The Italian Dom by N.J. Adel
CHAPTER 14
Nicky
I washed up and put on the first pair of jeans and sweater I found in the unpacked suitcase along with my only viable pair of black boots. I didn’t bother going through the other bag for makeup. It was a good thing I didn’t unpack so I’d just go whenever I got the call and not waste any more time.
Tying my hair back, I pulled out my parka and zipped the suitcase closed. Then I stopped by the door and took a deep breath, my hand on the lock. “Okay. Here goes nothing.”
The second I unlocked it, the door opened, and the angry beast was standing ever so tall and…holding coffee?
The smell of pineapple croissants and freshly ground coffee filled my nose. I looked at his hand, and he was indeed holding coffee and bakery. Taking a second glance at his face, I noticed the angry beast didn’t look angry at all.
He stared down at me. “Buongiorno. Breakfast?”
I blinked, confused. Why was he being nice? Had I been worried for nothing? No. He must have been up to something and was hiding it behind that cool demeanor. I wasn’t going to fall for this. “Did you go out?”
“No. I’d never leave my…target unattended. I ordered in.”
Target. Interesting word. “But I didn’t hear the bell.”
“I told them not to ring so you wouldn’t wake up.”
“How kind,” I taunted.
His smirk made a comeback. “I figured you’d need your rest and strength for today.”
“Why? What’s so special about today?”
He just turned and started for the kitchen. “I got pineapple croissants. I know it’s your favorite.”
Elusive and creepy? Great.
I followed him where he was already setting the table and getting out the breakfast. I sat on the couch. Suspicious didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I couldn’t let him know he was getting to me, though. “You know, my sister is the one who digs stalkers and creeps, not me. That shit sets my teeth on edge.”
“You think I stalked you?”
“How else you knew I loved pineapple croissants?”
“The same way I knew about the movie,” he said, as if saying, “duh.” “And I notice stuff about people I’m interested in. It’s part of the job.”
“People you’re interested in. Your targets.”
He lifted his head off the bakery bag and gazed at me, his hazel eyes piercing, sparkling with a yellow hue like an animal on a hunt. A coyote. I knew now why they called him that. Then he gave me a confirming nod.
A shiver ran through me under his unfaltering gaze and arrogant confession. He was proud of his predatory skills and why he used them. He wasn’t trying to hide his true nature from me. He didn’t bother to lie.
“You should eat.” He handed me the coffee and pushed the croissant plate toward me. “I’ll take the first bite so you know I didn’t poison it.”
He bit on the pastry and licked the yellow cream. For a moment, my entire focus was on his mouth. The way he ate and licked…and fucking kissed. God, that kiss, despite restrained—even inexperienced me knew he was holding back—was scorching hot and skilled and beautiful. It didn’t just melt my panties. It fried my brains.
Okay, maybe he wasn’t going to poison me, but he was going to kill me by turning me into a dumb blonde that would do any stupid shit he lured her in because she couldn’t see past how sexy he was.
I hate beautiful men.
“What’s your game, Coyote?”
He licked some more cream off his delicious lips and gave me a full animalistic grin. “What game, little kitten?”
His phone chimed, and so did mine. I knew Lina was calling me, and it wasn’t hard to guess who was calling him. His gaze lifted from the screen to my face, and his grin turned into a chuckle. “Daddy to the rescue.”
He took Tino’s call as I took Lina’s, his eyes never leaving my face. I barely listened to what she was saying. All I caught was that the car was on its way.
“Bene, come vuoi tu. Subito,” he drawled and hung up. “We’re going back to the mansion.”
“Yes. It’s for the best.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
My eyes narrowed as I tried to read through his poker face. I didn’t buy that he wasn’t upset or was okay with us leaving. Even if he realized he was making a mistake pursuing me because I’d never be ready to be with someone like him, he’d still settle the score. Men like him didn’t just admit defeat. “Is that so?”
“Absolutely. Are your bags packed?”
I just nodded, my mind running in circles. He seemed to have anticipated my demand to go back to my sister’s and liked it. A little bit too much.
“You should finish your breakfast then. We don’t wanna be late,” he said.
“So eager to go back, aren’t you? What are you planning, Domenico?”
He leaned forward, closer, so close that his breath landed on my mouth. His lower lip brushed over mine, and I gasped at the tiny friction, the delayed promise. Was he going to kiss me or was he teasing? When he brushed over me again, another gasp fled my chest, and my heart hammered. “Do you know what coyotes love to eat the most?”
Who the fuck cared? Must be something nasty like whatever shit brewing in his head to get back at me. I swallowed, my breath catching. “No.”
He swiped his lip across my jaw and up to my ear. Then he bit my earlobe, rocketing my heartbeat and sending a heavy throb between my legs. “They love to eat little kittens.”