Giorgio (Vigilance #1) - Silvia Violet Page 0,20
him to take me out occasionally. How remote was this place? Who was going to be cooking? Would we have delivery? What about decent cell service? What about Wi-Fi?
I wished he would hurry back so I could find out the answers because I had no intention of living some Little House on the Prairie existence. I was absolutely not a country boy.
Mittens jumped up on the bed and curled up inside the suitcase.
“I want to take you with me,” I said, scratching her ears, “but the mean man says I can’t.”
She gave me a scathing look.
“I know you don’t like it, but I promise Tara will take good care of you.”
She didn’t look convinced. I began opening drawers and considering what I wanted to pack. Everything was the easiest answer. That was basically what I usually did.
Giorgio was going to flip when he saw how much stuff I had. The thought only made me smile.
I heard the door open and tensed. “Hello?”
“It’s me,” Giorgio called.
Of course it was.
He appeared in the doorway faster than I would have thought possible. He looked me up and down and glanced around the room. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I just… When I heard the door… I should’ve known it was you.”
“I’m sorry I scared you.”
He sounded completely sincere. I hadn’t expected him to apologize.
“I’ll call out next time or come up with a knock to let you know it’s me. I know you want to believe Hendon isn’t a threat, but I can tell you’re worried.”
“I… Yes.”
“Then why resist having a bodyguard and getting out of the city?”
“I don’t want my life disrupted, and my mother… She likes things to go her way. I finally have a place of my own and independence. I don’t want anything fucking with that.”
“Then let us investigate this man and find a way to make sure you’re safe. The disruption to your life will be temporary, but I’m going to make damn sure the solution is permanent.”
A chill ran over me at his words. His eyes had gone hard, making him look like a jungle cat ready to drop on its next meal. “When you say permanent…?”
“He’s a threat. That threat needs to be eliminated one way or another. We will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“I’m not sure I…”
“I won’t let you live in fear. You deserve to live your life the way you choose to.”
“If you think saying things like that to me is going to make me want you less, you’re so wrong.”
He gave me that hint of a smile he’d shown back at his office. “Just because you want something doesn’t mean you’ll get it.”
I grinned at him. “We’ll see about that.”
He focused on the bed and all the open suitcases on it. “We’re not going on a month-long luxury vacation. We’re going to a cabin.”
“For an unspecified amount of time.”
“All we need are some comfortable clothes and whatever art supplies you require. My Navigator is big, but—”
“You might need to see how fast you can rent a trailer.”
He circled the bed and peered into my suitcases. A moment later, he picked up a teal velvet jacket. “Why the fuck would you need this?”
“It’s my favorite jacket.”
“There will be no velvet-jacket occasions while we’re staying at this cabin.”
“Any day can be a velvet-jacket day. For all you know, that’s what I like to wear to breakfast.”
“We aren’t going to any fancy breakfast venues. It will be me and you and a bowl of cereal.”
I sniffed.
“Don’t tell me you don’t eat carbs.”
I let my gaze run down his body, then focused on his crotch. “I eat everything, but I need to be sure to have some protein first thing in the morning.”
He growled, sounding sexy as hell. “That’s enough.”
I should feel remorseful. He was trying to set reasonable boundaries, and I wasn’t respecting him at all. I’d told him he was being an asshole, but I was too. Yet when he looked at me like he was trying to think of the best way to discipline me, I found it impossible not to push him.
“How are we going to get food at this cabin, anyway?”
“I’ve already arranged for groceries to be delivered.”
“So we’re close enough to civilization for a delivery service?”
“We’re close enough for some of our associates to take care of it.”
That did not sound promising. “I hope you’re not expecting me to cook.”
“No. I can tell you’re far too delicate for that.”
I glared at him. “I’ll have you know I’m