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Her eyes widened. “We have? How did I not realize?”
“You aren’t used to it. But I am. The thing about the paparazzi now is that the ability to take photos is on your phone. They’re able to be much more subtle when the mood strikes. Oftentimes they still like a telephoto lens and gross invasions of privacy, or sticking a camera in your face. Though, they do not enjoy doing that with me so much.”
“Why?”
He smiled. “They’re afraid of me.”
She shivered, her shoulders twitching back and forth.
“What?” he asked.
“Sometimes I sense that about you.”
“What?”
“That you are to be feared. That you are... A predator.” She laughed. “I don’t know why I think that. I realized as soon as I said it how silly it sounded. Because you’ve been nothing but wonderful this entire time. It’s just that...”
A disquiet grip took hold of him. She could see it. The darkness in him. And he had let it out, the full weight of it when she had told him about her pregnancy, and she didn’t even remember that, and still she knew.
But he would not unleash it on her again.
He had broken her, and he had nearly ruined all of this. More months, he’d been sure he had. He had kept watch on her through his people and yet never allowed himself to look in on her, not even once.
Had never allowed himself to directly ask about her.
Because he had not deserved to see her.
Not after the way he’d sinned against her.
But now...now things were different. He was making it so.
There would be a way to do this. She would be his wife. They would share a bed.
She would believe that he was in love with her. And that would be enough.
She would care for the child...
All would be well.
“Well, I’m glad that you realize I’m not one.”
“Of course not,” she said. “You’re just a very handsome man.”
It was such a sweet, but new sort of complement that it caught him off guard. Touched him in places he did not expect.
“Handsome?”
“Well, it’s nicer than dangerous, isn’t it?”
“Indeed,” he said.
“Come,” he said when they finished. “Let us walk.”
They had an expensive pram for Soriya, and Riot pushed it, marveling at the city around them. She had never seen Rome before. At least, he assumed so given everything he knew about her.
And they had never come here together.
“This really is your first time here,” he said.
