Chapter Six

Alessandro

" W e have a problem," I growl, marching into Dillon Armstrong's office bright and early the next morning, Rivin padding along at my heels.

Dillon glances up from his desk as I barge in, a coffee mug halfway to his lips, his dark eyes narrowed beneath the brim of his cowboy hat.

"Heidi is…" I pause, glancing around at the cramped space around his desk. The damn desk barely fits in the tiny office. What the actual fuck? "Why the fuck are you in the janitor's closet?"

Dillon eyes me levelly, leaning back in his chair. "Why the fuck does everyone who comes in here insist on asking me that?"

Rivin huffs out a breath and plops down beside Dillon, nudging his arm. Dillon immediately scratches his ears, earning a dopey grin from the dog.

I throw an arm out, indicating the tiny space cluttered with paperwork, filing cabinets…and cleaning supplies. "There are mops in the corner, man. What do you expect people to say? Nice digs ? You're the fucking sheriff. Why are you in the tiniest office in this motherfucker?"

"So people like you can't find me at seven in the goddamn morning, Banger," Dillon sighs. "It's too fucking early for you to be pissing me off already."

"Oh, so you're cranky cranky today," I say, smirking at him. Dillon is a hell of a good cop, but he's a cranky asshole sometimes. Mostly because the entire town takes great pleasure in stressing him the fuck out as often as possible. It's peak entertainment, honestly. His right eye twitches, and he threatens to shoot us. Good times.

He narrows his dark eyes on me. "What do you want?" He holds up a finger in warning. "And don't even think about telling me this is some bullshit to do with Heidi Marsh, or I may shoot you."

My smirk slips at the reminder of why I'm here. "Too bad. This is some bullshit to do with Heidi Marsh."

"I fucking knew it," Dillon groans dramatically, plunking his coffee cup back down on his desk hard enough to slosh liquid over the side. He reaches into the drawer and pulls out a tarnished silver flask.

I watch in amusement as he unscrews the cap and tips a tiny amount of amber liquid into the steaming coffee. He replaces the flask, takes a fortifying sip, and sighs.

"Are you seriously drinking at seven in the morning?"

"Are you seriously here about Heidi Marsh?" he retorts, scowling.

"Yes," I reply simply. Because where Heidi's concerned, I'm goddamn serious. I'll do whatever I have to do to protect her.

"Then yes, I'm drinking at seven in the morning. One way or another, the Marsh girls always give me a goddamn migraine. Half the fucking paperwork I do around here has their names on it," he grumbles, but there's an undercurrent of affection beneath the irritation.

I laugh. "They can't be that bad. They're itty-bitty, Dillon."

He shoots me a death glare, holding up a finger. "Adalynn was kidnapped by a stalker who wanted to kill her." He lifts another finger. "Leia got mixed up with a bookie who tried to kill her." Another finger pops up. "I'm pretty fucking certain Bronx has kicked half the billionaires in this town out of the sex club for looking at his wife wrong, which isn't my goddamn business, but it stresses me the fuck out anyway. And Charlie causes me a new goddamn migraine every week. Do you know how many accidents she's gotten into in the last six months alone?" He holds up his other hand, lifting all five fingers. "Five, Alessandro. Five goddamn accidents."

"Jesus Christ," I mutter, processing this. Maybe he should have poured more alcohol into his coffee. Heidi's sisters are magnets for trouble. That worries the fuck out of me.

"Not even Jesus can help that girl," Dillon grumbles, but there's no real heat behind it. In fact, genuine affection shines in his dark eyes. Charlie might stress him the fuck out on the regular, but he clearly adores her. Just like I'm coming to adore her sister.

She's already got me jumping through hoops. But I'm not complaining. I'll jump through a million goddamn hoops, as long as I get to call her mine at the end of it.

After a couple of seconds, Dillon sighs heavily, leaning back in his chair. "Why are you here about Heidi?" he asks, his brows furrowing with concern.

"I found a package on her front porch last night," I explain. "It was full of moldy bread and this note." I pull the note out of my pocket and hand it over to him.

He snatches it from my grasp, his eyes scanning the page.

"She mentioned others have been left at the bakery," I murmur.

"Goddammit," Dillon growls, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Razor hasn't said a fucking word about this to me."

"I'm guessing that's because he doesn't know," I say, my expression grim. "She tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal." But it is a big fucking deal. The thought of someone threatening her, of them getting close enough to leave that fucking package on her porch, makes my blood boil. I clench my fists, barely restraining the urge to put one through Dillon's wall.

Dillon sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face. "She have any idea who's behind it?"

I shake my head, frustration simmering under my skin. "As far as she knows, everyone is excited about the bakery opening."

"That's what I'm hearing too." He drums his fingers on the desk, his jaw ticking. "I'll look into it and see what I can find out."

Relief washes through me. "Thanks, man. I owe you."

"Mmhmm. You can repay me with cupcakes." He smirks. "Preferably red velvet. Tell her I like cream cheese icing."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," I say sarcastically, turning to the door. Rivin rises to his feet, padding back to my side. There's no fucking way Heidi is making the sheriff cupcakes before she makes me cupcakes. Hell no.

"You sure you know what you're getting into with her?" Dillon asks, making me pause at the door.

I glance back, meeting his gaze head-on. "Yes," I growl without hesitation. I've never been more certain of anything in my life.

" Right. " Dillon laughs, making it clear he thinks I'm in way over my head with her. "Good luck, brother. You're going to need it."

Fuck. Don't I know it. She's terrified to let herself fall for me for some reason, and she's a little spitfire to boot. But I'm more than up for the challenge. Like I told her last night, there's no getting rid of me now.

Keeping her safe and making her mine is my top priority.

Sooner or later, she'll realize that her heart is safe in my hands. I won't break it. I won't hurt her. I intend to treat her like the treasure she is. If I have to worship her body and hold her in my arms every damn night until she believes me, that's exactly what I'll do.

She's mine. Even if she hasn't fully accepted it yet, she belongs to me. And I'm not going anywhere.

The bell above the bakery door jingles as I push my way inside, Rivin's nails clicking on the black and white checkered floor. The scent of fresh paint and stale dust still lingers in the air, but Heidi's made a helluva lot of progress since yesterday. There are now cupcakes and pastries painted on the pink walls, with tables and chairs stacked in the corner, waiting to be put down. The entire place is really starting to come together.

The sight of her on her knees in front of the counter, washing down the glass display case, kicks my heart into overdrive.

Fuck, she's beautiful.

Her face lights up, her green eyes sparkling as they land on me. Her adorable dimples flash as she tosses her washcloth aside and climbs to her feet.

"Woof!" Rivin barks, thumping his tail against my leg. His whole damn body vibrates at the sight of Heidi. Which, honestly…same.

"Rivin!" Heidi cries, scurrying across the bakery toward us. She doesn't even spare me another glance as she squats to greet my dog, snuggling and cooing at him.

I arch a brow, fighting a smile. "So, it's like that, huh, Sunshine?"

She glances up at me through her lashes, mischief dancing in her eyes as she giggles. It might be my imagination, but I'm pretty fucking certain Rivin is laughing at me too.

"Aw, is someone feeling neglected?" Heidi teases, pressing a smacking kiss to the top of Rivin's head.

The dog grins up at me, rubbing it in. The bastard.

Growling playfully, I scoop Heidi up into my arms and back her up against the wall. "Damn right, I am," I growl, planting my lips against the side of her throat. "Guess I'll have to remind you who you belong to, angel."

"Alessandro," she moans.

"That's right, Sunshine. You belong to me." I nip her throat before kissing a trail up to her ear. My tongue wraps around the shell of it, drawing it into my mouth. "Say my name louder this time."

"You say mine."

"Heidi," I whisper against her ear without hesitation. "Sweet, sweet Heidi."

She attacks my mouth with a little whimper, making my fucking cock throb. Goddamn, she's sexy when she wants to come. Actually, she's sexy all the time. But she's hot as hell when she's turned on.

I boost her up, and her legs wrap around my waist as our tongues twine together, teasing and flicking. I grind against her, relishing her quick inhale and the way her fingers curl into my shirt. Satisfaction roars through my veins.

Fucking hell, I want her like I've never wanted anything. Making love to her last night was, hands down, the best experience of my life. And it wasn't just when I was inside her, either. But sleeping with her in my arms, waking up with her in my bed, eating her for breakfast. Showering with her. Every fucking second with her was perfection.

I want it for a lifetime.

One way or another, I'm going to convince her that she wants the same damn thing. If I can't convince her...Christ, the thought alone is intolerable.

"You need to come again, angel?" I growl when she pulls my hair, whimpering my name. "You've been thinking about it all morning, haven't you?"

"Yes," she whispers, rocking against me. "I…oh God, Alessandro. You've turned me into a crazy person."

"No, Sunshine." I nip her throat, planting my hands on her ass to help her find the friction she needs. "I showed you how good it is between us."

The bell over the door jingles as she's grinding all over me, whimpering my name.

Fuck me.

"Well, that progressed quickly," an amused voice rings out. Unless I'm mistaken, it's one of her sisters. Fucking hell. She's going to kick my ass.

Heidi goes rigid in my arms before she whips her toward her sister, her eyes wide and her face bright red. Despite her embarrassment, she still manages to shoot her a death glare. "Charlie!"

"What? I thought you hated him," Charlie says.

I chuckle when I glance over and see Charlie standing inside the door with her hands firmly over her eyes. She splits her fingers apart, peeks through them at us, and quickly puts them back. Not even half a second later, she seemingly grows bored of this and shrugs before dropping her hands to stare at us outright, making me chuckle again.

She's funny. I can see why she stresses Dillon out, though. I'd heard rumors that she's hell on wheels—in more ways than one. I think there may be more truth to those rumors than anything where she's concerned.

"Oh my god," Heidi groans.

"You thought you hated me, Sunshine?" I ask, unable to resist teasing her.

"Jury's still out," she sniffs, tilting her chin up in a haughty display as she squirms in my arms. "Put me down so I can go murder my sister."

Leaning in, I nuzzle her ear, my voice a low rumble. "Guess I'll have to remind you tonight how much you don't hate me," I whisper.

Pink stains her cheeks, but she holds firm. "I'm not staying with you again, Alessandro."

"Sure you aren't. Just keep telling yourself that." I drop a quick, hard kiss on her lips before reluctantly lowering her to her feet. "We both know it won't keep you out of my bed tonight."

Charlie gapes at us, practically stumbling in her haste to make it across the bakery to us. "Hold the freaking phone," she cries. "You stayed the night with him? When did this happen?" She latches onto Heidi's arm. "Emergency sister meeting! Now."

"I definitely hate you," Heidi hisses at me as Charlie drags her toward the kitchen, talking a million miles a minute.

I watch her disappear through the swinging door, chuckling. She can claim to hate me all she wants, but those fiery eyes and flushed cheeks tell a different story.

I'm in so fucking deep, already falling hard. She's it for me—my endgame. And I know she feels it, too.

It's only a matter of time before she surrenders to the inevitable. When she does, I'll be right here, ready to claim her forever.