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He narrowed his eyes, his upper lip curling. “It is also a sign of protection. No one would ever dare touch you as long as you wear the dragon.”
Of course. The man could never admit that he cared for anything or anyone. “Understood.”
“Yes, perhaps that would be a good idea. Just below your shoulder.” His smile turned into a mischievous grin as he pressed his fingertip against my arm.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“It will if I decide it’s necessary.”
All I could do was shake my head. He truly believed he could just make things happen.
“Do you trust me, my sweet lioness?” he asked a few seconds later as he continued rubbing his thumb across my skin.
Was he kidding me? I tried to pull my hand away, but he refused to allow the simple act of defense, leaning even further in. I’d never been the kind of woman to be at a loss for words, but this man had that kind of strong effect on me. He’d peeled away far too many layers, leaving me entirely too vulnerable. Everything he did with me was a test, breaking down my defenses on every level. He wanted me to surrender in body and soul. While my body had already betrayed me, he would never be able to claim the latter.
Or my heart.
Still, I remained entranced in his vision of the world, perhaps because it was as jaded as my own.
“I asked you a question, my beautiful Stephanie. I expect an answer.”
I shifted further over the table, coming close enough he seemed surprised by my slight confrontation. The light in his eyes shifted, a hint of warmth returning, his irises glowing from the shimmer of sunshine. There was absolutely no reason for me to trust him. He knew. I knew it. But for some reason, I knew of all the people in the world, this man, this haunted, powerful man would never hurt me.
“I’m waiting, Stephanie.”
“Trust is earned, not demanded.”
“Have I demanded anything from you from the moment we met?”
Swallowing, I looked away briefly. The truth was he hadn’t forced me into doing a single thing. Not one. I’d willingly allowed him to seduce me several times, even after learning his real identity. Even worse, I’d enjoyed almost every moment of being around him. “No, you haven’t.”
“Then the question stands.”
My strength and willpower were fading with every additional moment I spent with the brooding Russian. As I gazed into his darkened pools, hoping to find even the slightest hint of remorse for every savagery he’d performed, a strange sense of knowing trickled into my system, the answer unexplainable.
“Yes. As crazy as it sounds, I do trust you, but know that whatever has happened between us will never happen again.”
He remained unmoving for a full minute, his eyes never blinking. The bastard was testing me, determining whether I was friend or foe. Then a single growl floated past his pursed lips.
“Then come with me.”
CHAPTER10
Stephanie
Trust.
As he drove through the mountains, moving from one remote area to another, I thought about the meaning of the word and why it had been easy to answer him.A firm belief in the reliability and truth of someone.As I glanced over at him, I couldn’t fathom why I believed that I could so strongly.
What I also knew was that it was going to be tested time and time again. By him and by others. Jesus. Gregory had made it his life’s work to take down the Kozlov organization as well as the Irish and Italian mobs. He had the ear and full support of the police commissioner, as well as several law enforcement agencies. However, there were just as many corrupt members of law enforcement and politicians as there were good ones.
My thoughts drifted to the dozens of cases he’d handled, his joyful glee when another scumbag had been sentenced to a lengthy prison term. He even had a cork board, marking off one bad guy after another. It had become a game to him, not a heartfelt need to rid the streets of horrible men and women. And I’d fallen prey to his method of operation. A lump formed in my throat as I remembered the various times I’d questioned him about his methods over the years, only to be told I’d yet to gain enough experience to understand.
What a crock of shit.
My own desire for power and influence had kept me blind to his methodologies, every corner he’d cut or law he’d broken himself. God. I was disgusted with myself.
Gregory had warned me about the various mafia organizations over the years, but I’d chosen to remain in my own bubble, handling every case dropped on my desk the same way. Maybe that’s why I’d been threatened so many times. They’d always come without identification, the efforts to track down the perpetrators a waste of time.
