I have a ton, really. Four bags hold everything I own. I try to keep it light, but I like holding real books when I read. Two of the bags are filled with paperbacks I can’t let go of.

“Where is Gio’s room?” I ask before I can stop myself.

A smile lights up her face. “I’m not sure. Maybe the next room over?”

A giddy unwanted excitement lights up in my stomach. What is wrong with me?

“It’s late. I’ll let you get settled,” she tells me. “Thank you,” she adds, surprising me by pulling me into a tight hug before turning and leaving the room.

It’s not until she shuts the door behind her that I register what’s happened. I should have said something back to her, but I guess there’s time for that later. This is a lot to take in at once.

I glance around the room. It’s just as stunning as the rest of the house, but I find myself walking back to the door instead of exploring my new room. I want to look out into the hall and see if I can find Gio. I tell myself it’s so that I’ll know where he is, but I’m beginning to obsess about him. This isn’t good.

I turn the handle to just take a peek, and almost jump out of my skin when I see him standing right at my door. A slow, sexy smile pulls at his lips. He’s more casual now. His suit jacket is gone and his sleeves are rolled up. A couple of buttons are undone on his dress shirt and he looks even sexier than normal. Crap.

I want to go back to when I thought he was crushing on me, and not just a spy. I should’ve known better. A man like him probably dates tall, skinny women. He’s probably used to models. Not short girls with glasses and who have hair they can’t control to save their life. Not to mention I’m on the chubby side.

“Here to spy on me?” I snip, putting my hands on my hips. Better to start on the defensive side.

“Spy?” he queries. He raises one eyebrow as if he doesn’t know what I’m talking about.

“Isn’t that why you’ve been following me around for days? Spying and getting information for your boss?”

He shakes his head as he takes a step toward me. I retreat, but he only takes another step into my room. We slowly do this until I’m pressed up against something hard. His hands come up to cage me in on both sides of my body. His giant frame shields every part of me. I should be freaking out, but my breathing picks up and I feel my nipples tighten. I’m turned on. Double crap.

“I’ve been following you because I like watching you.” His words still my breath. “I want you.”

I shake my head. This can’t be happening.

“You’re in the mob, aren’t you?” I throw back, wanting no part of something like that. Even if I want him so badly in this moment it aches.

“What mob?” he asks lazily, as if he has no idea what I’m talking about. I roll my eyes. “There are some things we don’t talk about, Dollface.”

He leans down, rubbing his nose along my neck and up to my ear. I should push him away, but I find my fingers on his chest, digging into his button-up dress shirt.

“Some things I can’t tell you for your own good,” he whispers in my ear. His breath tickles my ear. He buries his face into my curls, and I feel him inhale against me. How is this turning me on? He pulls back a little and looks into my eyes. “But if you ask me again, I’ll tell you. I’ll never tell you a lie. But I think you already know the answer to your question.”

“I’m scared,” I admit. Not of him. I don’t know why, though, because on paper he should be terrifying. Maybe it’s the softness on his face as he’s looking at me. Having him this close is calming, and though I can’t explain it, I don’t want it to stop.

The only time I was scared was when I was alone under the roof of some mob boss. Who, oddly enough, just cooked me a really good meal. But the second Gio walked in, that fear melted away. When he’s near me, I’m safe.

“I’d never let anything happen to you. Ever.” He says the last word with so much finality that it makes me believe him.

He brings one of hands to my face. He touches me so softly, as if I’m delicate. Without realizing it, I’m leaning into him. I want the security of his protection, and the feeling of him is a warm, safe blanket wrapping around me.

His whole body goes rock solid and his eyes flare with something as they turn even darker. I should turn my head, but instead I tilt it back even more. My lips part just a little, and my eyes fall closed. His warm breath caresses me right before I feel his lips on mine.

It’s soft and gentle at first. He’s tentative in his touch, but I push against him as I rise up on my tippy toes. I press my mouth to his, and as I do, it’s like all his control snaps. He grips my hips with bruising fingers, digging into me as his mouth opens. I moan at his possessiveness and push my body into his. Letting his shirt go, I slide my hands up his hard body and wrap my arms around his neck.

He pushes his tongue into my mouth and I taste a smoky caramel. It’s sweet and I want more of his taste. I get lost in him. I forget about every crazy thing that happened today and focus on this moment. There are no thoughts about anything except the pleasure that’s shooting through my body.

I rub against him, trying to get closer. His hands leave my hips and go to my ass. He lifts me easily, like I weigh nothing, and I instinctively wrap my legs around him. I move my body against his, but then suddenly I’m pinned beneath him on a soft surface. I didn’t even feel us move, but I don’t care. I just want to rub every inch of myself against all of his hardness, but his heavy body has me pinned. Just when I’m about to beg for it, he starts to move on top of me.

A deep moan from the center of my soul rises up from my chest as he dry humps me on the bed. The weight of him on top of me, pinning me down and controlling me…this is more erotic than anything I’ve ever fantasized about.

I want to cry out with pleasure, but instead I keep my lips locked with his as our tongues taste one another.

Suddenly, he pulls his mouth away from mine. “Let me give it to you,” he says, but I pull him back toward me to kiss me again. I don’t want to lose his mouth, not even for a second. This is all feeling too good and something big is building between my legs as he rocks his steely erection against me.

It’s then I realize what’s happening. I was so lost in his kiss I didn’t even feel his hand snaking up my dress. I can’t stop kissing him to tell him to keep going because the feeling of his lips on mine is too good. I pray he understands my Morse code moans and keeps going.

He’s moving my panties to the side. I should tell him to stop, but I push that thought right out the window and shamelessly lift my hips in invitation. Just as cool air hits my pussy, fingers brush my clit and I moan into his mouth. He growls back, the sound sending a delicious shiver through my whole body. My god, is this real? I feel like I’ve landed in a romance novel with the man of my dreams.

He pulls his mouth from mine and moves it to my neck. He’s sucking and kissing me there as he strokes me back and forth. His fingers slide down, pushing inside and making me gasp. There are so many sensations at once, and the sudden invasion quickly turns into pleasure as he moves in and out of me slowly. His rubs my clit again, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I can’t stop myself from rocking my hips to his rhythm. He starts moving faster and I move with him, the two of us getting me off together.

“That’s it, Emma. Look how greedy you are for it. I bet you wish this was my cock, don’t you?” he says in my ear. “If it was, when that sweet orgasm hits, I know it would send me over the edge. With this tight little pussy clamped around my dick and sucking me off, there’s no way I could hold back. You’d make me do it, because you’d be trying to get one more stroke on it and I wouldn’t be able to stop.”

“Gio!” I scream his name as his words send me over the edge. I could picture it all, him inside me as I rode his cock, and the fantasy was too much. I cum, and my entire body jerks. My legs shake and my breath catches. It’s pleasure-filled lava rolling through my veins and just as fast as every atom in my body tensed with pleasure, everything goes lax.

My body melts into the softness of the bed as I enjoy the tingling all over. It takes me a moment to finally open my eyes, but when I do I see Gio licking his fingers. I bite my lip. I like that he wants to taste me.

He sits up, and I try to reach for him to pull him back down on top of me. His eyes are trained between my legs, and I notice my skirt has risen all the way up. He leans down, fixing my panties before placing a soft kiss on my now-covered mound.

“Mine,” he growls against it, and I feel the vibration on my clit. I gasp, and I swear a mini orgasm shoots through me.

Then he’s pulling me from the bed and I wonder what’s happening now. I’m too weak to move.

He unbuttons his shirt, and I watch as his tanned, muscled skin comes into view. I want to reach out and touch it. I want to run my fingers though the hair he has there, but my shyness gets the best of me.

He reaches for me, grabbing my dress and lifting it over my head, leaving me in only a bra and panties. I suddenly feel very self-conscious. I’m not skinny by any means, and I blush as I move to cover myself. But before I can, he reaches out and stops me.

“Fuck, I didn’t think you could be more beautiful,” he says, halting my movement.

He reaches around and unsnaps my bra, my full breasts spilling free. A rumble leaves his chest, and I smile a little. He seems to like what he sees. Then he reaches down and wiggles my panties off my hips and puts them on the bedside table.

“Put this on or you’re going to be flat on your back with me inside you.” He hands me his shirt. I slide it on and he buttons it up for me. “Back on the bed. You need some rest.”

I do as he says, but I don’t want him to leave. He leans down, picking something off the floor, and I see it’s my glasses. They must have fallen off when we were going at it. He carefully places them on the night stand, and the gesture strikes me as loving and tentative.

He turns, and I want to ask him to stay, that I’ll feel safer if he’s with me. Which is crazy because just yesterday I was running from him. But he only goes into the bathroom, and when he comes out a few minutes later he’s wearing boxer briefs and nothing else. I can’t help but watch him move across the room. I’ve never noticed a man’s thighs before, but I can’t pull my eyes away from his. They are thick and I can see his muscles flex powerfully as he moves.

He crawls into bed on the other side, and I don’t say a word. I’m not sure what I should even say, which seems to happen a lot around here. I have no idea what is even happening, but I do know that it feels better than anything I’ve ever had in my life and I don’t want it to stop.

Then the room goes dark, and I roll over on my side, facing away from him. I’m missing his warmth from when he was on top of me, but I don’t know how to say that to him. It’s all happening so fast.

Suddenly I’m pulled to the middle of the bed, and I squeak in surprise. His whole body wraps around mine in a protective, possessive hold, and I sigh happily. This is exactly what I wanted and needed, but I wasn’t sure how to say it.

“Sleep, Dollface. There’s no reason to be scared,” he says in my ear before kissing my neck.

I believe him. I’ve only known him for a short time, but I can already tell I’m safe in his arms. And as I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, I think about how I’ve never felt anything so close to love.