“Why?”

“Because I want to keep you safe. A young woman traveling alone over here with predators, criminals, and—”

“All things that can happen to me in any country I travel to! Why?” she explodes.

“Because…I knew from the first night that I wanted to know more about you.”

“So…has someone been following me since then?” she asks, outraged.

I nod slowly. “At first, to find out who you were and where you were going. I wanted to see if there was a chance that I might see you again. When you returned to the club, and I knew I wanted to see more of you, I advised my men to stay on you to protect you.”

“What makes you think that I need that?”

“From the moment I expressed interest in you, and if anyone got a whiff of that, then you need to be under my protection. What attracts me also attracts those who are my enemies. And…”

“And?”

“I needed to know if you could be trusted. So, yes, I had someone watching over you to ensure I was secure in my interest toward you.”

She scoffs and says, “You’re un-fucking-believable! You can’t use your money and power to hold sway over people, Alessandro, to get them to do your will.”

“Not trying to get you to do my will, Mila. I want you to be with me of your own accord. But I’ll do my best to ensure you’re always protected and safe. Does that make me a bad man?” I shrug. “Maybe. But I live in a bad world, and I’m not oblivious to the pitfalls of a woman traveling alone in a foreign country. Besides, this part of me that…just wants to protect people whenever I can.”

My thoughts go back two years, and I swallow, clear my throat, and gulp my wine. I failed so many people. Since then, all I’ve tried to do is make it right.

Now is not the time to go down that road.

“I guess,” she says and tosses her drink back.

The pilot announces that we can unbuckle our seatbelts and move about the aircraft. I unbuckle my seatbelt and kneel before Mila’s seat.

“Come with me, Mila,” I say, unbuckling her seatbelt.

She takes my hand and follows me to the rear compartment, which holds a bed and a tiny bathroom.

“Wow. Do I even want to know what a man like you does to afford to live like this?” she asks, spreading her arms out.

The worry on her face has deepened the crease between her brows.

“Let’s just say that I have my finger in many lucrative business opportunities, not the least of which are my restaurants here and in America, my club, my family’s fish market, and we have the largest container terminal on the Mediterranean, AD Logistics. Then there’s my communications company, Discorso Communications.”

“So, you have a viable source of income to cover any dealings you don’t want…uncovered.”

I smile but answer nothing. The less she knows, the safer she is. Although I plan to bring Mila into my world, and I don’t want her clueless, she doesn’t need to know about the arms dealing that my family is into nor the money laundering. Those are areas that she’s best protected from. Sure, she’ll learn some of it, but she doesn’t need to know the magnitude.

If she steps into my life in the capacity I want her, her sole focus needs to be my daughter. Protecting and teaching her how to become a lady is a full-time job. Besides, if she needs more, I’m willing to discuss that and accommodate what she needs. I don’t want her to be involved in our businesses.

I turn and lock the door before unbuttoning my dress shirt. I left my suit jacket in my chair.

“So, I’m assuming we’re getting ready for bed, and this is going to be a long flight?” she teases.

“If by getting ready for bed, you mean I’m about to fuck your brains out…then, yeah.”

Mila wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me. Her mouth is cool, warm, and sweet like the wine with a bit of tang. I lick around the insides of her mouth as my hands slide down the sides of her fitted black dress.

Gripping the nylon fabric, I pull it up at the hem until her ass is exposed, and my arousal hardens at the discovery that she wears no panties.

“You like?” she asks, breaking the kiss after I moan.

Tags: Cassie Verano Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net