Shadow Warrior (Shadow Riders 4)

Vittorio had opened the warmers sitting on the table and poured coffee for Grace. He straightened slowly and looked down at her upturned face. He wanted to frame her face with both hands and kiss her senseless. She had no idea what a gift she’d just given him. She was the one he’d searched for. She was the one he hadn’t believed could possibly exist. She had strength, a backbone of steel, and yet she could put herself in his hands and give him what he needed in their relationship.

He couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and took her mouth, one hand settling in her hair, bunching the silk into his fist. At the first touch of his lips, the first demand of his tongue, she opened for him and he tasted everything he’d ever need. He’d kissed a lot of women, more than he ever cared to admit, but he’d never felt. Not like this. Not this shocking hunger that consumed him. Not a need that would never be sated.

Her taste was unique and appealed to him on every level. She didn’t have a lot of—if any—experience. He had never considered that he would ever be with an untutored woman. His demands were too intense, his passion too consuming, yet he couldn’t imagine kissing anyone else ever again.

He was careful with her, keeping the kisses light when he wanted to devour her. Very reluctantly, he released her hair, and then lifted his mouth from hers. Her lashes lifted, and he was staring into her eyes. She had beautiful eyes. Large, a beautiful green, framed with thick long lashes that curled at the tips. He couldn’t resist brushing a kiss across her eyes. Reluctantly releasing her, he pulled the lids all the way off the warmers.

“Why is it unrealistic?” He indicated for her to make her food choices.

She stared at him, her eyes still adorably dazed. “Unrealistic?” she echoed.

It was all he could do not to smile. “Yes, gattina. You said it was unrealistic not to have to think too much about everything. Why would that be unrealistic?”

She frowned and indicated the scrambled eggs and toast. He put a small portion on her plate. She hadn’t eaten much, so he didn’t want to overwhelm her with a large amount of food.

“I can’t keep relying on you for everything, Vittorio. I’m getting stronger and I’m going to have to start figuring things out.”

He lifted the cream and she shook her head. It surprised him that she didn’t take cream in her coffee. “Why not? I like you relying on me.”

“It would get very old fast.”

He took a healthy portion of eggs, bacon and hash browns. “No, it wouldn’t. In our home, I would want you to feel as if you can rely on me. We both know you’re capable of making your own decisions, but why should you have to if you prefer me to make them?”

She looked as if she might protest, but then she forked a small bit of eggs awkwardly into her mouth. Her dominant hand clearly was the one with the shattered shoulder. She chewed and swallowed before she tilted her head and looked at him. “For you, I meant. That would get old for you.”

“Some men need to take care of their women. It isn’t politically correct for a man to dictate in his household. I’m well aware of that, but I’m one of those men. I want my woman to know she can rely on my judgment. I want her to trust me to make the decisions.” He gave her his preferences cautiously, knowing it was unpopular, but he couldn’t change the way he was wired.

She gave him her frown but looked more thoughtful than condemning. He liked that about her. “Vittorio, are you looking for blind faith?”

“Of course not. That would be foolish and you’re far too intelligent to be foolish. Trust has to be earned. I hope that happens between us over time. I’m well aware I’m asking for far too much in our relationship, but I still hope you’ll give it thought. I’ve been making the decisions for the last three weeks.”

“Out of necessity, and I’m really, really grateful. I wouldn’t have known what to do without you . . .” She trailed off and looked down at her eggs, as if realization was dawning on her.

He watched her eat her eggs almost gingerly. It clearly took effort to keep them from spilling off the fork and more did than not. He couldn’t take watching her struggle. “I don’t in any way think you can’t do things for yourself or that you’re inept, but I enjoy doing things for you.” He took the fork from her and pulled his chair closer.

“I feel a little silly with you feeding me.”

He leaned down and brushed another kiss across her lips to stop them from trembling. “Grace, I want to discuss this with you, but you’re going to need an open mind. I want our engagement to be real and I want you to think of it that way. You’ll need to stay here with me no matter what for a while and we can take that time to really get to know each other. You can get to know my family.”