Angelo (The Marchesi Family 2)

I was about to call it quits for the day when we heard Barley growl. We rushed out of the office and saw a man looking in the back door. The doorknob rattled, and Barley snarled and barked, hurling himself at the door. The man took off, and Maria raced over to calm the dog.

I knelt beside her and scratched his ears to thank him. “I guess I need to prioritize a security system.”

Maria nodded. “All these years and we’ve never had any trouble, and now someone’s messing with the place and it’s not even dark out.”

“Maybe they thought it was still vacant.”

She huffed. “Maybe. Fucking asshole.”

Her unexpectedly foul language made me smile. “Why don’t you take Barley home and get some rest. You both deserve it.”

By the end of the day, I was so worn out I could barely stand. I dragged myself up to my apartment, intending to shower and eat the large piece of stuffed baguette I’d taken upstairs after our taste test. When I open the door, Angelo was standing at the counter taking a bite from my dinner.

“How did you get in here?”

He just raised his brows instead of answering.

“So locks are meaningless to you?”

“Pretty much. Certainly the kind you have.”

“Is that a challenge?”

He ignored my question. “This bread is delicious, and you’re late.”

“You never told me a time to be ready tonight. You said you might not be able to make it.”

He shrugged. “I worked quickly.”

I looked him over. His sweater had a rip at the shoulder, and there was something on his jeans I really hoped wasn’t blood.

“I’m not in the mood for your games. I had a long ass day, someone just tried to break into the bakery, and now you’ve broken in here and eaten my dinner.”

“What do you mean someone tried to break in?” He set the bread down and curled his hands into fists. He looked ready to kill someone.

“Calm down. Someone was trying to get in the back door, but Maria’s dog scared them away.”

He scowled. “You need better locks.”

“I know that—”

“And I’m stationing a guard here.”

“No. I don’t need one of your men watching me. And tell your brother to leave me the fuck alone.”

“Lucien?”

“You said he was the one who’d been sending me threats.”

“He let you know you owed us, but he knows I’m handling that. What threats are you talking about?”

I pulled out my phone and showed him the texts and voicemails from an unknown number claiming I had information and they’d be coming for it.

“Lucien didn’t send these, but I’m going to find out who did. I’ll need to keep your phone.”

I grabbed it back from him when he tried to put it in his pocket. “Fuck no. You’re not keeping my phone. It’s probably nothing.”

“For a genius, you’re really naive. Just let me take care of this.”

“I’m not naive. I’m just not used to having to watch my back because I’m not a fucking criminal.”

“You’re in danger, and I’m going to protect you.”

Why was he so fucking stubborn? “You can’t have my phone.”

He set it on the counter. Then he pulled off his dirty sweater and tossed it on the floor. “I’m done arguing. As you can see, I haven’t had a chance to shower, and clearly, you haven’t either. Get in the bathroom.”

“You could ask nicely.”

“I’m not here to be nice.” Which was for the best. He’d tried that last night, and I hadn’t been able to handle it.

“Look, Angelo—”

He snarled “Get in the bathroom and get fucking naked.”

I’d wanted to shower anyway, so I stopped arguing and did what he said. He followed right behind me, but I didn’t look at him as I took my clothes off and turned on the water.

“Get in,” he growled. I checked the water to make sure it was warm enough before following his order. As soon as I reached for the soap, he took it from my hand. “Turn around.”

I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to see how fucking hot he looked, but I obeyed. What was the point of trying to resist? I let my gaze skim along his body. His cock was hard, and just seeing it made mine start to swell.

When I looked back up, he was grinning. He put his hands on my waist and maneuvered me until he was standing under the spray. I stared openly as he tilted his head back, letting the water run over his closely cropped hair. He slid his hands down his body, and I watched every movement. Suddenly, I didn’t feel quite so tired anymore.

“Wash me,” he ordered.

I wanted to refuse on principle, to tell him he didn’t have to order me around like a servant, but wasn’t that exactly what I’d agreed to? I reached for a washcloth, but Angelo shook his head.