“I know that, Evangeline, but you did. If you hadn’t I might have found the strength to walk away, but it’s too late and we both know it. My male rose and so did your female. He’d never stand for it, even if she would. There’s no going back from that. We’ll take it slow. One day at a time. I’m not going to throw you over my shoulder and carry you off into a cave. We’ll go on as we have been but spend more time together, get to know each other.”

That was so reasonable. She didn’t want him to be reasonable. She wanted him gone because if he didn’t go, she would succumb. She wasn’t that strong around him. “You don’ know me at all.”

“Malyutka.” One word. A reprimand. She didn’t speak Russian and she had no idea what he was calling her, but she suspected it was an endearment of some kind. “I have been around you nearly a year. You’re soft inside. Sweet. Strong and independent. You can handle the worst customer with grace, defusing any situation.”

“I could have ignored your friend.”

“Patrizio Amodeo is not my friend. That was my first meeting with him. No man puts his hand on you. No man but me. His intentions weren’t good and you know it. He all but insinuated you were a whore out for money.”

She touched her tongue to her bottom lip. Just that small action made it tingle, remembering the taste of Alonzo, the way his mouth moved over hers. In hers. Branding her. “Elijah left a fat envelope on the counter. I imagine he paid me a great deal of money I didn’t earn in the small amount of time you were all here.”

His eyebrow shot up. “I hope you’re not implying taking his money means you’re a whore. You lost business. We rented out your establishment. It is fair to pay you. That is not the same thing as Amodeo attempting to touch you inappropriately.”

“True, but I could have handled it. He pretended to be sorry, Alonzo, but he wasn’t. He was angry. Not just with all of you, but with me. I made an enemy there. I think all of you did, especially you.”

She didn’t like that. She could have prevented it if he’d just let the man grab her butt. She would have protested, let him smirk thinking he was all that and walked away. Alonzo would have been safe. He wasn’t safe now.

“Amodeo is my problem. Elijah’s reputation will most likely keep him contained. He wants an alliance with us all.”