AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Alone, I reached for the remote, needing something on to drown out the swirling thoughts that wouldn’t leave me alone.
It felt like forever that Silvano was gone. And a glance at the clock said it was a few hours. But, finally, I heard the rustling of bags and the jingle of keys in the door. The sound had Storm shooting up to his feet, his stance aggressive, ready to protect me again, but then relaxing as soon as he saw Silvano.
“I should offer to help,” I said, waving toward my bum arm.
“Please, that mom who’d box my ears over not offering you the bed would also tan my hide for letting a woman who was nearly killed help me with the bags,” he said, kicking the door closed behind him.
“Did you buy the whole store?” I asked as he came near me, dropping a bunch of the bags on the coffee table.
“Just a-fucking-bout,” he said.
Storm let out a whine, looking at me expectantly. At Silvano’s brow raise, I shrugged. “I didn’t know if you were okay with him on the furniture,” I admitted.
“I don’t give a fuck,” he said, in such an offhanded way that a smile crept across my face as I patted the cushion next to me.
I watched as Silvano took out a set of dog bowls.
“The chick at the store said ceramic was the best,” he said, shrugging as he reached for a small bag of Storm’s food. “Know this won’t get him far, but I couldn’t carry more. So I’ll have some delivered. Got him the wet food too,” he said, pulling out some cans. “And the same brand’s treats. Oh, and this,” he said, reaching for a stuffed lamb that had Storm bounding off the couch, tail about to propel off of his body.
Silvano chucked the toy toward the kitchen, and Storm ran over to grab it, squeaking it incessantly for a moment as Silvano kept rattling off items he’d picked up for a dog that wasn’t even his. Dental chews. A toothbrush and appropriate paste. Potty bags. Waterless bath wipes. “For his feet,” he said at my scrunched brows. “City ground is fucking gross,” he said, shrugging it off.
Right.
Yeah.
He was kind of a neat freak.
“I’ll pay you back for all of this,” I said, even if I had no idea how I would manage that.
“No the fuck you won’t,” he said, very matter-of-fact, like it was no big deal that he’d dropped hundreds on my dog. “Alright, also got you some… cough drops for your throat and some girl shit,” he said, waving toward some of the other bags.
“Girl shit?” I asked, lips twitching.
“Conditioner, body wash, girl shit,” he said, shrugging. “And got some clothes, socks, and underwear. You don’t really need a bra,” he added.
Again, it was in that offhand way that had me amused more than I should have been.
“Gee thanks,” I said.
His gaze slid in my direction, brow raised. “Sure your tits are nice, Mills. But you’re not gonna put out an eye if you don’t strap ‘em down.”
If asked, I would probably have told someone that I liked nice guys. Guys who were kind and gentle.
But there was no denying that some part of me was drawn to this blunt, borderline abrasive man. Sure, maybe you could say it was simply because he was stupidly good-looking. I didn’t think it was just that, though. I found his inability to sugarcoat things, even sensitive things, charming.
This was the kind of guy you didn’t ask if your ass looked fat in your jeans, because he’d tell you the truth you didn’t want to hear.
It also meant that he was more honest, though. And that was refreshing. Especially if you were entrusting your very life to him when you really didn’t know him from Adam.
“That’s a fair point,” I admitted, nodding.
I mean, I wasn’t insecure about how my genetics had shaped me. There was a period in my teens, like most girls, where I railed against my pear shape, but I’d learned to accept and embrace myself over the years since.
Besides, he was right. I really rarely wore a bra because it would be more like fashion than having a practical use.
“And… food,” he said, pulling the brown bag up. “Didn’t know what kind of sauce you like, so I got one spaghetti with marinara and the other with alfredo.”
“Whichever one you don’t want, I’ll be happy with.”
