She hissed at him through her teeth and tossed her book down on the couch. "We'll see about that."
"Your uncle has retired for the night. Do I have to remind you that he's ill?"
"You know very well he isn't my real uncle. I'm a grown woman and I can do whatever I want or don't want. I don't want a bodyguard."
She was good, Casimir had to admit. Throwing that bit about not being his niece to protect that cover as well. The men weren't supposed to know Giacinta Abbracciabene was alive. He gave her the most insolent look he could, one that he played straight to the camera. "Throwing a tantrum because you don't want a bodyguard is a little childish, isn't it?"
She stood up and paced across the room to him. "I don't need a bodyguard."
"Apparently, whatever is going on in your uncle's life, he believes that you do. So suck it up and give him his peace of mind instead of acting like a spoiled brat."
Her chin went up, eyes flashing dangerously. "How dare you talk to me like that."
"Are you going to go tell on me? Get me fired? Beaten up? Killed? Is that what you like to do when one of your uncle's men annoys the princess?"
She glared at him. "I don't need to go running to my uncle every time one of his men is rude to me."
His eyebrow shot up. "His men are rude to you?"
She stuck her nose in the air, tossing her red hair in disdain. "I'm going to my room." She swept past him.
He halted her haughty exit by simply straightening and falling into step behind her. She swung around, her fingers curling in two tight fists. "Now what are you doing?"
"Don Luigi wants you protected at all times, that means inside this house as well as outside. He told me not to leave you. I'll be sleeping on the floor just inside your door."
Her eyes widened with shock. "You will not."
"Actually, I will. You have an important meeting at a hotel soon. He asked me to accompany you there, but otherwise, you are not to leave the property and I'm not to leave your side."
Lissa stuck her chin in the air and continued stalking toward the stairs. "You aren't sleeping on the floor in my room."
"You offering your bed?"
She stopped so fast he ran into her and was forced to grab her arms to keep her from falling. She sent him a withering look over her shoulder. "Absolutely not."
He allowed his finger to slide over her bare arm and leaned down to put his mouth against her ear. "You might like it." He whispered the taunt, his lips brushing her earlobe. For one moment his teeth tugged and then he stepped away from her.
Lissa didn't say a word. She went up the stairs, ignoring the fact that he followed closely. She yanked open her bedroom door, but before she could close it, he caught the frame and held it so he could slip through. Like Luigi, she had her own apartment. It wasn't so large or ornate, but it was beautiful, with all the amenities.
Casimir whistled softly. "Nice. I thought my room with my personal bath and Jacuzzi was nice, but this definitely is a step or ten above." He closed the door. "You certain no cameras or recording devices are in here?"
She nodded and stepped into him, hands going to his chest, pushing him back against the door. "You are such a smart-ass. I can't believe you. Tomasso is going to get something broken over his head if he keeps it up."
"Luigi wants me to antagonize you. He thinks that will keep you distracted."
She tilted her face up to his, looking puzzled. "Why would he need me distracted? He went to visit his wife. You tailed him. By now, he has the news that Cosmos is dead. What is he planning?"
"He was burning papers, and I saw more on his desk, all in Cosmos Agosto's name. Deeds. Bank statements, that sort of thing. He must be doing a takeover of Agosto's estate."
"Where is Arturo?" she asked. "Arturo is always with him."
Casimir shook his head. "Not this time. Luigi drove in by himself, and I'm certain he's going back out again tonight. He wasn't planning to retire to his bedroom."
"We'll have to follow him."
Casimir bunched silken strands of red hair in his fist and tugged gently. "Not we, golubushka. Me. I'll follow him. You keep the home fires burning just in case he has someone else with eyes on you. Make sure you make an appearance every now and then by opening the door and telling me to get out."
His hand slid under the curtain of her hair to wrap around the nape of her neck. "I just want to see where he's going, Giacinta. I'm not making any move on him yet. I need to know where Arturo is and what they're up to. You won't be missing out on anything."
"He had dogs."
Casimir went still. His gut knotted. She suddenly looked vulnerable, her wide, blue eyes looking up at him. No tears. Just that quiet statement out of the blue. He didn't have to ask who she referred to. He knew. Cosmos Agosto could rot in hell. He couldn't imagine what kind of trauma a little girl suffered after watching a trusted man send his dogs after her. Worse, watching as the dogs killed her parents.
He pulled her into his arms, tight against his body, holding her close, trying to comfort her when there was little comfort to give. "He's dead, malyshka, and we're one step closer to getting home."
"I called Lexi," she admitted. "After. I had to hear her voice. Gavriil told me to come home."
Her voice was muffled against his chest, but he heard every word. He stroked caresses through her hair and stared over her head at the wall. "Maybe that would be the best, Giacinta. I could finish up here and then join you." He wanted her safe. Out of the mess, away from Lu
igi and clear of the Sorbacovs. At the same time, he didn't want to give her up. The selfish part of him that had been alone all his life didn't want to be more than arm's distance from her.
"Go keep a watch on Luigi," she murmured, not relinquishing her hold on him. She leaned into him, tilted her head so she was looking up. "But first, kiss me. I'm not going anywhere. I think we have a chance of staying alive if we go after the Sorbacovs together. Certainly I have a better chance of getting close to them than you do. I'm not about to leave you now that I've found you."
Casimir closed his eyes for a moment, savoring her words. I'm not about to leave you now that I've found you. In spite of every reason not to trust, Lissa trusted him. She trusted in them. She'd given herself to him, committing to him and that meant something to her - and everything to him.
"Kiss me, Casimir. I need to feel alive again. I'm cold inside."
He didn't wait. He took her mouth and poured love down her throat. The fire inside him burst through him and into her. The temperature in the room rose by several degrees but neither noticed. Her mouth was soft and perfect. So perfect. He could kiss her forever. Somehow she always took him to another realm, a place where brutal schools didn't exist and he wasn't a man without a soul.