"Ah, you're scaring my Angel I see," Matteo said from the top of the stairs. His legs made quick work of hurrying down them to meet me at the foot of the stairs. Touching his lips to my cheek briefly, he kissed me goodbye like a husband leaving for work. As if our relationship was normal, and he hadn’t broken into my home while I slept. I turned to face him, and I knew he could see the apprehension in my face. "Don't worry, Simon and I are leaving. I have business to see to." I breathed out a sigh of relief. "Try not to give Scar too much shit, okay?"
"You can't be serious!" I protested. "I'm not letting you put some babysitter on me."
"Bodyguard," Matteo corrected in a deep voice that left no room for argument. "Scar, why don't you take up position outside for the time being? I don't think Ivory is ready to have a house guest just now."
"Yes, boss," Scar grunted, chugging the rest of his coffee and sliding past me to get to the front door quickly.
"Is he just going to stand out there all day?"
"He'll do perimeter checks periodically. Aside from that he has the SUV." I hesitated, feeling horrible that the man would have to just sit out there, but steeled myself against the feeling. I wouldn't let an intruder remain in my home just because it was less comfortable outside.
"See you later, Angel," Matteo said, pressing a quick kiss to my unmoving lips and then he and Simon were gone without another word. Matteo's Aston Martin and what I presumed was Simon's SUV backed out of the driveway, and Scar's voice reached me from the remaining SUV when he rolled the window down.
"Go back inside, Miss Torres," he said, his voice void of any form of inflection. I nodded, stepping back into my house. I went for my phone.
I needed Sadie.
✽✽✽
Sadie sat at my island again, her customary place. Having had the two unfamiliar asses perched in the seats that my two best friends had claimed so long ago sent another pang of discomfort through me. She was far too quiet, though it was probably to be expected. She hadn't gotten the full story yet, only as far as the fact that I had in fact gone on the date.
She didn't know that I'd woken up to Matteo mostly naked in my bed.
Or that he'd invited two strangers into my home, because he had no boundaries when it came to me or my privacy.
I nabbed the onion from my drawer, setting it down on the cutting board a little too forcefully. "What are you making now?" Sadie asked, and I didn't miss the suspicion in her voice.
"Spring risotto," I said. "The recipe was fantastic, and I want to see if I can replicate it while it's still fresh, you know?"
My front door opened, and Duke's face filled my vision when he crowded into my space quickly. He took my face in his hands, his eyes boring into mine, and then they darted to glance all over my face as if he'd be able to see trauma. "I told you. I'm fine," I hissed.
"You also told me you wouldn't go on the date," he accused, and I winced.
"I didn't have much choice." My voice was a weak whisper. I so didn't want Duke to be present for the conversation I needed to have with Sadie. He would lose his mind.
"What does that mean? And what's with the beefcake screening your visitors? Christ, Ivory," he turned, plopping into his customary bar stool.
"He's her security, apparently," Sadie said, sipping her green smoothie through her straw.
"What the fuck? Why do you need security?"
"That's a really good question," Sadie concurred, and I knew I would not get out of admitting the entire story. Not now that I'd started.
"Can we just talk about this later?" I asked Sadie pointedly as I finished chopping my onion.
"Nope, not happening, Ive." Duke crossed his arms over his chest. I fished my pan out, slipping butter in and hanging my head once the heat was on.
"There was a slight incident at the restaurant," I admitted. "One of Matteo's business rivals became interested in me, cornered me in the bathroom. Matteo seems to think he's dangerous, so for the time being I'm stuck with Scar."
"Shit," Sadie muttered, and I watched as Duke's eyes flared. He stood from the stool, striding around the island to turn off the heat on my stove.
"Pack your shit, Ive."
"Duke-" I protested. We'd been here before.
"No, I let you try it your way. Do you see how well that worked out?" He pointed outside, where I could practically feel Scar watching our interactions through the mirror.
"I can't."
"Do not tell me you're getting sucked into his web again!" Sadie jumped up, hands on her hips. "Do you remember what happened last time? You were so happy with him, and fell so hard, and he crushed you!"
"I'm not!" I ran my hands over my face. "I just, I don't think it will matter if I'm here or at your house. You don't know the full story yet." I knew my grimace was visible and watched as Duke's face morphed in anger.
"What, Ivory?" Sadie's voice gentled, seeming to realize I was balancing delicately on the edge of sanity.
"He was here this morning when I woke up," I whispered.
"The goon? I figured he turned up at some point, since he's outside now," Duke said, and I turned wide eyes his way.
"No. Not Scar, I mean him too." I sighed, even I knew I was doing a shit job of explaining a shitty situation. "Matteo."
"What did he want? Introduce Scar?" Sadie asked, and I knew she was as confused as Duke looked.
"Matteo was in bed with me when I woke up," I spat out.
"You slept with him?" Sadie hissed, looking at me like I'd lost my mind.
"No! I went to bed alone," I explained. "He—I think he picked the locks. Crawled into bed with me while I was sleeping. Scar and Matteo's security guy were down here when I tried to leave. They told me it would be pointless to run. That he would never stop," I gasped, feeling the weight of their stares on me.
"Holy shit," Sadie whispered and her brow furrowed.
"Duke?" I asked, watching as his face hardened to a point I'd never seen before.
"He was in your bed with you? After he broke in?" I nodded, feeling tears pool in my eyes when he turned and strode out of my house without another word.
"Duke!" I yelled, chasing after him.
Sadie grabbed my arm, stopping me from following him out the door. "Let him go. He needs to cool off, think things through. You know how protective he is of you."
I nodded, feeling like I'd fucked up again.
I shouldn't have told them.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
"I don't know, Sadie. This time I really don't know."
Ten
Matteo
I couldn't wait to get back to Ivory, but the life I lived stopped for no one. Taking a day off to spend with my angel just wasn't possible, especially not with Adrian sniffing around her like a rabid dog. Donatello poked his head in my office while Lino and I were going over some upgrades to one of the apartment buildings I owned within the city. "Paolo called. Mr. Bradley has left Miss Torres' home. In a fit, evidently."