Page 10 of Harbor

This was about Diego, and Renzo had to remember that when other shit came in to play that took his focus away from where it needed to be. He needed to remember that regardless of what he was feeling, or the things that distracted him from the end goal, it was still going to be about Diego at the end of the day, and what he needed.

This was Renzo’s whole life.

He didn’t know how to do anything different.

His attention on Diego wasn’t missed, if Lucia’s next words were any indication.

“You know I’d look after him no matter what, right?” Lucia muttered, bringing his attention back to her. “I would, Ren.”

Renzo’s thumb stroked her cheek, and the action brought her gaze back up to meet his again. Russet met hazel, and for a moment, the rest of the world ceased to exist just like that. It was just him and her again. Nothing else could ever possibly matter to him when it was just them looking at one another.

“I know you would, Lucia,” he murmured.

Of course, she would.

She loved Diego.

He loved Diego.

He’d be taken care of, and at the end of the day, that’s the only thing that really made a difference to Renzo. This was all for his brother, anyway. To keep him safe, happy, and right where he needed to be. With Renzo.

“Good,” Lucia whispered, “I just wanted to make sure.”

“You don’t have to. I know.”

He’d known it from the moment she left everything behind to jump in a car with him and do something absolutely insane. She could have stayed when he left—New York would have been the easy, smart choice for her. She had money, status, and people. Enough money to certainly make her forget about him, if she wanted to use it to do just that. She had status in a world he could only really dream about—status that afforded her privilege and respect he had to earn while she had simply been given it for her last name. A whole family that would probably kill for her, but undoubtedly would give her the entire world simply because she was theirs. They could give her things he would never be able to.

New York would have been easier.

Smarter.

Even Renzo knew that.

And yet, she chose him.

She wanted him.

So yeah, he knew.

Leaning across the seat to get as close to Lucia as he could before he would have to force himself out of that SUV, his hand slid around to the back of her head, and drew her forward. Their lips met in a soft kiss. Her lips worked against his, and as sweet as the kiss had been at first, it quickly turned into something else entirely. Something desperate, and burning. Something harsh, and yet still lovely. Her fist clenched into the neckline of his T-shirt like she wasn’t going to let him go, and Renzo dragged the pad of his thumb down her collarbone as he pulled away just enough to let them breathe.

“Five minutes,” he repeated to her.

Lucia nodded again. “Okay.”

“Love you, Lucia.”

She smiled for that.

Of course.

“Love you, Ren.”

He knew that, too.

Ride or die.

• • •