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“That’s not true!”
“He said women would be a man’s downfall. That they couldn’t be trusted.”
More tears rained down my face, and I covered my eyes and shook my head.
“You have kept secrets from me, and as much as I want to understand why—they are secrets nonetheless.”
“You have kept secrets from me, too!” He squinted at me, and I continued. “Are you a part of this world, Dominic?”
“I am the underboss, Penelope.”
My eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was trying to keep you safe. I told you the more you were around me, the more danger you would be in. Did I not?”
“Yes, but?—”
“I told you my father was a mafia don at your grandfather’s masquerade ball, and you laughed as if what I said was ridiculous. Did I not?”
I nodded but remained silent because everything he’d said was true. Dominic turned his back, and a deep breath moved through him as he inhaled.
“There are things I have kept from you for your safety. But you don’t seem too willing to stay safe.”
I grabbed his arm and tugged. He turned back.
“Dominic Lucas. The underboss—professor, and whoever else you are, I’m in love with you, too. And I don’t want to go. I want to live with you forever.”
He touched me finally, slipping his hand up my neck to grip the back of my head. His other hand grabbed my waist, and we were crushed together, our mouths stinging on a kiss so deep it felt like we merged.
“Mmmmmm,” I moaned, and my body was racked with chills.
He spread my lips with his tongue and sucked my tongue before pulling away to speak against my mouth.
“I’m a murderer, Penelope.”
My eyes widened, but weirdly, my desire elevated.
“I am an advisor—a professor—the underboss—and the Black Rose.”
I gasped and tensed, my heart slamming at his revelation. I saw him suddenly; that otherworldly part of him manifested itself, and it all made sense.
He was the Black Rose.
Questions slammed me repeatedly, and before I knew it, I tossed them out, one after the other.
“How could that be possible? Why would you be the Black Rose when he was wreaking havoc on your underworld? What would be the point of you being such a ruthless murderer? How could you?”
A smirk etched itself in the corner of his mouth.
“So many questions,” he drawled. “The answers are simple.” He pulled away from me, and our disconnect made me shiver. “I used to think we were as different as night and day. And while part of that remains true, we have more in common than I originally thought.”
He rotated his head and I heard his neck crack.
“Like you, I hate this life. I’ve hated it since I was forced into it as a teenage boy. But after my father tricked me into murdering someone, I knew I’d never be free. So, I dived into his world—the underworld—like he wished, but along the way, I murdered men who were an integral part of his criminal expansion. The public dubbed me the Black Rose. And nobody knows the truth but me—and now you.”
I listened with wide eyes and a sorrow-filled heart as pain filled my chest.
“Now that you know my secrets, this is your last chance to go. Take what I’ve told you to your grandfather. I won’t stop you. My end will surely come one day. I would rather it be by you.”
