“But you came back,” I said on a breath. “Why? Why now after so many years?”

His lips thinned as he turned, running his hand through his thick hair. “A lot’s been going on lately, making our lives more dangerous than usual.”

“Does it have something to do with Alessia’s mysterious kidnapping?”

He glanced back at me, his face grave. “Yes. Your father has been worried about your safety. Sal Amato betrayed him and did some shit that got a lot of people mad at the family. Sal’s still on the loose, and we have a number of dangerous people angry with us.”

I had been told Uncle Sal and my father had a falling out, but I didn’t know what the cause had been. I was stunned that he would betray my father. He wasn’t just a part of the family, he was also a part of my family. But then, I’d always thought something was off about him. As I grew up, I decided it was just because he was a little smarmy with his child bride and over-the-top flattery. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered how I hadn’t seen it coming.

“And how do you play into all this?”

“Your dad wanted someone near you to keep you safe. He figured bringing someone in from your past would be the best way to keep you protected without making you suspicious.”

“So you only came back to act as my bodyguard?” My stomach churned as I recalled his claims of missing me—telling me that he never stopped thinking about me. Had it all been a rouse?

“Stop!” he commanded, closing the distance between us and seizing my face in his hands. “I see what you’re thinking, and you need to cut that shit out right now. Just because there was a reason I came back doesn’t mean each word I’ve said hasn’t been the God’s honest truth. When I was given my orders, I thought I could keep my feelings in check, but that was a joke. That same night I was told to protect you, I watched you in your studio painting and knew I’d never be strong enough to stay away from you again. One look was all it took.”

“You were in my house watching me paint?” I balked, pulling back from his hold, trying to remember when it could have happened.

His face contorted in confusion. “I don’t think that’s all that relevant, considering everything else we’re talking about here.”

I shook my head, trying to focus my thoughts after he’d caught me off guard. “No, I know. You just surprised me. So our run-in at lunch and you showing up at dinner—those were attempts by my parents to bring us back together so you could protect me? You say you saw me and wanted more, but what does that even mean? What is it you want from me, Nico? A lot has changed since you left.”

His eyes hardened just before he tugged me closer and slammed his lips down on mine. All thoughts and logic evaporated in a cloud of sultry smoke. No matter how much my mind tried to argue the dangers, my body was too desperate for his touch to care. It didn’t matter that I had no experience to draw from, kissing Nico felt so natural, so right, that my body knew just how to move.