Page 71 of Thorns of Desire

“Dimmi.” Tell me.

Whenever he needed help, whatever it was, I was there for him and vice versa. We were family and friends. We always had each other’s backs.

“Can you see if you can extract any more information from Lykos? I need to know what I’m dealing with here. Why is Danil interested in Athena? Why are the Triads being so relentless?”

“I’ll reach out to him first thing,” my nephew said.

“Keep me updated,” I said, not caring that he could hear how crazy I was for this woman. “Whatever he wants, make sure he considers it done.”

I intended to protect Athena with all I had. I was done fighting the depth of my feelings for her. Instead, I’d make sure every threat she faced was eliminated.

“I’m glad you found someone,” Enrico said after a few heartbeats of silence. “It’s about fucking time.”

I chuckled softly, careful not to wake my passenger. “I don’t think she’d agree. She views it as a fling.”

“She’ll learn soon enough,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“She will.” I’d show her what a future with me could look like. How happy I could make her. “I’ll talk to you later.”

I ended the call and continued driving, making my way out of the city. I shifted in my seat and tried to concentrate on tonight.

When we finally arrived at the compound, I opened the door for Athena and guided her to her feet. She didn’t speak, her movements sluggish, as she placed her hand in mine and followed wearily.

TWENTY-NINE

ATHENA

Manuel was guiding me through the parking lot toward a building that looked like an apartment building. When I tripped over my feet—fatigue taking its toll—he scooped me up and carried me into the building.

His warmth felt good, surrounding me. Being close to him, smelling him. So manly, so hot. There was safety in his strong arms, and although I loved it, it did slightly annoy me. Up until now, no guy had ever fascinated me enough to want to do anything beyond a whirlwind romance, but here this man was, infiltrating my thoughts and barreling through my defenses. The man was a walking aphrodisiac.

He started climbing the stairs, and once he reached the top, he turned left and made his way down the dark hallway.

“Where are we going? This doesn’t look like a doctor’s office.”

“It is.” Just as he said it, he shoved a door open with his shoulder.

An older man with a full head of gray hair was seated at the desk, and the moment we entered, he stood up.

“Buona sera, Manuel.”

Manuel nodded.

“Ciao, Dottore.” He carefully placed me on his examination table, then shook hands with the doctor. He tilted his chin at me. “This is Athena. Thank you for seeing us on such short notice. There was an accident and she hit her head, among other things.”

Somehow I didn’t think the poor doctor had a choice in seeing us on such “short notice.” Manuel exchanged a few more words with the doctor while my head darted back and forth between them, not understanding a word.

He clapped the doctor on the shoulder and said to me, “Dr. Alleghri will look you over. All right?”

I nodded, and the doctor shifted his attention to me with a good-natured expression.

“Signorina,” the man said, his black medical bag on the table next to the examination bed. “With your permission, I’d like to do a quick examination.”

He slipped on a pair of latex gloves, then opened his bag to retrieve his instruments. He listened to my heartbeat, took my blood pressure, and asked me questions.

“Does your head hurt?”

“No.”