揧ou know, Santino, I wanted it to be you. I imagined it was you. And you protecting my virtue like a murderous, crazy knight in shining armor was the hottest thing I抳e ever seen.?
Santino released a sigh and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. I leaned back with a grin.
揇on抰 imagine me when you kiss Cliffy. What he considers kissing is an insult to anyone with balls. The look on your face is one my Grandma has when I peck her cheek. It抯 not a look of a woman being kissed by a man she isn抰 related to.?
揑f you think you can do better than Clifford, prove it. I抣l be the judge. I promise I抣l be fair.?
Santino gave a dry chuckle. 揑 don抰 have to prove anything.?
揑f you say so.?I shrugged and looked out of the window. Santino muttered something under his breath. I hoped I could provoke him into kissing me. Kissing Clifford had left me?wanting. The kiss had been pleasant and I bet many girls had worse first kiss experiences but it wasn抰 what I wanted. I desired fireworks, butterflies wreaking havoc in my belly and heart racing. Pleasant wasn抰 cutting it.
Santino wasn抰 pleasant or nice. Santino was what I craved.
Even his iron will had to have its limits and if anyone could break it, then it was me.
Anna practically frolicked up the stairs on her way to her room, probably to talk to her besties about every boring detail of her kiss.
My pulse picked up thinking about the moment I抎 walked in on them. Seeing Clifford抯 lips fused to Anna抯？
I抎 wanted to kill him in the cruelest way possible. I抎 already imagined calling Arturo and making a weekend-getaway out of Cliffy抯 dismemberment. He wasn抰 worthy of her. A man should be able to defend his woman. Cliffy couldn抰 even defend himself against a kindergarten kid.
I抎 told Anna I抎 wanted to protect her virtue?which was a half-truth. I wanted to protect her virtue from Cliffy and every other guy so I could destroy it myself. Fuck. For a few months, things had gone downhill. My mind couldn抰 stop seeing Anna as the woman that she was. A fucking gorgeous, very tempting woman who played her assets in all the right ways. Fuck, and she knew it.
I was a dead man walking.
揝antino,?Dante抯 clipped voice tore me out of my inappropriate thoughts of his daughter. I turned toward the sound. He stood in front of his office at the end of the hallway with a look that suggested he抎 read my mind. Of course I knew that wasn抰 why his expression didn抰 bode well.
I strode toward him with a neutral expression.
揑抎 like to have a word with you in my office,?Dante said in a tight voice.
揙f course.?I entered the office then took the seat across from the desk and waited while Dante moved behind the desk, but he didn抰 sit down. He stared down at me. 揝enator Clark called me.?
揅lifford is a little snitch.?
Dante narrowed his eyes. 揑 assume it抯 true that you beat up one of Clifford抯 bodyguards and threatened the boy??
揟he boy had his tongue in Anna抯 mouth. He抯 lucky I didn抰 cut it off.?
Dante抯 eyes flashed with shock then fury before his mask slipped back in place. He looked toward the window, obviously trying to compose himself. I could only imagine what it did to him to find out Cliffy had his paws all over Anna.
揂nna and Clifford are promised to each other.?
揟hat doesn抰 give him the right to touch her.?
揑ndeed.?
揟hese people don抰 share our values. They don抰 have any honor. He might take Anna抯 virtue and then decide not to marry her.?
Fuck, hear me talking about virtue like I had the slightest clue what that was. Anna was right. Virtue and I were total strangers.
揑抣l handle the Clarks, and you rein yourself in around them, especially around the boy. I don抰 want another discussion with Maximo Clark. He asked me to punish you severely for the transgression and have you removed from the position as Anna抯 bodyguard.?
If Clark were a Made Man, he could have asked Dante to remove me as a bodyguard. After all, Anna would be family. 揇id you agree??
揘o. He doesn抰 understand our rules, and I won抰 have him try to stipulate any kind of rules himself.?
I nodded. Many people in the Outfit were concerned that a union with the Clarks would water down our traditions and ultimately pose a greater risk to the Outfit than be a benefit. My main concern with the bond was that Anna deserved better.
Dante still regarded me, his eyes practically x-raying me. 揑 want to make sure you protect Anna for the right reasons.?
This was dangerous ground I was treading on. 揑 protect her because of my oath. I抳e always served you and the Outfit with my life and that won抰 change.?
Dante nodded but I wasn抰 sure I抎 completely convinced him.
Fuck. If he started suspecting Anna was making moves on me and that I was even the slightest bit tempted to give in, he抎 use my balls as Christmas decoration.