The Mafia's Feisty Nanny

Anything?

The bright light in the room made it difficult for me to open my heavy eyes. I blinked several times, adjusting to the brightness, and let out a low moan as I tried to move. Every part of my body ached, and even the incredibly soft bed beneath me did little to ease the pain.

How is the bed so soft? My bed isn’t like this.

I jolted upright, my mind racing as alarm bells blared in my head. A quick glance around confirmed it—I wasn’t in my room. Relief flooded through me as I realized this wasn’t Jace’s room either. My fingers brushed against my head, finding no blood, but a bandage was wrapped around it. Smaller bandages dotted my arms and legs.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips as the events of the previous night came rushing back, sadness weighing me down. How could I have been so stupid to trust someone like Jace?

My thoughts were interrupted by the door creaking open. My eyes snapped to it, and in walked a man so tall and imposing he seemed to fill the room. I had seen big men before, but this one was different—massive, his arms easily the size of my head, if not bigger.

Dressed in all black—a shirt that clung to him like a second skin, paired with pants and shoes—he exuded authority. "You’re awake. How are you feeling?" His voice was deep and smooth, like silk brushing against skin, and it sent a shiver through me.

"I’m fine. Thank you," I replied, my voice raw and raspy. Compared to his, mine sounded dreadful.

As he stepped closer, my breath caught in my throat. If I weren’t so aware of myself, I might’ve openly drooled. The man was flawless, as if sculpted by a master artist. He was breathtaking, the kind of handsome that made Henry Cavill look ordinary. His silky black hair was neatly slicked back, and his piercing gray eyes seemed to look right through me, sending shivers down my spine—in a way I couldn’t entirely dislike.

"I’m glad," he said, his tone even. "Susan will bring you breakfast in twenty minutes."

I stared at him for a moment. "Thank you for saving me, but I’d like to leave. I think I’ve overstayed my welcome."

A cold chuckle escaped his lips. "Leave? It seems you’ve forgotten everything that happened last night, Rose. Allow me to remind you—you begged me to save you, promising you’d do anything for me."

The way he emphasized anything made my stomach drop. A pit formed as the memory hit me—I had knelt before him, desperate, pleading for his help.

"I was scared and desperate," I stammered. "Those were just words."

"Not to me, Rose," he replied, his tone sharp. "They were far more than words. You placed your life in my hands the moment you promised to do anything to save yourself."

A frown creased my face. “How do you know my name? I never told you.”

He leaned back slightly, his fingers idly tapping the table beside him, the sound calm yet unnerving. “Do you think I’d allow a random woman into my house without knowing who she is? I had you checked. I know everything—how you were cheated on and abused by your boyfriend, Jason Griffin.”

The air left my lungs in a rush as his words struck me like a blow. My eyes widened in shock, my chest tightening as if the room itself was closing in on me. “W-what do you want from me?” I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper.

His gaze locked onto mine, cold and unyielding. “I want you to hold up your end of the deal. I saved you, Rose, and now you will do anything I demand in return.”

A cold chill swept through me as my hands began to tremble. How had I escaped one man’s claws only to fall into another’s? My heart raced, pounding against my ribs as desperation clawed at me. No. I won’t be caged again. I can’t let this happen.

Without thinking, I pushed myself off the bed, my legs weak and unsteady beneath me, but I didn’t care. I had to leave. My breath came in short gasps as I stumbled toward the door, my resolve hardening with each shaky step.

But before I could reach the door, a firm hand wrapped around my arm. The grip was strong yet strangely gentle, not enough to hurt but enough to stop me in my tracks. He pulled me back effortlessly, and I let out a soft gasp as I collided with his chest. My palms landed flat against the solid wall of muscle, his body impossibly warm under my trembling hands.

For a moment, the world seemed to still. I had never considered myself short, but standing this close to him, I felt small—fragile. His towering frame loomed over me, and the intoxicating scent of him enveloped me, a mix of rich musk and danger, dark yet devastatingly alluring. My breath hitched as I tilted my head to meet his piercing gray eyes, their cold beauty holding me captive.

“You cannot leave, Rose,” he said, his voice a low murmur that brushed against my senses like silk. His minty breath fanned across my face, sending an involuntary shiver racing down my spine. “I am the only one who can protect you from him—your abusive boyfriend. You know that. You’re an orphan. You have no friends. No one to turn to. You have nowhere else to go.”

His words cut deep, piercing through my fragile defenses. My lips parted as if to argue, but the truth of his statement held me in place. Tears prickled the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away, refusing to let them fall.

Up close, he was even more breathtaking—unfairly beautiful, his perfection sharp enough to hurt. Yet beneath the beauty, there was power, raw and undeniable, that made me feel both drawn to him and terrified of him all at once.