Chapter 19CANDI

Chapter 19

CANDI

Angelo carries me down the hallway on the right, his footsteps making no sound on the lush carpet. "I impersonated building maintenance."

"You're the guy that came around and fixed all of the things mom's been complaining about to the super for years?" My mind spins with all the work he did to hide his real reason for being there.

We now have decent water pressure in the bathroom, and there are brand new mobility rails to help mom in the shower and on and off the toilet.

All four burners on the stove work again and there's no pan under the kitchen sink to catch the slow leak anymore. Because it's gone.

All the dings in the walls have been patched up and painted over. I thought it was a miracle our cheap building superintendent coughed up the cash for all the repairs.

Now, I know he didn't.

The apartment looks better than it has since I moved in as a terrified fifteen-year-old.

There was no miracle. Only Angelo Caruso masquerading as a maintenance guy.

Mom described the guy as past retirement. She'd said she felt bad about him having to get down on the floor for some of the work, but he'd insisted on fixing everything.

Angelo nods. "Spending time fixing stuff around the apartment was a good way to get to know your mom."

"Why did you want to get to know her?" I ask.

"Because one day she'll be my mother-in-law."

My brain officially shorts out.

"That's it. Don't say another word. If mom and Cookie really aren't stressed out about my disappearance…" And the text stream says they aren't. "Then I want that bedroom you had Mario tell my mom I was going to sleep in."

All ideas of getting lucky tonight with Angelo are buried under the avalanche of thoughts spinning through my brain.

How am I supposed to respond to the knowledge that his stalking wasn't the cute kind where he came in to watch me dance every night, but stalking that led to him impersonating maintenance so he could put cameras with sound inside my home.

Now, he's talking about us getting married someday. And of all the things he's said tonight, that's the one I really can't parse.

"Whatever you want, piccola gatta ."

"What does that mean?" I've got a good idea about amate and am not even going to think about that one.

"Little cat."

"Because you want inside my pussy?" I ask.

Stepping through an open set of double doors, he guffaws. "Good one amate , but no. Sometimes, you remind me of a hissing, spitting kitten."

He allows my legs to drop and holds onto me until I'm standing in front of him, stupefied. "I remind you of a cat?"

"Yes. I want to pet you and make you purr."

"Cheesy." The wet patch on my bodysuit at the apex of my thighs doesn't agree with that description, but that's between me, my ladybits and the Lycra.

Releasing me, Angelo turns and steps toward the open doors. I bite back the sound of protest that wants out. That is not disappointment I feel that he's listening to me about letting me sleep.

When he shuts the doors with him on the inside, relief battles instant anxiety. When do I tell him I've never done this before?

Do I have to tell him why? That's not required, is it?

Angelo presses his palm against something on the wall to the right of the door. Something whirs and then a wall begins to descend from the ceiling, covering the double doors.

"Uh, what is that about?" I should be afraid he's locking me in with him, but we've already established that the caution part of my brain is on the fritz where he's concerned. "What if there's a fire?"

At least my inner safety bunny poked her head out of her hole to acknowledge that danger. She's not a total lost cause.

"This room is fireproof, unless the fire starts in here."

"That's very…" Over the top. Villain in his evil lair ish. "Fire safety first of you."

"Our bedroom and both Cookie and Mira's bedrooms in the other wing are also saferooms. The walls, ceilings and floors are impenetrable and there are emergency rations in the secondary closet."

Cookie and Mira's bedrooms in the other wing? Secondary closet? What the heck is that? Cookie and I use pegs on the wall to hang things up. Mom has a closet in her bedroom, but I have a feeling the secondary closet in here is bigger.

"What are you, Batman? Don't tell me there's a secret cave under this pile of rocks with super cool crime-fighting technology." Still not acknowledging the Cookie and Mira's bedrooms comment. "And you actually have freakin' wings in this house? How very Bridgerton of you."

"Since I am a criminal, there is no crime fighting tech in the basement, or anywhere else in the mansion. There is an armory though and another saferoom kitted out like an apartment."

"Wow, you are really ready for a siege."

"I will always make sure my family is protected."

"I'm making a rule. No more comments about me being your family. And definitely not another word about my mom and sister moving in if you want to share that bed with me." I wave my arm toward the giant bed covered in silver gray bedding with teal accents.

Angelo's gray eyes go molten and he mimes zipping his lips.