Page 10 of Run to Me

“Just a minute!” My voice is hoarse, and I close my eyes and take a deep breath to try and prepare myself for the pain I’m about to feel when I stand.

“Are you okay?”

I open my eyes and instantly want to turn back time to around five minutes ago because knelt in front of me is the man who I can’t stop thinking about. The man who has been the sole object of my recent fantasies. The man I didn’t think I would see again.

Just the sight of him alone brings an instant blush to my cheeks and butterflies to my stomach.

What the hell is it about this man that elicits these feelings?

As Enzo kneels in front of me, wearing a pair of black jeans, a black henley and a look of concern on his face, I realize I’ve just been sat on the floor gawking at him and still haven’t spoken a single word.

“I-I’m fine, you startled me when you came in and I fell off the ladder,” I murmur.

Some emotion flashes in his eyes but it’s gone as quickly as it came, too fast for me to figure out what it was and leaving me to wonder if I really saw it at all.

“C’mon,uccellina,let me help you,” he says softly as he stands and reaches down. He sweeps me up in his arms and carries me towards the wing back chair in the little reading area while holding me bridal style in his arms.

Being this close to him and feeling his arms around me heats up my body in a way I’ve never felt before. He smells like pine and leather, an odd combination but intoxicating all the same.

He plops me down in the chair all too soon and I let out a wince as my foot hits the floor. Something that he does not miss as he drops to his knees in front of me, grabbing my leg from under the knee and gently placing my foot on his thigh.

“I’m sorry you got hurt because of me,” he murmurs as he inspects my ankle.

“It’s fine, this wasn’t even the worst thing to happen today,” I mutter with a soft laugh before pulling my ankle away from him. The pain is basically gone now, just leaving a dull ache in its wake.

I look back up to Enzo’s face and he looks contemplative, his brows are furrowed, and his lips are slightly turned down into a frown.

“What happened?” There’s a slight bite in his tone, like he doesn’t like the thought of me having a bad day. That thought alone threatens to break down the carefully built walls I have surrounding me, but I push the thought away and wave my hand while rolling my eyes.

“It’s nothing really, just one of those days. Now, thank you for your help, what can I help you with today?” I ask, adopting my customer service voice and ignoring the way his frown deepens.

He must realize that I’m not planning on divulging everything to him, so he clears his throat and explains how some of the books he bought when he came in with his sister-in-law got damaged in some sort of “incident”.

I’m not sure what sort of incident occurred, and I didn’t ask, not wanting to pry into his life when I wouldn’t allow him to pry into mine.

We spend a few minutes picking out some more books to replace the ones that were damaged and make it to the counter. As I’m ringing up the order, Enzo passes me a black card.

I’ve owned this store for a few years, and not once has anyone ever used a black card to pay for their purchase. Hell, not many people in the city are able to get their hands on one, so I’m not surprised I haven’t seen one before.

What I am surprised about though is that this enigma of a man carries one. The last time he came into the store, he paid with cash, so I didn’t see the card, and I didn’t see the last name printed on it.

Romano.

A chill rushes up my spine as I realize just who this man is. The entire city has heard of the Romano family. The family that runs the New York Mafia. A crime family. And Enzo Romano is known to be the most unhinged of them all.

Crazy.Insane. Certifiable.

I realize I’ve just spent the better part of an hour with a mobster, yet I’ve never felt safer. But this also explains the wild look he gets in his eyes sometimes, the dangerous aura that surrounds him, and probably the “incident” that resulted in damaged books.

I maintain my composure while handing him his bags and thanking him for his help.

“I’m glad I was here to help you,uccellina.”

He turns and walks out of the door before I have a chance to open my mouth and ask him what he called me.

Lia

Change of plans for our girls night tonight! We’re going out girl, and we’re double dating!