“Of course.” He relaxed again, a tiny smile bringing the light back to his eyes.
I hated that I’d been the one to take it away, but nothing about this situation was okay with me. How could I possibly be falling for three men who put me and Leo in constant danger?
My heavy steps carried me away from Leo and through the swinging gate. Birds chirped in a nearby tree barely taller than me. Red roses bloomed along the wall covered in thorny rose vines. Water bubbled and fell from a round fountain in the center of the garden, and I made my way over to the small gazebo tucked in the shade. Like the pergola, it had padded seats, and I sank into the plush cushions, dragging one over my stomach and squeezing it tight as hot tears blurred my vision.
It was all wrong. How had my life turned so completely upside down?
Seconds dragged into minutes as my emotions ran rampant. Choking back the tears, I refused to give in, refused to allow weakness when I needed strength. I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing my way through the emotional storm.
“I brought you something to drink.” Renzo’s quiet voice preceded his heavy weight settling in beside me. One arm went across the back of the seat, and his thumb and forefinger rubbed small circles on the back of my neck.
I kept my eyes shut, determined to make him go away with my silence. Then I remembered who sat next to me. Renzo’s quiet determination could put anyone to shame. And somehow, that gave me the strength to trust him enough to lean into his side and let him comfort me.
A cool glass touched the back of my hand. “Drink. You need to stay hydrated.”
“I’m not thirsty.” I sounded petulant, but Renzo didn’t laugh or insist.
The glass moved away, and I heard the scrape of Renzo sitting it on the glass table on his side of the seat. “I respect your strength, Lila. You’ve held up remarkably well against all the bullshit.”
My eyes flared wide at that. Renzo rarely spoke unprompted.
His thumb continued to press into the back of my neck, the pressure easing the tendons pulled rigid by stress. “I worry about you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re taking on so much.” He grimaced and palmed his mouth. “That sounds wrong. You’re capable of doing anything, Lila. This situation is unique, and I worry you’re taking on responsibilities that you don’t need because you’re afraid to ask for help.”
The man pried his way into my thoughts with a look and brought my fears up into the light.
“You don’t have to do this alone.” He leaned in, his voice low and sincere. “Let someone take care of you for once.”
“Someone like you?” I turned to face him, drawing our bodies close when he refused to release my neck. Our breaths mingled. “What if I said I needed you to take care of a very specific problem?”
“Then I’ll take care of it.” He spoke every word with the kind of assuredness I’d seen in him during the assault, like nothing in the world was too hard for him.
I framed his face between my palms and kissed him.
“I need to forget about all this. Just for a few minutes. I need to feel connected to someone so the fear will go away.” My throat locked, but I managed to drive out the rest. “I need you.”
26
RENZO
I’d been needed for a lot of things throughout my life. Most called for acts of violence. I’d never had anyone need me to offer comfort before. Lila made it impossible to resist her request. My hand tightened on the back of her neck, pulling her in for a kiss.
“Anything for you.” I whispered against her lips, my touch hesitant in case she changed her mind.
Sex was one thing. What transpired every time I touched Lila went beyond physical intimacy. She commandeered a piece of my heart I’d never intended to give away. Now that she possessed it, I never wanted it back. I belonged to her and no one else.
I worked my hand up from her neck to the back of her head. Our lips met in a brush of air so light I barely felt it. I came back for seconds and dragged her into my lap so her legs straddled mine. A single pulse of pain shot out from my wounded leg, and I shut it down with a growl and pulled Lila’s shirt free from her shorts. Her hot skin branded my palm as I skated my hand over her ribs and up to the center of her back. With a quick flick of myfingers, I unclasped her bra then cupped her breast, feeling the nipple harden against my hand.
She sucked my bottom lip between her teeth and bit down lightly. “You don’t have to be careful with me, Renzo. I won’t break.”
“You deserve to be cherished.” I rubbed my thumb back and forth over her nipple and used my other hand to remove her shirt and bra. My cock throbbed behind my zipper. I had every intention of satisfying my needs, but only after I gave Lila everything she’d asked for. “There’s a time and place for fucking your brains out. This isn’t it.”
“You’re not going to fuck me?” Her brows arched at the same time she rubbed her hips over my swollen erection. “I thought that was the whole point.”
“I’m going to give you what you asked for.” I surged into her hand. “You’re going to feel every inch of me so deep you forget everything else.” I lowered my head and kissed the curve of her breast. “There are other ways of forgetting.”
