"You mean, because of the break-in?" She must notice the confusion on my face because she adds, "I heard about it from Adrian. Must have been the adrenaline of finding himself under threat that made him do that, don't you think?"
"Yeah," I hunch my shoulders, "when the intruder flung me away, I lost consciousness."
"I heard," she says gently. "I assume that’s why you have a bandage on your forehead?"
"The doctor’s think that burst of activity has set back his recovery time though, as he put a lot of strain on his already weak muscles."
"I see," she murmurs. "How is he now?"
"He’s in a room in the other wing."
"Eh?" She blinks rapidly. "So you are in the same house as him?"
"I am," I say glumly, "or rather, I am in Xander's house that Michael decided to loan to Axel."
"So what does that have to do with you?"
"The men seem to think I need to be protected until they track down the guy who shot Axel at Christian and Aurora’s wedding."
"Which makes sense, right?"
"I suppose," I scowl, "but why do I have to move in with him?"
"Hold on, so you moved into Xander's place, which is now Axel’s place?" Her gaze widens.
"Not my idea, trust me."
"But you are in a different room?"
"Yep, and the house is guarded, and apparently, I need to be chauffeured around by one of the Sovrano brothers, at all times."
"That doesn’t seem so bad, does it?"
"On the face of it, no," I say with reluctance, "it’s just that—?"
"Your family is upset about it?"
"Not after Michael spoke to them and told them he’d be taking care of me." I huff, "He’s the Don; obviously, they won’t go against his word."
"So you’re upset about it?"
"I understand, they think I need to be protected, but moving into the house that Xander lived in..." I pause to collect my thoughts. "When I am in this house, I am surrounded by memories of Xander. Can you imagine? I am stuck here, thinking of him, and then Axel is also here with me." I wring my fingers together. "It's driving me crazy."
"Hmm," she bites the inside of her cheek, "something you’re not telling me, Theresa?"
"What? No." My cheeks heat.
"You’re a terrible liar," she teases. "Are you attracted to Axel?"
I open my mouth to answer and she raises her hand, "No, don’t tell me. Clearly, you feel something for him. The question is whether you are able to resist him."
I hang my head.
"That’s what I thought."
"It’s not what it seems," I protest
"Oh?" She tilts her head, "Then how is it?"