PRESLEY
I didn't know how I'd gotten myself into this situation tonight. I didn't know why I hadn't just refused his offer for a ride despite the commanding tone behind his voice and caught myself a taxi back home. But then again I did know. It was all because of him.
Silvio Rossi.
The silent and brooding man who'd always remained in the background of the show while everyone was in the center of it. He hated the spotlight, hated any kind of light and he hated me. And yet, here he was like a knight in a neatly pressed turtleneck standing beside me in a McDonald's line.
I couldn't believe it. This man opened the door for me, and then proceeded to walk into the McDonald's store instead of the drive-through which I was very much familiar with. I looked oddly and out of place in a black blazer which reached to my knees—barely—and pink heels.
As we entered the restaurant side by side, I took a minute to examine us standing together. We were such opposites even standing next to each other. It was clear he preferred dark colors but I was loud in every aspect with my bold lipstick, and pink heels, I always managed to draw attention to myself.
A pair of dark sunglasses covered his expressive eyes from me as if he was shielding himself from revealing more than he already meant to.
Though I was a bit taller than the average woman, standing at a proud five inches and nine feet, I didn't expect to look so small next to him.
And the way he stood so close to me in the line, the soft wooly material of his turtleneck brushed past my bare arms. My whole entire body literally shivered.
Damn it.
I fought the urge to gasp before rushing to the other side of the line to put a bit of distance between us in any way I could. Even if it meant bumping into a hard and unfamiliar chest.
Everything inside me winced when I made contact with the strong chest, and immediately I felt a hand on my arm. Holding me tightly so I wouldn't lose my balance. Although it wasn't any random arm. It was his.
Silvio.
It was the first time he'd ever touched me; His gloved hand strong yet gentle on my arm pulled me upright and held me from falling on my ass.
Originally I'd planned to apologize profusely to the man which I'd bumped into because it had obviously been my fault but when I caught the look on Silvio's face, I was rendered silent.
The man looked dangerous. There was a look of fury vibrating from him; His dark brows were arched like he was trying to persuade himself not to do something.
"Shit." A ripple of smothered laughter circled the man's voice until it turned into silence when he met my eyes. It was the same look I'd gotten from men every single time a slice of cleavage appeared. Lust. Desire.
I had gotten so used to the looks I'd almost forgotten I wasn't responsible for their reactions. Neither was I responsible for their actions.
The man looked like any random man you would run into at a McDonald's but he was dressed in a formal outfit which was not McDonald's worthy. A white dress shirt, black pants and expensive-looking shoes. Something resembled power surrounded him, and I could smell the money pouring out of him.
The man licked his lips slowly with his dark eyes locked on mine. "You should watch where you're going, sugar," his gruff voice murmured. He gestured a hand to his stained shirt which was now filled with splotches of bright orange soda, I was guessing. "Now, what are you going to do about this?"
I was about to apologize since it'd been my fault but I wasn't prepared for the sexy, male voice who interjected between us.
A warm body of pure muscle slid in the middle of us, and the man's smirking face was erased from my vision. I couldn't see anything else other than small glimpse of tattoos carved on Silvio's neck from where the turtleneck had shifted.
A bright haze of anger rushed through me and I made a move to grab onto his arm.
He froze suddenly and went rigid, his eyes went wide for a second like he hadn't expected me to do that—to touch him. Like I wasn't allowed to even put a hand on him. I quickly dropped my hand like a lit torch had burned the tips of my fingers.
It took a minute before he regained his composure and began to speak again. "How much will cleaning this cost?"
The man's eyes narrowed into slits. "Cleaning?" A harsh laugh escaped his lips like he couldn't believe the word he was hearing. "I want to talk to the lady instead, she's the one who—"
The ice in his voice had returned, and was dangerously low. "You'll be talking to me." Despite the fact that I should have taken caution and made a move to separate myself from the situation, I did neither.
I moved around Silvio and stepped right in front of him to face the man. "Presley." His dark voice bit out.
His gloved hand reached over to grab onto my arm as an attempt to pull me back but he didn't quite touch me. Only spared me a warning glance and dropped his hand.
"I'll pay for it." I told the man as I reached into my purse and dug out a single card out of the stack of business card.
Silvio reached over and took the card out of my fingers, and suddenly jabbed it into his parted mouth. Forcefully.
With eyes of fury, and a knack for control, he told the man. "We're done here." It wasn't even a question, it was more of a statement to let the man understand who was in charge.
I offered a weak smile to the man to apologize for his shirt before Silvio pulled me by the arm. His gloved hand covered half of my upper arm, tugging me towards the direction of the exit. I didn't dare complain or argue because I knew better than to cause a scene.
The locks of the Audi chirped a melodic tune and at the same time, he reached over, pulled the passenger door and gently sat me inside.
His jaw clenched in that disapproving way of his I'd became accustomed to over the years.
The silver tiny piercing embedded around his nose twinkled under the street lights in the McDonald's parking lot; Sparkling olive-green eyes fizzled with warm pools of hazel. "Stay inside for me, hm?"
