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He chuckled. “I understand. I won’t ever be so stupid again unless I want to be castrated. Got it. I know you had other questions you wanted to ask me after the attack. Ask me so I can answer them, and we can move forward past it all.”
She turned her face and kissed his palm before pulling out of his grip.
“Rodger told me that you earn most of your income from drugs, gambling and, um… people.”
He tilted his head. “People?”
Her cheeks heated. She hated talking about this stuff. “That you get paid to hurt or kill people. Or, ah, sell them.”
He blew out a breath. “I am trusting you with my truths, Julietta. Do you understand?”
She nodded and began to wonder if maybe she shouldn’t have asked.
“You already know that I’ve killed men. I’ve done so to keep you safe. I did that because I care for you and want you protected. Others, who don’t have the ability to do that themselves, pay someone like me to do it for them. Understand? But I have never sold or bought a person. I do have morals and lines I won’t cross. That is one of them.”
She stared into his eyes, trying to gauge if he was telling the truth. “So you’ve never had anything to do with prostitutes?”
“Ah, Rodger told you I was going to pimp you out, didn’t he?” She gave a jerky nod. “While I have used the services of prostitutes in the past, I have never had any under my control. And I would never seduce a woman into my bed for the purpose of turning her into a prostitute.”
More heat rushed to her face, and wincing, she looked away from him. She was so stupid for letting Rodger’s words get into her head. Now she felt like a bitch for accusing him like she had.
“I’m sorry I even thought you would do that. I do know you better than that. It’s just, well, not much in my life has ever gone right. And you showing up with all the shiny, expensive gifts and all your attention and affection? It seems too good to be true. And you know what they say about that.”
He cupped her face again, forcing her gaze up to his. “You’ve seen for yourself, my life isn’t all sunshine and roses, krasivaya. But I believe the many benefits outweigh those moments. Hopefully, you see me as one of the benefits, not a disadvantage. There will be times you’ll wish you never met me, I’m sure. But I’m crazy about you, and I don’t intend to give up until you’re mine.”
Before she could respond, he leaned in and kissed her again, melting all her thoughts away with his heat. When he pulled back and released her, she needed to change the subject. He was talking long-term, and she wasn’t ready for that kind of talk yet. She gazed down at her new camera again.
“You know, even with this awesome little piece of machinery, I’m still screwed.” More tears pricked her eyes. “I’ve missed two markets with no explanation. That not only costs me my site, but basically blacklists me. It could take years to get my spot back.”
She didn’t say it out loud, but she feared she’d lost her surfing instructor job too. What was she going to do? With no job, Jess could only afford to carry her arse for so long.
Any joy she’d started to feel vanished in an instant, and she just wanted to go crawl back into bed.
“Hey, whatever you’re thinking? Stop it. The market organisers know you’ll be back and just needed a couple of weeks off. Trust me, your site is safe. Your surfing job is waiting for you too, if you want it. They just need a couple days’ notice to fit you back into the roster. Oh, and I slipped Jess some cash to cover your rent, so don’t worry about her kicking you out. Although, that might have been a mistake on my part. I probably should have paid her to kick you out. Then you’d have to move in with me.”
Tears blurred her vision again despite his attempt at humour, and she shook her head.
“See? You’re too good to be true.”
Yet he was real, and he was hers. And no matter what she tried to tell herself, it was clear he was also rapidly claiming her heart too.
EPILOGUE
TWO MONTHS LATER
Sighing, she leaned back in her seat. Daniil had brought her to Flamma Oceano for dinner again. They came here every Friday night, and Juli had gotten to meet the owner, Nico, a few times. He was about as stereotypically Italian as a bloke could get. However, he was also a total tease and flirt.
“Settle down, Daniil, you know he didn’t mean anything by it.”
Her boyfriend sat across from her with a thunderous look on his face.
“Oh, he meant it all right. Sweet-talking little bastard is after my woman.”
She barked out a laugh. Nico had just delivered their desserts and served hers with a wink before he leaned in to whisper in her ear how easy it was to tease Daniil now that he was dating her. Naturally, her man proved him right by going all growly caveman, mainly because he didn’t believe that was all Nico had said. With another sigh, she put her napkin on the table and moved to sit in the seat beside him. Leaning into him so her breasts pressed up against his arm, she reached up and cupped his face, tilting it toward her. Predictably, his gaze flicked down to the now ample amount of cleavage that was pushed up almost out of her sexy, low-cut blue dress.
“The only thing Nico is after is to rile you up, and you know it. He does it every time we come here if he’s working.”
Daniil grunted, then his expression cleared into something much hotter. She was grateful they had their usual table hidden out on the balcony when he leaned in and took her mouth. His kisses still melted her, body and soul. He ate at her mouth, nibbling her lower lip before pulling back. He kept a palm holding her cheek as he stared into her eyes. She wasn’t sure what he was searching for.
