Page 25 of Bulletproof Baby

"There a problem?" Valentino asks him.

"Nah, man. I mean, really? I seen her first, but I guess you got it. You look like you can pay for the appetite on shortie, anyway. Good luck my man." The catcaller turns to head back into the store, where I see a group of guys waiting for him to return a failure.

They're laughing and clowning him, but Valentino's anger is simmering under the surface. Valentino leads me to his car where I stand beside it, a gesture of his possession of me.

"Wait here." Valentino commands as he walks toward the group of men that are now walking out of the store.

Valentino commands respect and attention as he addresses the group. I can't make out what he's saying, but when he points toward me, the men laugh with the main one who spoke to me mouthing off to Valentino. At least, that's what it looks like.

The majority of the group walks away with Valentino speaking and then walking toward me with the catcaller beside him.

The stranger's tone is timid. "Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. No disrespect, miss. Mr. Barrone, you and the missus have my apologies."

Valentino stands there, authority and power effortlessly oozing from his posture as the stranger trots away from us. With the stranger gone, he walks me back toward my car, opening the door as his eyes scan our surroundings.

"I can follow you home and have a team outside in a few minutes," he says.

"A team?" I ask him. My emotions are all over the place. Valentino, owner of my virginity, is essentially still a stranger. Yet, he's going out of his way to protect me more than my own parents. I can't help but wonder what the goal is for him. What does he get out of this?

He nods. "Yes. I can have a security team watching your place."

"I just want to go home. I just want this shit with Caputo to be done so we can go back to our lives, the way shit used to be."

Valentino pulls me into his embrace, kissing me on the temple before ushering me into my car. He follows me home, but to my surprise, parks his car in front of a fire hydrant and pulls out a duffel bag from the back seat. Valentino's at the door as I unlock it and step inside the tiny entrance.

The wooden floors creak under our feet as I lead Valentino to my apartment at the back of the house. My heart races and I immediately spew disclaimers. "It's not that big. Nothing like your beach house. Did I say thank you for tonight? You don't have to come in."

"I do," Valentino insists as I unlock my door and we step inside. He seems massive inside the space. His height is only two feet away from scraping the ceiling. I watch him walk around, surveying everything. It only takes a few dozen paces for him to look around.

"Stay here," he commands, walking around, checking the windows and doors.

I turn on the lights as he moves, poking his head into doorways, from my closet to my bathroom and my bedroom. I'm thankful I threw every outfit I tried on before squeezing into this dress into my bedroom closet, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep my mess a secret for long.

It doesn't take long, but when he sits down on my sofa, kicking off his shoes and dropping his bag, I have to ask him, "What do you think you're doing?"

"You're mine to protect, Lia. You told me someone was following you. I promised that I wouldn't let anything happen to you. This is me keeping that promise."

12

VALENTINO

"So you're staying?" Lia asks with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"I can stay on the couch if you'd like." I don't want to sleep on the couch, but I will. It's not long enough to be comfortable, but I'm not here for comfort. It's a reminder of how Barten Security started over a decade ago. Sleeping on couches, floors, and trading shifts with Armande as we worked to protect some of the most infamous people in New York City.

The soft scent of vanilla sits in the apartment. I have pictures of this house from the front and back in the classified folder on my phone. I no longer have anyone tailing Lia, but that might change if someone's trying to scare her.

"This place is small, too small for you, us. I'm sorry about the controlled chaos, too." She mumbles as she steps out of her heels.

Lia's movements around the apartment are hesitant. I can see her eyes scanning the room, wondering what I must think of her space. In short, it's perfectly fine.

"There's nothing chaotic here," I tell her, my eyes on the scattered bits of mail and empty wine glass on the counter of her cozy kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" she asks. "I have some leftover lasagna in the fridge if you want to eat."

The only thing I want to eat is her pussy. Just like that. A simple word pulls me away from my focus, my reason for being here. Still, I can't stop the grin from spreading across my face.

"I could eat," I tell her.