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“Your woman? I don’t think so,” the man who is touching Marigold challenges me.
Big fucking mistake. My eyes zero in on her upper arm and she flinches when his fingers tighten further. “Get your fucking hands off her before you find you don’t have a hand anymore. Not that you’ll need one, not even to jack off, where I’ll be sending you,” my voice is ice cold, menacing, and filled with truthful promise.
The man’s eyes widen as the asshole who thinks he’s going to run interference in this situation speaks up, “You should walk away now. You don’t know what you’re getting involved in.”
Marigold looks at me and whimpers, “Sergio.”
Hearing her say my name, the single word filled with pain and so much fucking hope, guts me. I glance at her and watch as silent tears trail over her cheeks. She’s trying to be so strong, and I fall in love with her a little bit more. Time seems to have no meaning, giving me the chance to count each tear as it falls.
I’m looking at my woman, but I speak to the men who have no sense of self-preservation considering they’re still standing inthe alley, and one still hasn’t let go of mypiccola bellezza. “This is your one chance to walk away before I make you pay with your blood for every one of the tears she’s shed.”
I don’t have to be looking at the man in front of me to know what he’s going to do next. I feel him shift his weight and when his fist comes flying at me, Marigold lets out a squeak at the same time I deflect the man’s attempt and throw a punch of my own. I don’t miss and I don’t stop. I follow the first jab with a punch to his gut and then an uppercut.
He goes down hard, but he’s not knocked unconscious. I turn my eyes to the man still touching my woman as his buddy groans on the ground.
“Remove your hand from my woman and walk away while you still can.” I can see the conflict in his eyes, and it makes me grin, but it’s not a nice smile. Not at all. My voice is matter of fact, “This is your last chance to walk away and deliver the warning you’ve gotten today to your boss. Or I can do it myself with your blood.”
When I take a step forward, the man practically throws Marigold at me before he helps the other idiot up from the ground and rushes away. I don’t take my eyes off the pair until they’re gone. Only then do I look down at the woman in my arms.
Her gray eyes are still watery, and I hate it. I hate that she experienced even a moment of pain or sadness. Reacting to the need I also see shining there, a need for me to make it all okay, I lean down and capture her lips with mine. The little gasp she lets out is all I need to push my tongue into her mouth and explore.
The way her body melts into mine makes me want to bow my head in prayer. She’s so beautiful and my life is full of chaos, but I won’t be able to let her go. Not now. Not ever.
When I pull back from her mouth, we’re both panting and the fear in her eyes is almost completely gone. That makes me feel like a fucking conqueror. Still, I know I can’t get too lost in her. I need some answers and then I need to take her somewhere where I know she’ll be safe.
If her grandfather was trying to protect her by not telling her about Lang trying to buy the store, I can understand, but the lack of knowledge put her in a vulnerable position which is unacceptable to me. I have to protect her. Can I do that without putting her in a glass display case? I don’t know, but I’m going to try.
“Tell me you’re okay,la mia piccola bellezza,” my voice is a rasp.
“I’m okay, Sergio,” she whispers, trying to be strong even as she clings to my shoulders with a grip which tells me she won’t be letting me go anytime soon.
I lead her to the backdoor of the bookstore and then inside, almost losing my shit when I find it unlocked. What if they had gotten her inside where I couldn’t hear them? What if they had hurt her grandfather and then her? The thought of losing my woman, my little beauty, is almost enough for me to roar out in pain.
An older gentleman looks up, his eyes wide with shock, when he sees me escorting Marigold. I open my mouth to tell him how much trouble I just caught his granddaughter in, but before I can, my fierce woman’s voice cuts me off.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were approached about buying the store?”
The man swallows hard and stutters, “Wh-what?”
“Two men just threatened and attacked her in the alley. They told her you should have taken the deal when their boss brought it to you.” I glance at my woman and take in her worried features and the pain in her eyes. “They also told her she should have accepted Mr. Lang’s invitation to go out with him.” I snarl as I tighten my hold on Marigold, “That will never be happening.”
The man slumps and sighs before he looks at me, his eyes assessing me. “We haven’t been introduced. I’m Marcus Leto. Thank you for saving her.”
I kiss the crown of Marigold’s head, my voice softer, “I will always save her. She’s mine.”
Marigold lets out an adorable little sound of shock, but Marcus doesn’t look all that surprised. I can only grin down at the beautiful woman who stole my heart the moment I saw her.
“That’s good,” Marcus sounds relieved. He glances at Marigold, a wariness in his eyes. “I didn’t want to tell you about the offer. Lang has been buying up property in the neighborhood and I refused to sell. I didn’t want to worry you,” he pleads.
“You should have told me,” Marigold insists. She gasps, “Is he the reason business has been dropping?”
“Probably,” the older man admits with a sigh, looking as if he ages right in front of my eyes. “I don’t have any proof, but it wouldn’t surprise me.” He gives me a sharp look before his eyes soften when he looks at his granddaughter. “He’s not a good man from what I’ve heard.”
“Clearly not,” my woman snorts, “if he sent his goons after me to threaten me, and to tell me I need to accept his invitation for a date, while threatening our family’s business.”
My body is humming with the need to get Marigold out of here. I know what I need to do and clear my throat before telling her, “I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”
My little beauty narrows her eyes, gearing up for a fight, I’m sure, but Marcus cuts her off, “I think that would be a good idea. I can continue to tell Mr. Lang no to his offers, but he knows my weakness.” Marigold slumps into my body as Marcus brings his eyes back to mine. “If you hurt her, I don’t care who you are, I’ll find a way to take you down.”
