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“Pleasure myself?”
He knows. That damn mischievous smile gives away everything.
“You knew?” I gasp.
“I knew the moment you stepped into the bathroom. Why do you think I put on such a show? I like the idea of you watching me.”
I turn away, a little embarrassed that he knew all this time. It’s a different feeling when you get caught. All this time, I convinced myself it was okay because he didn’t know.
Lo and behold, he knew the entire time.
“Don’t be embarrassed.” He turns me to face him. “The thought of you wanting to watch me, to see me, even then when you hated me, it gave me hope. Plus, I wanted you to see me come to your name.”
“Ari…” I don’t know what to say. I do love watching him.
“Is that something you want to do more of? Do you want to watch me when I don’t know you’re looking? That can be arranged. Whatever my Tesoro wants, she gets.”
“Will you please tell me what that means?”
“In time,” he teases. “When I don’t feel like I will lose you at any moment.”
I pinch my brows together, placing my hands on his chest. “I’m not going anywhere, Ari. I’m right here. I’m yours.”
“You’re mine and that’s what has you in danger now,” he whispers. “But even that isn’t enough for me to let you go.”
“What are you talking about? What happened downstairs, Ari? He talked, right?”
“Bianchi owes a black-market gem dealer named Zander. He’s dangerous. He runs a business very similar to ours, but he exports and imports rare and unique items. He is known for his gems though. This black diamond has been in Bianchi’s family for many generations. He agreed to sell it to Zander for millions. Zander bought it and is here in the city to get it, but Bianchi can’t give it to him. So now, Zander has given Bianchi a deadline. If he can’t meet it, Bianchi is dead, which is where the threat of you comes in. When Bianchi first came to me, I didn’t know about you yet. He wanted an alliance and with two territories so close together, it would bode well for us to be civil to one another. I agreed to keep my ear to the ground, but then you happened. You changed everything for me.”
I give him a sweet smile, cupping his cheek as he goes on.
“I didn’t care about Bianchi and never did. I didn’t have much to lose before besides whatever manpower he was willing to give me when I needed it, but now I have you. Protecting you from him made you a bigger target. In our world, someone always has to pay for the crime. Your brother can’t be found and you’re the next of kin, so it will be your head he wants. The man you killed, he doesn’t care about that. A body is a body, and it can be replaced but that gem can’t be. The longer you have it, the more danger you’re in. The people who attacked us on the airstrip? It wasn’t Bianchi. It was Zander.”
“How did they know it was me?”
“They didn’t. I think Bianchi set me up at that moment. I think Zander was there for me. And anyone around me would have been collateral.”
“So that was his way of having the upper hand?”
“Yes,” he says with distaste.
“So what happens next? We can’t give the gem to Bianchi. He’ll probably still try to kill me.”
“I’m going to kill him. We’re going to cash in on that gem. And you’re going to have a life you’ve dreamed about.”
“I do,” I whisper, inching closer to him. “You’ve given me that life already. I don’t care about money.”
“No, but this gem will secure you. The money from it can go into a trust. You’ll be safe if you ever decide to leave if you decide to end our…arrangement. I would take care of you, but I have a feeling you’d want to take care of yourself.”
I look down at our wet feet, wondering how this man knows me so well already. “I don’t plan on going anywhere, Ari.”
“Plans change,” he says, slightly detached, and I lace our fingers together.
I don’t want anything to change. I like how things are.
He kisses my forehead. “I’ll leave you to your shower. I need to go into the office.” He lets in a cold burst of air as he opens the stall.
I watch him go, surprised he’d just leave me like that, but if there is one thing I don’t understand yet, it’s his moods.
