Under Pressure [IAD Agency] (Siren Publishing Classic)

this?”
    Jason sized up the other man with a glance. He had a lean muscular build, like that of a prize-fighting boxer or some other professional athlete. He had a brilliant smile on his face, but his eyes held a hard, dangerous edge.
    He could always tell by the eyes.
    This was a man not to be underestimated.
    “ I am her fiancé ,” Jason rapidly snapped back in Italian. “I said get. Your. Fucking. Hands. Off. Her. ” He took a menacing step forward, and Rock quietly moved to block the open doorway. Adrian had moved to the side, effectively blocking Bella and Gio in a dangerous triangle.
    Uh-oh. Bella knew that Jason in protective mode was not a good thing, especially to her friend Gio’s health.
    She roughly pushed Gio to the side and rushed up to place a hand on Jason’s chest, but he quickly had her behind him.
    “Jason! This is Giovanni Cossi, one of my best friends and a brilliant chef. Jason! He’s my friend!”
    Gio’s deep baritone laugh filled the room that had gone deathly quiet, her students watching the confrontation in speechless fascination. “Oh, Bella, cara mio , you have found a protector, no? Good, good! Introduce me to your new love properly, my sweet. Ah, you teach class. Do they know they stand in the room with two of the greatest chefs to ever walk this earth?” Gio bowed his head slightly to the slack-jawed students watching the spectacle as a king to his subjects, making Bella laugh.
    “We talk, si ? Come, let’s have a visit. You have missed me, no?”
    “I have very much, Gio. Both you and your ego.”
    Bella turned to Jason, frowning as she saw the look of death he was still shooting to her friend. “Hey!” she snapped, thumping her fist hard on his chest to gain his attention.
    He hesitated a moment before looking down at her with a raised brow. “Did you just try to hit me?”
    Try? She knew intimately that Jason’s chest was solid muscle, but come on . She shook the sting from her hand as her eyes narrowed in irritation. Jason’s own eyes lit up with mirth as he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.
    “Behave.” She hissed at him before turning to make proper introductions.
    Crisis averted, Bella introduced the men to each other and then to the class so they would get back to work. Many of her students looked at Giovanni Cossi as if he were a god among men. His reputation in the culinary world was as excellent as his cooking, but she knew the real reason for his visit. He may be one of the most famous chefs in the world today with an ego the size of Mount Vesuvius, but he was one of the truest friends she had ever had. And he was now here because he was worried about her.
    Gio walked the outskirts of the long room with Bella and Jason. Jenna was as starstruck as the other students were, but giving them some privacy, she tried to stay focused on helping students and made sure they stayed on task.
    Rock and Adrian bristled as Jenna repeatedly gazed at the newcomer with awestruck wonder. She looked back at the twins, and the sight of the fierce frowns had her scurrying to safety within the groups of students.
    Although Jason knew that this was her friend, he was not leaving her alone with him for a second.
    “Ah, your napoleon del lampone . I have very fond memories of you making these in that quaint little château in Nice. Ah, I see I have angered your lover again, si ? Il mio amico , my friend, there were several of us there, and you have no reason for distress. Although I have loved this woman for years, we have always been just friends. Never lovers. But, she is easy to love, no? And it is just as easy to see little Bella’s heart is yours. You are a very lucky man.”
    “Yes, I am.”
    “I am no threat to you and yours, my friend.”
    “If I thought you were, you’d be dead right now,” Jason answered, expression impassive, but Gio just laughed amicably.
    Bella rolled her eyes and leaned up to press a soft kiss on Jason’s lips before going over to speak to a pair of students. For the first time since his arrival, Gio lost his smile as he focused his intense gaze on Jason.
    Jason could tell this man wanted to say something to him and crossed his arms over his chest. Leaning back against the wall in a casual pose, he waited patiently until Gio seemed to come to a silent conclusion.
    “She is special, our Bella. A truly wonderful friend. The best I have ever had. If I thought you were anything like il bastardo , I would not hesitate to take