My eyes darted away from his.
But Anthony was too eagle-eyed to miss something like that. “I’m your guardian whether you like it or not. Nervous, afraid, or whatever you feel, my job is to protect you always.” He paused and studied me for several awkward seconds before mercifully saying, “Enough of this dark talk. Eat your appetizer before it gets”—he smiled and gave the sexiest little wink to lighten the mood—“before it gets cold. Although you ordered melon so maybe that’s fine. Hell if I know.”
I couldn’t help but giggle again, which wasn’t something I did freely, but with Anthony, I couldn’t help but feel happy… and protected.
Safe.
Secure.
Watched over.
He was my guardian in so many ways. I hadn’t realized that fact, but he was.
And I liked it.
“And why, pray tell, don’t you have a winter coat?” he asked, changing the subject completely. “I noticed you weren’t wearing one when we walked into the restaurant.”
I stopped with a ball of melon on its way to my mouth. “How would you know whether or not I have a coat?”
“I remember from the last storm. And I distinctly remember telling you to get a coat then.” He wiped his very sensual mouth with his white linen napkin. “Did you?”
I had to think about my answer for a moment, and then quickly decided to avoid giving a direct answer. “I think I’ll take the fifth.” Despite the fact that our discussion had me sitting on pins and needles, and seconds ago I would have sworn I couldn’t eat a thing, the sweet, salty smell called to me and I began to delicately devour the bounty before me.
“No, no, no. The fifth isn’t available to you.”
“Says who?” The statement was firm and strong, as if I were trying to reinforce it to myself as well as him. I didn’t want to completely cave to Anthony under any circumstances, fantasy life be damned.
He gave me a look that I was sure was ‘the look.’ “It’s my duty to look over your well-being now.”
I snorted. “You have no such duty to me.”
“I need to do a better job of protecting you. Not just your safety within the dark underworld, which I make damn sure of, but also the small mundane things. Like… where the fuck is your coat?”
My stomach flipped at his words, and a sudden urge to feel his arms around me almost knocked me out of my chair. It took all my might to barely squeak out, “I can take care of myself.”
Our entrees had arrived and were presented to us with a flourish. Once we were alone again, Anthony leaned toward me, grabbed my hand, and played his trump card. “It’s what Dasha would have wanted. You know that as well as I do. He wouldn’t want me to leave you alone. He one hundred percent would want me to be your guardian.”
How could I ever hope to argue with that? I cut into a steak that practically fell apart when I threatened it with the knife and fork. It literally melted in my mouth, and a small groan escaped me as I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the sensation for a moment. It had been a long time since I’d had a meal like this.
When I opened my eyes, Anthony was staring right at me, as if I were dessert.
“I know Father made you promise… and you have lived up to that promise in all ways. But he wouldn’t expect you to burden yourself with me forever. You said yourself that the Russians and all he dealt with have no interest in me.”
I was groping for something—anything to say to distract him. Those eyes were robbing me of what few shreds I had left of flimsy protection around my fragile heart. He could see into my soul, I was sure, see all of the things I had dreamt of doing with him. I was certain he could discern those innermost secrets he should never know.
“Because Dasha was like a brother to me. You and your father were like family. Are like family. And since you are the only one who’s still alive, you get all of me.” He smiled warmly, which caused tingles to attack my pussy. “It’s my manly duty… to watch over you.”
I took a swig of my water, hoping it would cool me down from the inside out, but no such luck. The more we talked, the more I felt the need to fidget. His effects on me were tangible. I was still breathing much more heavily than I usually did, although I was consciously trying to hide it. My skin was hot and tight all over, not considering the blushes he caused with nearly every sentence. My fingers were frozen with nerves, yet that nether area between my legs surged and throbbed with excess heat, and I could feel myself dripping into my panties.