I jumped up from the couch and put my hands to my hips.

“Wel it isn’t!”

He angled off the couch and took a step toward me so he was towering over me.

I real y wished I had my shoes back but I held my ground.

“It f**king well is,” he said in his scary quiet voice.

I glared at him.

“How do you figure that?” I asked.

He threw his arms out and looked around.

“What the f**k do you think is happening here?”

“I don’t know!” I yel ed at him and, actual y, I didn’t.

He looked away from me, tore his hand through his hair and muttered in Spanish. Then he turned back to me.

and muttered in Spanish. Then he turned back to me.

“Witnesses state that a blonde woman of your description was seen rol ing around on the floor at Einstein’s on Alameda with a guy who fits the description of Vince Fratel i.”

I decided, again, to be silent.

“Jet, Vince Fratel i is a bad guy. Not just a bad guy, a scary bad guy. He’s muscle for a very scary bad guy. Who knows what he’s done? Likely broken knees, cut off fingers, kil ed people. And you attacked him in f**king Einstein’s Bagels.”

Not good. Real y not good. Vince did sound like a scary bad guy.

I went into defense mode. “Wel I didn’t know!” I yel ed.

Eddie’s quiet voice went away and he shouted.

“What the f**k were you thinking?”

“He cal ed you a wetback!” I shouted right back.

Yeesh.

Eddie stood stock stil and stared at me.

“I’m sorry?” he asked.

“I didn’t think. He said it and I just flipped out and the next thing I knew we were rol ing around on the floor. Indy yel ed at me to knee him in the nuts, I did, Tex grabbed me and we took off. The whole thing lasted less than ten minutes.” He shook his head.

“I don’t know whether to kiss you or shake some sense into you.”

I knew which one I would pick but I was too angry to make the suggestion.

I backed away and rounded the coffee table, retrieved my shoes and turned to Eddie.

“I want to go home,” I said.

“You aren’t goin’ home. We’re not done talkin’.” I turned and walked toward the kitchen.

We were so done talking.

I nearly made it when he caught my hand, gave it a yank and I whirled around. He twisted my arm around my back and pul ed my body up against his.

“I’m f**kin’ sick and tired of watching you walk away from me,” he growled.

My heart stopped.

This would probably be part of that hot-blooded thing Blanca was talking about.

“Eddie…”

He didn’t let me start.

“You’ve dated Mexican-Americans before, people say shit. It’s their problem, you ignore it.”

“Eddie…” I tried again.

He continued. “I already told you that you were my business but it’s pretty f**kin’ clear you didn’t understand.

I’ve been tryin’ to get your attention for months but you’re so busy and exhausted and whatever the hel else you are, it hasn’t worked. So I’l say, straight out, so there’s no confusion. I want to spend time with you, I want to get to know you and I want to sleep with you and it doesn’t have to be in that order.”

I didn’t even try to speak. I couldn’t. His words robbed me of the ability of speech.

“While that’s happenin’ and however long it lasts, you’re my business and I’l explain that too. I keep you safe and I keep your Mom safe, however that has to come about. And no one hustles you, not even your f**kin’ father, or they answer to me.”

I was not only speechless, my bel y was beginning to feel funny and that strange pleasant feeling was back.

“I know you have a problem with that, you’ve made it loud and clear, but I don’t give a f**k. I’m gonna keep coming at you until I wear you down. Do you understand me?” He paused and glared at me and I realized he expected an answer.

Since I was incapable of a verbal response, I just nodded.

“Good. Now, because it’s likely you not only have Slick after you but also Louie and Vince, you’ve got two choices: either I take you home and I stay there with you or I make a cal and plant someone at your apartment building and you sleep here with me.”

“Trixie’s at home, there’s nowhere for you to sleep,” I said.

“I sleep with you.”

Dear Lord.

“I’l sleep here,” I decided.

“I sleep with you here too.”

Eek!

“I’l sleep on the couch,” I told him.

“You sleep in my bed.”

“Then, wil you sleep on the couch?” I asked.

“I’l sleep in my bed with you.”

“Eddie…” I started to object.

“Nothing’s going to happen. Not tonight. I’m too tired and too pissed off.”

I tried to decide if I could sleep with a tired and pissed off Eddie.

I decided I couldn’t sleep with a tired and pissed off Eddie.

“Those two choices aren’t choices at al ,” I said. “They’re the same thing in different places.”

“They’re al you’ve got,” he told me.

“I don’t like it.”

“I don’t care. I told you not to go after your Dad. You did and you bought yourself a f**kload of trouble to add to the shitload you already had. If I gotta keep you safe, I’l do it how I need to do it and I want you close.”

“But… sleep with me?” I asked.

“You don’t get it,” he said, his brows drawing together.

“I think I do,” I was beginning to go from freaked out to angry.

He let go of my wrist but tightened both arms around me.

“Slick’s known for using that blade and not in good ways. I already told you what Vince is capable of. They come after you, I want them to get me first.”

Okay, so at that, the anger started to melt into that weird feeling again.

“You can’t do that for me,” I whispered.

“I’m not doin’ it for you. I’m doin’ it for me. I won’t get what I want out of you if your throat’s been cut.” Putting it that way, it almost made sense. But only almost.

“This is going too fast, it’s…”

Again, he didn’t let me finish.

He interrupted me by laughing. If you can believe, he actual y laughed.