Protecting The Princiepessa (Complete)

~ Chapter 21 ~

She had to blink a couple of times, wondering if her imagination had actually conjured him up or if her mind was playing tricks. Or maybe she had actually gone to sleep, and this was another fantasy? She shook her head, knowing that none of that was real. He was there, his eyes roaming over her, and she gasped, reaching for the blanket. She hadn’t intended on someone entering her room, so the pj’s she grabbed weren’t ones that left much to the imagination if someone saw them. He cleared his throat and tried to look away, but his eyes kept coming back to her legs and she frowned. He really couldn’t be checking her out, could he?

“Are you okay?” he finally asked, clearing his throat again.

“Uh, yeah, why do you ask?” Was he actually concerned about how she was after the club? Was he asking about the kiss? Was it even bothering him as much as it was her? That she would say no on, sadly. Adriano was the type of man that could f**k anyone he wanted so she doubted many left a lasting impression enough on him to make him think of them beyond the current f**k. And she hated that, though she refused to examine why it bothered her so much.

“Heard you tossing in here, figured you weren’t asleep yet and wanted to make sure you were okay.” ‘No,’ she wanted to scream, ‘I’m not okay but you’re the biggest douche and won’t talk to me so what’s the point in explaining anything?’ But she couldn’t say that. And actually, she wasn’t sure she wanted to get into the dissecting of that kiss, to be honest. Maybe she should just take it for what it was for, a kiss and nothing more? Wouldn’t that be the wise thing to do?

“Oh, uh, yeah, I’m fine.” She finally looked away from his face and down at her blanket. She didn’t need the light on in her room to see him, her eyes had adjusted well enough.

“You’re a terrible liar.” Her head snapped up and she stared at him before looking back down.

“What does it matter?” He walked into the room and sat on the bed beside her leg. She let out a breath and reached over to turn the lamp on, pulling the blanket up a bit more to cover the rest of her body.

“It matters a great deal. However, it’s also me and I don’t think you need to lie to me.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not, Ignazia.” He paused and his hand moved to rest on the other side of her legs, trapping her under him. She swallowed hard, the image and feel of his body against hers came to mind and she fought the groan. ‘Now was not the time, now was not the time,’ she had to keep repeating to herself. “Was this about the kiss?”

“No.” ’Yes,” her mind screamed, contradicting the word that had come out of her mouth. His brow lifted and she shook her head. “Partly.”

“Well, don’t worry yourself over it, huh? It was just a thing in the club that we were both feeling,” he told her, giving her a brief smile.

“Oh, yeah, right, works for me.”

“See, Ignazia, no use dwelling on it.”

“Agreed.” But she did want to dwell. She did want to question. And Heaven help her, she wanted more of those; more of feeling his body against hers, no matter how f*****g wrong it was. But she was smart, and if he said no more, he meant no more, at least for the moment. He cleared his throat and eased back.

“What was the other part?”

“What?” She was so lost in her thoughts, in her feelings, that she couldn’t even focus on what he was saying. All she could think about was what he was denying them. She sure as hell didn’t imagine his hardness, so why say it didn’t matter? They came straight home so it wasn’t like he had the means to go f**k a chick. Sure, he might have gotten off in the shower, but that still couldn’t feel as good as actually slipping into a wet and hot center. Oh f**k, she needed to stop. Finally, she looked at him, saw his smirk, and tilted her head. “What?” she asked again.

-----

He wanted to laugh at how uncomfortable she was. Not because she was, but because her face was giving her away. But he had to make her understand that that kiss was a mistake, a one-time thing, and it could not happen again. No matter how much she wanted it; or how much he did for that matter. And sitting here, with her like this, in that little ass thing that she called a pajama was driving him insane. He was struggling to remember why he came in here in the first place. And struggling to remember why it was best if he stayed away. Finally, he cleared his throat again and smiled. “I was asking what else is on your mind?”

“Oh.” She paused again and shifted the blanket, exposing more of her legs, legs he was having issues with, and trying not to stare at. He had actually thought, when he first walked in, of having those legs wrapped around his waist, but he had to stop those thoughts and images. “The news.” Yeah, that was the ice-cold water he needed.

“That news that I got at the club?” She nodded and her hair fell over her shoulder, and he fought not to push it back. “That news isn’t for you, Ignazia.” She tilted her head, exposing her neck, and God damn all he wanted to do was nip and suck a path up and down it. Really, what the f**k was wrong with him?

“It’s not for me, or it’s not about me?”

“Oh, no, make no mistake, that’s news that was about you, however, it’s not going to do you any good in knowing it.” He watched as her eyes flared with the fiery spirit that was in there and he wanted to smirk. He knew that would get a rise out of her and he refused to examine why he took joy in that.

“I have a God damn right to know, you asshole!” He so did enjoy ticking her off, it was becoming a favorite pastime of his.

“You really don’t. As your bodyguard, I know what I need to know, as does your dad. Those are the two most important people to know.” She flung the blanket off in anger, not caring what was available to his eyes, and there was a lot. Sure, she was a curvy woman, and little by little he was finding no faults with that. The jeans on her hugged her ass and legs, and the top she wore now did very little to cover her chest, was showing that it was way past a handful for him. Damn it, this wasn’t good.

“How dare you! You can’t do this to me! You can’t just get information that pertains to me and not f*****g share it! Is this how my dad’s other kids are treated? Like they don’t have two licks of sense in their head and can’t figure out how to fight battles on their own?” God, she was beautiful when she was angry. And her words were valid, but in this life, in this world of theirs, they held little value.

“They are, in fact, treated the same.” He leaned forward, getting in her face, and she sucked in a breath. “Make no mistake, Ignazia, I know you’re pissed; however, it doesn’t matter to me. What I was told, what was passed on to your dad, will not get said to you. It’s your job to trust me, and your dad, that you will be safe.”

“You mean between the flat tires, the people tailgating us, or even being shot at?” He ground his teeth together, not about to give in that she had a point. But, still, as of yet, no harm had come to her, and he wouldn’t let it.

“Those are weak asses excuses at best.”

“So, what, Adriano knows best, and like some little lamb to be slaughtered I’m just supposed to follow you and shut up.” He was sad that he had to leave those flames in her eyes, they were doing a number on him. But he had to get up early the next day, as did she, and sleep would be hard in coming anyway. So, without answering, he got off the bed, finally taking a deep breath.

“Yes,” was his one-word answer. She growled as he walked to the door, not bothering to hide his smile at her frustration. “Oh, one more thing.”

“What the f**k more could you tell me? What to wear? What to say? How to act? I mean, you already told me whom I can’t f**k!”

“I can tell you a lot of things, but it’s not all my place. What I have done, though, is because I know your dad. Regardless of what you think or feel, you’re rather important, and not just any old fool is going to work in dating you. So, again, if a f**k is all you need, I can tell you whom to go to.”

“Ace was into it.” His eyes flashed at his anger as he looked at her and then looked her over again.

“Ace is to remain off limits.”

“He seemed into me,” she huffed out and he had no doubt that Ace was. However, Ace was one of the biggest man w****s around, which normally Adriano didn’t care about.

“He’s into anything that has a p***y and t**s, don’t flatter yourself. Ace is a horrible man w***e who would say and do anything to f**k you. He is also an associate of mine and I rather enjoy doing business with him, so I would hate to have to kill him because he f****d with the boss’s daughter, even if he doesn’t know that he did. I repeat, stay away from Ace.” With that, he closed the door on her and her way too-tempting body.