3. Benito

CHAPTER 3

Anger sizzles along my nerves and I suck in a sharp breath to keep from completely losing my mind and shooting at the son of a bitch. My fingers clench so hard I hear them crack and I struggle to visibly relax.

I turn to my little Red and immediately step closer to her. Her silver eyes are sharp and yet muddled with fear.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Benito."

Her eyes widen and she tries to back away. I grasp her arm and she flinches when she spots the gun still in my hand.

"Oh my god!" She whimpers and then she struggles to pull away. "I need to get home."

"I'm coming with you, sweetheart."

"I can get home by myself."

"Too damn bad. I'm not asking. I'm coming with you."

Her back goes rigid and her narrow jaw clenches. "You're not the boss of me! I don't have to listen to you."

I throw back my head and laugh. "Oh, baby. I'm not asking. I'm telling you that I'm coming home with you."

"My place is too small. I've got a roommate. My place is so small there's barely room enough for the two of us to move around."

I stiffen. I've done my homework. I've been watching her for at least a week and I never saw her come out of the house with anyone else.

"That's too bad, sweetheart. I'm still coming home with you. I'll find some space. You can't be alone right now."

"I'm fully capable of being alone at any given time. I'll be fine, Mr. Bonetti."

My lips quirk. "Ah. You know who I am."

Her back goes rigid and her silver-blue eyes glare at me. "Who doesn't know who you are?"

"If you know anything about me you'll know that I'm not about to just roll over and let you wander off by yourself after we were shot at."

"You were shot at. Not me! Nobody gives a damn about me. This is all about you."

"Fine. It's all about me. That may be the case. But the problem is that I am fixated on you."

She stomps off, her slim skirt highlighting her wide hips and the way they bounce back and forth like the pendulum of a clock. My eyes can't stop staring at those hips and I feel my dick jerking in my pants. She's got me panting like a damn dog and there's no way in hell I'm letting her walk away from me.

I saw her over a week ago when I got into town. My friend Damian came here to meet me and showed me the little cabin up on the mountain that he found for me.

"You should be able to keep off the grid up here. I've got some food in and you're all set up with everything you might need."

I grunt and eye the primitive dwelling, my lip curling.

He grins. "Dude, don't try and tell me that you've become such a pansy since I met you."

Damian had a hard life growing up. Not that mine was easy. Hell no! My father made sure that I worked my ass off before I took over for him. I had to work my way up from the bottom to the top. Didn't matter if I was his son. I still had to prove myself.

So did he in different ways.

But I went for a walk in the town that night, unused to being so far from everything and everyone. Which is where I first saw her leaving her store. The little bookstore is charming but that's not what caught my eye. That was all her.

Her long, red hair caught the night-time wind and glowed in the soft street lights around us. But when she turned around is when I knew that I found what I've been looking for that I never realized was out there somewhere. I found my woman.

I've been following her home every night to make sure that she gets home safe. I wasn't sure how to approach her but I wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer. I know my brother is working hard trying to track down the guy who's after me and why.

I could care less about that now. All I care about is this woman. Her soft, plush curves in the ivory blouse and black pencil skirt take my breath away. Now that I've gotten close to her, I can smell the soft, clean scent of her with a light floral scent that has my mouth watering.

Her lips are perfectly pink and ripe. Just waiting for me to kiss her and it's taking all my concentration not to do it. Not to reach over and pull her to me, slamming my lips down on hers.

I'm used to being in charge and getting what I want. Something tells me that that might be a bit of a fight with her. Her quicksilver eyes sparkle with intelligence even in this dim light and her pale cheeks are crimson with temper.

She's a goddess. My goddess. And that fucker that just shot at us signed his own damn death warrant because he could have killed her and that I won't stand for. Shoot at me all you want. I can protect myself. My current goal in life is to protect her and I always reach my goals so that dickhead has to die.

Like I'm in a trance, I shake my head and wake the fuck up. She's too far away from me and I don't fucking like it.

"Wait for me, Red."

"Not gonna happen. Do me a favor and just go home. Wherever the fuck that is."

The swear word coming from my angel makes me smile at the same time that I want to turn her over my knee for being so careless with her life.

"I'm going with you and you're not gonna lose me. So give it up. I also know where you live so even if you do manage to get away from me."

"You are a bully," she snaps under her breath. She doesn't slow down and I immediately pick up my pace, wanting to see her pretty face. Wanting to just be near her.

She ignores me and I smirk behind her back but my eyes dance left and right and I keep my gun in my hand. I will never take chances with her safety. If I have to kill someone out there to keep her safe I will gladly do it.

For a few minutes we walk in silence and she keeps her pretty lips shut tight, her lips grimly pressed together.

That's when I notice that she's limping which I didn't see before. "Are you alright, Red?"

"I'm fine," she bites out.

"You're limping."

"Probably just a cramp."

But I don't believe her. She's lying to me.

We're close to her place and I see her speeding up, her head turning towards me briefly as she clocks where I'm at.

She's as easy to read as my brother is to me.

When she hits her door, she works the key quickly and yanks it open, pushing it shut as soon as she's through the door.

But my big body manages to wedge itself very nicely in between the door and the jamb and I smirk at her.

"Surely you didn't think you could get away from me that easily, Red?"

I push the door all the way open and stroll inside, shutting the door behind me.

The air is still and hushed. Like it's waiting for something.

"Where's your roommate?" I snap, looking around me and not seeing a damn thing.

Until I see a dark figure move out from behind the curtains at the window.

"Meow," it says and I whip my head around to stare at her.

She flushes and bites her lower lip and my dick jerks hard.

The black cat stalks up to me, its tail held high and its fluffy coat puffed up as it eyes me.

"Hey, little one. Did I spook you?" The cat circles around my feet, purring like a mad thing and rubbing against my legs.

I eye her as I bend down to pet it, laughing as it bumps its little head into my hand, begging for more attention.

"Is this your roommate?" Relief wells up in me when she nods and glares at the cat.

Smirking, I stare up at her and pet the cat. "I'm pretty sure that this little guy doesn't take up much room, then."

Her lips twist and I wait for the explosion.