He taught me how to be a protector and a provider—something my biological father never knew how to be. He taught me how to be a damn good mobster, the kind that rises through the ranks. He taught me the meaning of loyalty. He was the most loyal man I’d ever met.
To put all that aside, willingly, feels like a betrayal in some way, even if I’m here out of loyalty to Rafe. But if I want to adapt to my new environment, it’s what I have to do.
CanI do it?
I don’t know. Breaking some of my old habits has been difficult. But I’m going to keep trying, because I know one thing with absolute certainty.
I want Blake to be a part of this new life. Our relationship might be fake, but there's never been anything fake about the way I’m drawn to her.
I want to make this woman mine. Even if it means I need to lock Nero away and never allow him to come out again. My past is darker than a moonless night, but what Blake doesn’t know can’t hurt her.
My tongue presses in, seeking entrance. She opens up for me and lets me probe her deeply. Her taste floods my senses. God, she’s so fucking sweet that I could live off kissing her alone.
Then I remember that son of a bitch is still watching us.
I pull away with a low snarl.
Blake blinks at me, looking dazed. Then she glances to the right. “He’s gone,” she whispers on an exhale.
She’s right. Brett left.
Good fucking riddance.
I found her here just in time to hear Brett saying what his family thought about their relationship.
That was bad enough, but what came next was even worse.
Is that the kind of bullshit he fed her all those years they were dating? Did he make her feel inferior to him?
She’s breathing hard, her chest rising and falling. Anxiety flashes in her eyes. “I’m not sure taunting Brett was a smart idea.”
“I’m not fucking sorry. He was touching you. He doesn’t get to fucking touch you, Sunshine.” If I’m locking Nero away, that means I probably shouldn’t kill the motherfucker. But I don’t need to go that far to get him to leave her alone.
If I need to sit at Frostbite all day and keep an eye on her when she goes back to work, so fucking be it.
Blake swallows. “You didn’t need to do that for the sake of the deal.”
I cup her cheek. “This isn’t about the deal.”
“What is it about, then?” Her voice is no more than a hoarse whisper, and she looks terrified all of a sudden, like she knows the next words out of my mouth are likely to send us right over the edge of a cliff.
I get it. Some part of me is scared too. But I’ve never let fear stop me from getting what I want.
“Every word he said to you was a lie. You’re so much better than him. You’re beautiful and kind and clever, and you deserve the entire fucking world, Sunshine.”
Her eyes start glistening. “Rowan…”
I brush her hair off her face. “I can be an asshole, and I can be a selfish prick, but even in my worst moments, I’d never tear you down like that.” I kiss her again. “I know my place, baby. It’s kneeling at your feet.”
She steps into me and presses her forehead against my chest, her body rattling with silent sobs.
I drag my palm over her back, trying to calm her. The auction’s started up again, and the hallway is abandoned, but it stilldoesn’t feel private enough. I don’t want anyone to watch us anymore. I just want to be alone with her.
A few moments pass before she glances up at me with eyes that glisten like cool lakes.
What does she see when she looks into my eyes? Dark, murky waters?
“Let’s get out of here,” she whispers.
