Shadow Warrior (Shadow Riders 4)

“I’m not certain it’s exactly fair for you to be kissing me.”

He ran the pad of his thumb over her lips, his heart feeling more than he’d known it was capable of. She turned him inside out without even trying. “Why is that?”

Her lashes fluttered and then veiled the emerald in her eyes.

“Gattina, look at me.” He kept his voice gentle. She deserved gentle. He knew she wouldn’t want him to think of her as a little lost kitten, but he couldn’t help it. He’d rescued her in the parking lot, hissing and fighting, surrounded by wolves bent on devouring her, and now he had to win her trust in order to keep her.

He used his voice unashamedly. He knew it was a gift he’d been given and now, more than ever, when her long lashes lifted, he was thankful for the way his voice could compel others to do as he commanded. He waited, willing her to tell him whatever it was she’d been reluctant to say.

“I can’t think when you kiss me.”

Her confession wreaked havoc with his heart. He found himself wanting to smile when his life had been one of duty and work, of constant training with few things that brought him real pleasure. He hadn’t even known that there was so much more—not until his oldest brother had found Francesca. He had seen the difference in Stefano immediately and had wanted that for himself. Someone to care about him. Someone to be his center. Someone to make him feel alive and passionate about living.

He smoothed his hand over her hair because he had to touch her. “I can’t think very well when I’m kissing you, either, but I like the feeling.”

Her lips curved into a faint smile. She reached out as if she might touch his mouth with her fingertips, and he found he was holding his breath, waiting for her to actually make that first move toward him. At the last moment, she dropped her hand to her lap.

“I like it, too. A little too much.”

Her confession was almost as good as knowing she’d wanted to touch him. Touching him would have been the beginning of her claim on him, but he’d take what he could get. He knew he was moving her too fast. He had to be patient, take more time so as not to scare her off.

Vittorio forced himself to sit back. “Just so you know, when you were in the hospital and I knew you were the perfect woman for me, I called Anne the first chance I got. I told her that I’d announced my engagement and didn’t want anyone to think she was the ‘other woman’ trying to break us up. That scenario could help or harm her career, depending. Anne is a friend of our family. We’ve known her since she was a child, and she happens to still be very much in love with her ex-husband. He’s also going to be at the event and she didn’t want to face him alone.”

He was gratified to see the instant compassion on Grace’s face.

“You can’t cancel on her, Vittorio. I’m behind the scenes and can’t go with you anyway. This fund-raiser is very important. We can handle it. I’ll talk to Katie. I’m certain we can use the two of you attending together as a promotion of sorts. Let me think about it.”

Hearing the confidence in her voice, he could tell her mind was racing a million miles an hour working out the problem and trying to figure out how best to handle it. He knew better. There was no way to fight the tabloid stories. He would be annihilated in all the gossip magazines, as would Anne. Grace hadn’t seen any of the articles about the two of them. He’d purposely kept them from her, but the tabloids had had a field day with the story about the heroic young woman getting shot, and her fiancé refusing to leave her side in the hospital. Add the Saldis’ involvement and their reputation as a crime family, and once again the media exploded with speculation that the Ferraro family was mafia as well and that the two families were in some kind of war.

“We’ve got it covered, but thank you for worrying about her,” he said and reached for her hand, kissing her fingertips because if he didn’t, he’d be kissing her again. “Taviano is escorting her to the event.”

Instead of looking happy, she frowned at him. “You have to go, Vittorio. It’s important. This is a huge deal to your mother. She’s overseen quite a few of the details personally.”

He sighed. Eloisa dealt with the event planners when the Ferraro family name was involved in any of the fundraisers. She was very exact in what she wanted and if she didn’t get it, there was hell to pay.