Once Burned (Morelli Family 3)

“Okay,” I say, immediately letting go of the gun and raising my hands. His damn nervousness is the real threat here. I spook this asshole, he might accidentally hurt Elise. “I can’t give you my wallet if my hands are up. Let’s just bring it down a notch. Everything’s fine. We’re all cool here. Let’s just… relax.”

“Why are you so fucking calm?” he demands, clearly not calm. Maybe a little high? Man, he should’ve picked a better mark.

“You can take whatever you want, man. It’s just stuff,” I tell him. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt. If you let me get my wallet, I can give it to you, and this can all be over.”

Elise turns her head to look back at him again, and he slowly lets her ease away from his body. He maintains his hold on her arm, and I contemplate what I want to do next. I really wanna shoot him. Like, really, really bad. And I could—but we’re technically in public, and Elise will see. Do I want to commit a murder right in front of her? Not especially.

Once she turns to face him, the guy finally gets a good look at her, and then I kind of do want to kill him, even if she has to watch. His gaze darts around her body, at the cleavage spilling out of her low-cut dress, the thigh she is inexplicably exposing instead of hiding under his perusal. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she’s trying to hold his attention.

Oh.

I slowly lower my right hand, bringing it toward my gun. My heart pounds as I keep my gaze trained on him, knowing if he catches me, he’ll get scared and fire his weapon.

Elise bites down on that damn plump lower lip of hers, and inexplicably takes a small step closer to the man. “Please don’t hurt us. I’ll do anything.” Her voice all sweet and scared and innocent. Goddamn.

Dude’s Adam’s apple bobs, but before he can respond to her offer, Elise grabs his arm, yanks him toward the ground, plants her elbow in his spine, shoves him back, and kicks him right in the face.

My jaw drops as the guy does, and then she skitters forward, kicking the gun away from him and into the street.

“You picked the wrong fucking people to rob, asshole,” she states, no trace of sweetness left in her tone.

The man shoves up off the ground and I pull my gun, but he’s not pursuing—he runs, awkwardly and as quickly as he can away from us.

Elise spins back to face me, grinning. “Wow! Can you believe that just happened?”

“What. The. Fuck?” I can really only stare at her, and she’s so weirdly excited.

“That guy—” She snorts, shaking her head. “Man, what a schmuck. Can you imagine, someone trying to rob you?”

“Me?” My eyebrows rise, my eyes widening. “I didn’t do anything. You just beat that guy’s ass.”

“Oh.” She shrugs, like it was nothing. “Not really. I mean, he ran, and I’m not exactly dressed for it, but…”

“How did you know how to do that?”

“Ju taught me.”

I blink at her, shaking my head. “Mateo’s nanny?”

She nods. “After all that happened with that Rick guy a long time ago, I realized I wanted to be able to defend myself if it ever came up again. You might not always be there, and it’s not always the best guys who come around, you know. When I told Maria what happened, she sent me to Ju.”

I knew Mateo’s nanny had background in self-defense—that was a requirement for him, in the event anything ever happened, he wanted one last line of defense for Isabella. But I didn’t know she was teaching the other ladies self-defense.

I mean, on reflection, that’s a really good idea, particularly if you live with Mateo, but suddenly Elise doesn’t look so fragile to me anymore. Suddenly I realize, if Elise didn’t want my attentions, she could simply knock my ass out.

And damn, that’s sexy.

I move toward her without realizing my own intention, fisting a hand in her long blonde hair and pulling her against my body. A little breath of surprise whooshes out of her, but she braces her hands on my shoulders and doesn’t pull back as I lean in and crush my lips against hers. Her body molds to mine and she kisses me back with matched fierceness, as if she’s been waiting for this, too. I rotate our positions, walking her back against the building until she’s planted against it. Her peek-a-boo thigh comes up and hooks around my hip, luring me closer, and arousal surges through me, almost incapacitating in its force.

She pulls back and looks up at me, the moonlight on her beautiful face, her blue eyes sparkling with warmth… desire?

“Let’s go home,” I murmur, hearing the hoarseness in my own voice.