She laughed. “He’s Cousin Mikey.”
The thick eyebrows arched. “He’s your cousin?”
“He’s Paul’s cousin. But he’s family,” Merrie said softly, and Mikey grinned sheepishly.
“He said you’d do a portrait of me,” Garza remarked.
So this was the mob boss? “I thought...well, when I did a portrait of him—” she indicated Mikey “—Paul sent me photographs...”
“Nothing better than the real thing if you’re going to do a painting.” He sobered. “I’m sorry about what happened to you. Nobody will hurt you ever again. Don’t worry about it anymore, okay?”
She flushed. She smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Garza.”
“Just Tony,” he said easily. “I’m moving in for a few days. Mikey said it was okay. Is it?”
She laughed. “Of course. We have plenty of room.”
“They can sleep anywhere.” He indicated the two burly men near him.
“We have a bedroom downstairs that’s empty and it has twin beds,” Merrie told him. “Our bodyguards sleep next door to it.”
“Those guys,” Tony said, nodding. “I hear they’re pretty good.”
“They are,” Merrie said.
“So are mine. That’s Beppo—” he nodded to one “—and that’s Big Ben—” he indicated the other.
The men nodded. They didn’t smile. There were bulges under their jackets that looked like guns.
“We won’t get in the way,” Tony added. “There’s a good restaurant in town...”
“I don’t mind cooking for extra people, if they’re here to save my baby,” Mandy said from the doorway. “I always make plenty, anyway. I can make homemade lasagna,” she added.
“Darling!” Tony Garza said enthusiastically, and bent to kiss her wrinkled cheek.
She flushed like a girl. “Mr. Tony!” she protested.
His eyebrows went up again.
“I’m from Georgia, originally,” she tried to explain. “It’s how we refer to people...”
“I kind of like it,” Tony mused.
She grinned. “Okay!”
“Well, me and the boys will get settled. No rush, about the painting,” he added. “Well, maybe a little rush. I hear we’ve got FBI all over the place already, and the local PD has us under surveillance, not to mention the sheriff’s department.”
“The FBI is my brother-in-law. He lives here,” Merrie explained.
“Oh. Well, he’ll be bringing company, I imagine.” Tony sighed.
“They won’t intrude. I’ll make sure of it,” Merrie assured him.
He chuckled. “Okay, kid. You’re all right,” he added with twinkling dark eyes. He motioned to his men and they went out. Mandy followed them with a soft laugh.
“Apparently,” Merrie told Ren, “I’m safe now.”
“Aiding and abetting,” he murmured drily. “If you have to do time, I’ll do something to get myself arrested so I can go, too.”
“Aw,” she said.
He smiled softly. He bent and kissed her lightly. “Matched set,” he whispered. “Nobody’s breaking us up.”
She absolutely beamed.
*
THAT NIGHT, SHE was worried about being alone. Sari had offered to stay with her, but she assured her sister that she’d be all right. Sari and Paul went to bed, but Merrie lay awake worrying about the hit man. Tony had said she’d be all right, but would she?
The door opened and was left open. Ren came in, wearing burgundy silk pajama bottoms and a loose red robe that matched them. He climbed into bed with her, on top of the covers, and pulled her to him.
“Now go to sleep,” he murmured, kissing her forehead. “We both know you won’t sleep if you’re by yourself.”
She caught her breath at his perception. And at his obvious affection. “How did you know?” she wanted to know.
“I’m not sure. Maybe I’m psychic.”
“My family...”
“Door’s open,” he reminded her with a soft chuckle. “It will stay that way.”
“Oh. Okay, then.”
He rolled over toward her, his face barely visible in the muted light that filtered in from the security lights outside the house.
“You aren’t really afraid of me, are you?” he asked under his breath.
“Oh, no,” she whispered. “Not at all!”
He smiled as his mouth slowly covered hers, slow and tender. His hand went under the covers, under the soft silk nightgown, onto her warm breast.
She slid her fingers into the thick hair sprinkled over the hard muscles of his chest, loving the way he felt.
He caught his breath.
“Do you...like that?” she asked.
“I like it.” His face nuzzled hers as his mouth went to her soft throat and down, over her collarbone, onto the silky skin of her breast. His mouth opened over the hard nipple, and he fed on her hungrily.
She arched, shivering, her breath coming like a runner’s.