Page 42 of Possess Me

What was I talking about? I knew I definitely had the rode hard and put away wet look. Between the experience in the water, the bath and the humidity, my hair was hanging in my face and my entire body glistened from sweat.

I was shocked to see a hotel worker bringing in a cart that certainly didn’t look like something room service would use. In fact, I hadn’t seen room service being offered, which was why I’d gone to the bar in the first place.

What had Vissarian managed to do?

The flurry of activity was too much for Bella. She tried her best to jump from my arms.

When the door was finally closed, I let her go, amazed at her burst of energy.

As I uncurled my legs, the scent of food was pleasantly overwhelming. “What did you do?”

“You asked for food. I arranged for the pup to have a feast.” Every time the man grinned, I found myself falling under some crazy spell, which I’d told myself time and time again I wouldn’t do.

Still, he was certainly earning points, on his way to being trustworthy. I had to admit that even I couldn’t find enough fault in the man to turn a blind eye to the attraction we shared.

Or the fear that continued lingering.

“Why do you carry a weapon?”

He lifted his eyebrows as if surprised I’d ask. He slipped it from behind him, twisting it in his hand before gingerly placing it on one of the tables. “As you might imagine, I have enemies both personally and professionally.”

“Because you’re Bratva.”

“Yes, and because I’m ruthless. In business. Does that make you frightened of me?”

“Just cautious. The experience I’ve had with men who carry guns hasn’t been positive.” I resisted touching my face, which would be a dead giveaway.

He took a deep breath. “I assure you I don’t use it unless absolutely necessary.”

“For the men who need to face your wrath.”

“Exactly.” He had such a way about him that kept me enthralled.

A tiny and maybe crazy part of me wanted to grill him on how many people he’d killed in his life, but the other part of me didn’t want to know. That would destroy both the fascination and the fantasy about the man. He was definitely all male.

“Why don’t we try and relax, have some food,” he suggested even though I could tell he was very curious about my pointed questions. “The pup is obviously starving.”

“Just the pup, huh? Let’s see what we have.” I lifted two silver domes, my stomach immediately growling. “Wow. Steak and shrimp. I’m certain Bella will enjoy that. And look at the sponge cake. Amazing. And a side of what looked like an entire boiled chicken. Now, I admit, I’m not sure about the bottle of vodka. I don’t think booze is considered good for dogs. Maybethe red wine. I wonder if she’d allow me to steal one of her strawberries.”

“I have a feeling she might allow just one. As far as the liquor, we need some type of nourishment. Incidentally, I grabbed your phone from the bar.”

“Shit. I forgot all about it. I was a bit distracted.” I laughed nervously because I was usually extremely focused and self-aware.

“You only had eyes for the puppy.”

As he held it out for me, I hesitated before taking it, fearful of seeing if anyone called.

Not just anyone.

Antonio.

He narrowed his eyes, noticing my hesitation. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” I said a little too quickly. “Just thinking about calling Jeffrey.”

“Tomorrow. I’m certain he needs his rest.”

I finally took the phone, the slight jarring lighting up the screen. Thankfully, no one had tried to contact me. Breathing a sigh of relief, I sensed he’d caught my reaction.