Page 77 of She Belongs to Me

After I’d placed my order, I sat back to relax for a little while. I’d take an hour, no more. A little relaxation time while I read the paper and enjoyed a beverage, allowing my mind to wander to Alexandra would be precious.

I checked my emails, the first from the lead technician of the security firm. Everything had been finished at the estate. They were in the process of heading to the office. Excellent.

The second was from a computer expert and part-time hacker on my own payroll. She was a tough cookie. The additional security I’d wanted on all the bank accounts were in place, with boosted security on the computer systems as well.

And no one had attempted to worm their way into either one.

I even tried Elio again, the call going directly to voicemail. There was nothing worse than someone ignoring me. If only I had time to pay him a visit. I knew people everywhere and made another call. He’d also been on my father’s payroll years before and didn’t like Elio in the least. He would do my legwork.

It was good to have friends in low places.

The thought made me smile.

Things were looking up. Although I preferred when a new enemy jumped right in my face. At least when dealing with corporate clients, you knew what you were getting involved in right way. Arrogance always came into place.

With the coffee and beverage in front of me, I settled back even more, my thoughts firmly locked onto the beautiful woman fuming at my house.

I was itching to get back to her. There were a couple of stops before I made it home. After that, I planned on shutting down business for the rest of the day.

One of two things she’d told me this morning was that she was taking her last exam this morning. That would allow for a slight celebration anyway.

Thankfully, I didn’t need to wait long. A single sharp and very feminine laugh drew my attention to the elevator.

The stunning couple I was hoping to see walked off the elevator arm in arm, heading in this direction. Yes, I enjoyed when I was right. If I had to guess, I’d say Gio had already contacted Mattia so my sudden arrival would be a slight but decent warning.

Stay the fuck away.

Or… Show his hand.

They were greeted by the hostess and at that point were only paying attention to each other. I sat back in the seat, enjoying the moment.

Mattia was firmly in control, almost dragging the girl through the restaurant. They were about two feet from the table when he finally looked in my direction. He locked eyes with mine almost immediately and there was a hitch in his step, an immediate slowdown.

His expression went from utter surprise to concern to a quick view of his anger in less than two seconds. Neither one of us said anything, and he finally regrouped, passing by me with only a slight glance over his shoulder.

I’d done what I came to do. After taking a gulp of my drink, I pulled out several euros, tossing the bills on the table. I didn’t need to look over my shoulder as I was leaving the restaurant.

I knew he was watching.

CHAPTER 23

Alexandra

Men were fickle beasts.

I couldn’t help but allow the single thought to outweigh others that were more important, including taking my final exam. They were either hot or cold, possessive or non-caring.

With Nico, he was all things, including obsessive.

Sexy.

Possessive.

Frustrating.

Dominating.

Infuriating.