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Sal would push me about taking a wife and securing an heir, and he wasn’t wrong. The problem was, he thought it was easy to find a woman I could stomach being the mother to my children, and I knew it wasn’t.
The scars of my parents’ ill-fated relationship ran deep in both me and my sister, Sofia. When my mother was alive, Casa Nera had been a simmering pot of tension, resentments, and tears. I wouldn’t live like that again. I wouldn’t bring children into it, either. I had my habits and ways of living, and at my age, I didn’t see those changing. There was only a certain kind of woman I’d accept as mother to my children.
My eyes found Charlotte as she crossed the floor. Her fierce protectiveness of her younger sibling showed a strong maternal instinct. She’d make a good mother one day. Protective, loyal, fearless.
I studied her while she approached a table of guests who were well on their way to being drunk. One of the men said something to her that sent her shoulders up around her ears.
After the other night and her absolute bravery in the face of death, it seemed wrong to see the live wire that was Charlotte Burke flinching away from some loser’s attention.
The man caught her wrist, and I found myself striding toward them.
“Be polite, Nurse Burke. We’re the customers here tonight,” the man slurred at Charlotte, just before my hand landed on his shoulder.
His weak bones creaked as I squeezed hard enough to make him release her wrist. “Is there a problem here, gentlemen?” I asked in a silky tone. Velvet-covered violence.
A couple of people around the table went pale, clearly knowing me for more than just owning a casino.
Charlotte rubbed her wrist and blinked up at me, a frown marring her creamy brow. Her pulse fluttered in her neck. I wondered if I'd upset her even more by intervening.
“No, no problem,” the man under my hand panted, trying to loosen my grip. I only squeezed harder, barely exerting a quarter of my strength, though judging by the man’s sweating brow, it was more than enough.
“Happy to hear it. If you need something, come to me. Directly.” It was an order, not a request.
I turned away before they could agree and went after Charlotte, who was moving away quickly in the opposite direction.
“Miss Burke.” My voice lashed out like a whip. She came to a reluctant stop. “A word.”
I walked past her and continued to the hallway outside the restrooms, where the noise of clanking tableware and conversation wasn’t so loud.
“Yes, sir?” Charlotte shifted her feet, her eyes intently trained on a distant point. It immediately irritated me that she wouldn’t look me in the eye.
“Do you make it a habit to let the clientele here push you around and grab you?” Where exactly that question had come from, I had no idea. All I knew was that this timid woman in front of me wasn’t the same one as last night, and I didn’t like it.
She swallowed. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, Mr. De Sanctis.” Even her deferential tone pissed me off.
“That’s all you have to say? Was your defiance last night an act, or are you someone who needs to be held at gunpoint to grow a spine?” My words were mocking and cruel, but deep down, I was disappointed. It was an odd thing to realize. I generally expected nothing from people and it didn't bother me when they proved me right in this regard. Somehow, this woman, with her unfailing courage and loyalty, had sparked my interest.
But just when I lost hope that she was anything different, her hands curved into tight little fists, and she met my eyes.
To be precise, she glared at me.
“Am I supposed to be grateful you protected me from a drunk co-worker? Should I get down on my knees and kiss your feet in front of the whole room? Is that what you expect after last night?” Her eyes flashed fire at me.
A grin tugged at my lips.Ah, there she was.“I’d prefer it in private,bambina, but your mind really is a fascinating place.”
Her cheeks flushed prettily. “I don’t need you to protect me, especially considering you’re my biggest threat. I can take care of myself.”
“Hmm.” I realized dimly that I’d stepped closer to her, and she’d stepped back. A dance neither of us was aware of. But now the wall had trapped her, and she had nowhere to go. I rested my hand on one side, caging her in. She straightened her shoulders and glared at me. She really was intriguing when those rich brown pools flashed amber fire at me. I could get addicted to the challenge held there.
No one looked at me like that.
“Do you think you’re doing a good job so far? Seems to me like you could use someone to take care of you.”
She curled her lip, her contempt clear. “I’ve been taking care of myself and my sister since I was thirteen years old. I don’t need or want a white knight to sweep in and take care of me.”
A chuckle left me at that comparison. “I’m no white knight, Miss Burke, as I’m sure you realized last night. I’m the dragon who guards the maiden in the keep and will swallow you whole if you try to escape me. You put me in control over your life, don’t forget that.”
She was quiet, that damn alluring pulse in her neck pounding harder.
