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He was fucked.
Totally, utterly fucked. He’d never been in this position with a woman. He used them and left them. It was the way he was brought up. They were good for bearing heirs, and getting his dick wet, that was all.
Belle was different in every single way.
She didn’t look at him with disgust, nor did she consider it a duty to be with him. This was all because of he lies he’d spun, but they had worked.
He arrived at Richard’s place, and the man himself was waiting at the main gate.
“You really do have this place locked up tight,” Diego said when he got through the first security.
“You don’t get this far without putting precautions in place.”
Richard locked the gate, climbing in the car.
“Where’s Belle?” he asked.
“I told her to stay at the table. I was going to play something with her, but she discovered I had a guitar and tuned it for me.”
“You play guitar?”
“It relaxes me. I didn’t say I was good at it.”
“She teaches a lot,” Diego said.
“You know she’s too good for you, right? She’s the kind of girl you’re supposed to look at but not go near.”
“You were the one that pointed her out to me,” Diego said. “It’s your fault I even approached her. Asshole.”
“I told you to go and check to make sure she was okay, not start up a relationship with her. That is entirely different.”
“I didn’t intentionally start up a relationship with her.”
Diego glanced over at Richard to see the other man staring at him. “You know that’s fucking creepy, right? You’ve fallen for her?”
“I don’t fall for any woman.”
“Then let her go.”
“Don’t, man, don’t fucking go there.”
“If you can’t even handle me suggesting you leave her alone, what do you think your family is going to think of you having a civilian like her? Or is that your intention?”
Diego didn’t need this right now. He had the same thoughts moments ago.
“Richard, you are not my parents, my guardian, or any fucking relation to me. Keep your opinion to yourself and help me focus on bringing Angelo down. I don’t need anything else from you.”
With that, he parked the car and climbed out.
Richard didn’t say a word as they entered his home. Diego didn’t want to give Belle up, but he knew the risks he was facing by keeping her close.
“Who was it?” Belle asked.
“Your boyfriend,” Richard said, heading for the kitchen.
“Diego?”
He moved into the dining room to see her getting out of her seat. He didn’t want her moving around, so he pulled her into a hug.
“Where did you go?”
“I had a few errands to run. I expected you to be sleeping the day away.”
“Richard’s been keeping me company.”
“He told me you tuned his guitar.”
“I did. It sounds much better.” She picked it up, strumming her fingers across the strings.
“I didn’t know you could play.”
“I can play most instruments. I love the piano most out of everything.”
“Let me hear you play something,” he said, taking a seat, feeling Richard’s eyes in the back of his head.
“You want to hear something? Do you have a preference?” she asked, doing that lovely little nibble thing with her lip, showing her nerves.
“I don’t. Just play me something.”
He needed to hear and feel anything but the guilt. Looking at her face, seeing the cuts and bruises, knowing she was hurting, he had to keep her here for a couple of days. He’d already made a call to Angelo’s Place, the restaurant where she worked. He had stolen the chef from Angelo, and opened up a restaurant just to taunt his cousin. The family believed it had been done in honor, but his cousin knew exactly why he’d done what he had.
Pushing thoughts of Angelo to the back of his mind, he watched Belle as she ran her fingers across the strings. The music that came out was soft, slow, beautiful. She stared ahead as she played.
Her strength, the music, he couldn’t get enough of her as she brought the tune to a peak before sliding off. She placed her hand across the strings, silencing it all.
“That was beautiful,” he said.
“Thank you. I love to play. It gives me something to do with my hands.”
“You should play more often.” He reached out, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.
“Erm, speaking of which, I need to get home. I’ve got to work, and I don’t want to take too much time off.”
“I’ve already spoken to your boss.” Again, another lie. He was the main boss, and what he said, went. “You don’t need to worry.”
“What about the police? I was kidnapped and … hurt. Shouldn’t I be telling them something?”
“No. It’s all been taken care of.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand. How could it all be taken care of when I’m right here?”
He took her hands in his, slamming his lips down on hers.
