* * *
‘You’re going to carry on seeing her?’ Matt stared at him in dismay but Carlo merely grinned.
‘I’m going to carry on seeing her, and you’re going to protect her.’ He almost laughed at the expression on Matt’s face. ‘Don’t look like that. You’re always dying to do your macho bodyguard act and here I am giving you permission. Be as macho as you like. Just don’t let her see you.’
Matt exhaled sharply. ‘Let’s get this straight. You’re asking me to follow the girl?’
‘Absolutely,’ Carlo said pleasantly. ‘And her name is Zan.’
‘I’m supposed to be protecting you.’
Carlo frowned impatiently. ‘I protect myself. And anyway, apart from when I’m working I’m going to be with her, so protecting her will be protecting me.’
‘You could be putting her in danger.’
‘But you’re the best,’ Carlo said softly, ‘and so am I. Between us we can stop anything happening to her. We have to, Matt, because there’s no way I’m letting her go.’
‘I can’t believe you’re doing this.’ Matt raked long fingers through his cropped hair and his jaw tensed. ‘Have you really thought this through? You’re a multimillionaire, Carlo. This can’t be
anything but a short-term relationship.’
‘Why?’ Carlo’s tone was noticeably cooler and Matt glanced at him warily.
‘You really need me to tell you that? You’ve got a life in Italy—your clinic is one of the most famous in the world. People pay huge sums of money to see you personally because you’re so damn talented.’
‘So maybe I want to use those talents with the less fortunate for a while,’ Carlo replied smoothly, remembering what Zan had said about visiting Kelly. She made a difference.
‘But sooner or later you’ll be going back,’ Matt pointed out logically. ‘And then what?’
Carlo pushed the thought away. He didn’t want to think about going back.
‘I’ll worry about that later. At the moment I just care about keeping her safe.’
And waking up next to her in bed on Christmas morning.
‘And what if they use her to get to you?’
Carlo looked him in the eye. ‘They’re not going to do that.’
Matt frowned. ‘And how can you be so sure?’
‘Because we’re going to be protecting her,’ Carlo said smoothly. ‘I don’t want her to go anywhere without one of us within hugging distance of her.’
Matt blinked. ‘You seriously want me to tail your girlfriend?’
‘I want you to do whatever it takes to keep her safe,’ Carlo said gruffly. ‘You’re the best. We both know that. No one gets past you.’
‘Which is why I’m supposed to be looking after you,’ Matt said dryly, his frustration obvious. ‘What’s it going to do for my professional reputation if they get you?’
‘They won’t,’ Carlo said calmly. ‘You know as well as I do that I can take care of myself. We also both know that I shouldn’t be dragging Zan into this, but I have, so now it’s my responsibility to keep her safe. I want you on her tail every time she leaves that flat of hers and I want you or one of the team parked outside her apartment every night. No one enters or leaves without your knowledge. Oh, and by the way…’ Carlo gave a smug grin. ‘She’s invited me to spend Christmas with her so I’ll be staying with her on Christmas Eve.’
Matt shook his head. ‘You’ve lost your marbles.’
‘You only think that because you haven’t seen her,’ Carlo drawled, shrugging out of his coat and walking towards his bedroom.
‘And are you going to tell her the truth?’
Carlo stopped walking. ‘No. Not yet.’