“You threatened me!”
“The cat. I threatened the cat!” he rushes to correct me, stumbling back a few more feet. He actually looks petrified. He’s a typical bully, pushing around people smaller than him until someone stands up to him.
“Same thing,” I snap. “Don’t let me catch you in this hallway again.” They both nod before they turn and take off quickly. I stare after them. Maybe I’m fiercer than I ever realized.
I spin around to go back to my room, almost running into something. “Ahh!” I jump back, swinging my poker at the same time. Leone’s hand comes out and catches it easily by the rod. His fingers wrap around it.
“Sorry.” I let go of the handle. “I didn’t mean to–”
“Don’t be sorry.” He smiles at me as he lets it slide through his fingers down to the poker end, offering it back to me. “Take it,” he encourages.
I do. “I might have gotten into it with a few of your men,” I admit.
He doesn’t seem mad, but maybe he didn’t hear it all. Will I be in trouble? Will he kick me out and not help me with my sister now?
“That so?” His smile only grows, making me relax. I hadn’t thought about Leone getting upset with me and possibly kicking me out before I took up arms in defense of myself and Bentley. The idea of never seeing him again makes my chest ache. It dawns on me how much he’s starting to mean to me even though I’ve only know him for a short amount of time.
“They were rude,” I tell him.
“I’ll handle them.” The look on his face tells me that he most definitely will.
“I already did. I think they got the point.” I raise my chin, feeling proud. I stood up for myself.
“Maybe so, but they’re still my men. What did they do exactly?” Leone wraps his arm around me, pulling me into him.
I melt against him, loving the feel of his body pressed into mine. When he touches me, I can’t help but give him what he asks for–which makes Leone a lot more dangerous to me than I ever thought.