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Emilia and I dance for several moments. She’s a child with the body way too close to being a woman’s. It’s too much and it makes me feel like a damn deviant.
I clear my throat, chalking all this up to the fact that my emotions are too close to the surface. I never allow that. There’s too much in my past to allow my control to lax. If I did that, anger would be the only thing that ruled me. “You’re quiet.”
“I’m not sure what to say.”
Her response surprises me. Most people in her shoes would have a million questions. I have a feeling she does, too. Is she that timid? I’m not sure how I feel about that.Am I really going to do this?
“I don’t believe that.”
“Okay, fine,” she responds, pulling back so that she can look up at me. Her face blooms with color immediately. To her credit, however, she maintains eye contact. “Why did you call me your property? I’m a person,notproperty.”
For now, I bypass her question. “Tonight was about the fact that I don’t like Dante Russo. I sure as hell don’t trust him with you.”
“That makes two of us,” she grumbles.
“I don’t want him near you. Do you understand?”
“It’s not like he gives me much choice.”
“Then, I won’t give him one.”
She frowns up at me. “I’m not anyone’s property.”
“You might not be as timid as I assumed,” I murmur, surprised that she’s showing me a fire that I’ve never seen before.
“You don’t know me.”
“We’ll get to know one another eventually.”
“I doubt that. Why would we?”
I smile. There’s definitely more beneath the surface than Emilia allows you to see. I don’t know why I like that, but I do.
“Are you having a good birthday?”
She looks annoyed. “It’s a birthday. It’s nothing special.”
“Come now. I heard what Max has waiting outside for you. Any girl your age would love getting that for their birthday.”
I look at her closely. I know she’s aware her dad is giving her a new car as a present. He told me himself that he took Emilia to the dealer and let her choose. He expected her to go for a luxury sports car. She didn’t. I must admit, it surprised me as much as it did Maxwell.She opted for a Lexus RZ. It’s a nice car, but nowhere near as flashy as most girls in her position would demand.
“It’s very nice. I know I’m blessed. I told him he didn’t have to. He usually makes me take a driver and security wherever I go. So, it’s not like I will get to use it very often.”
I never thought of it like that before, but Emilia does have a point. “If it wasn’t a car, what did you want for your birthday?”
“It’s not important,” she responds, obviously looking uncomfortable. In fact, she breaks eye contact and seems to retreat into that shell she was in when I was having my confrontation with Dante.
“It is. I want to know.” She sighs and closes her eyes. Next, she does something that surprises me. She lays her head against my chest, giving me her weight. I feel her forehead press against me. Her nose rubs against my shirt, and warm breath fans out. It’s a gut check moment. She’s sixteen. She’s also completely innocent. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out. She has no idea the power her young body could hold over a man. “Emilia?” I prompt, my voice gruff as I sort through the mine field I seem to have stepped into without warning.
“I wanted to work with Zoe.”
“Doing what?”
“She works at a local grocery store, but she’s going to be switching to a diner that her father works at. I want to work with her.”
Of all the things I expected her to say, this wasn’t it.
“Why? You don’t need to work.”
