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"Ask your question, Athena," Diego says, running his hand down my side.
"Do you regret it?"
"Regret what?"
"You were out," I say carefully. "You went to law school. You could have walked away for good. Do you regret that you didn't?"
"There's no room for regret in this life. I've got a couple of them, but not that one."
"Oh. Why not?"
"I was never out, bella. This isn't a job you can just walk away from. So long as there was even a remote chance of them tracking Amalia down, I was never going to be out. I made a promise to Alvise to protect her. I won't break it."
"You really care about her," I observe.
"She and Alvise were my only family for a long time. When he died, it was just the two of us. I raised her." His hand drifts down my side again. "I taught her how to survive this world."
"And she taught you not to lose yourself to it."
"You have an older brother who helped raise you, right? Ceres?"
I blink at him, shocked.
Amusement glints in his eyes. "You aren't the only one who's been doing research, bella."
"That's…that's…I don't know what that is," I mumble, though I'm not entirely sure why I'm surprised. I'm also not entirely sure I want to know what else he's found out about me. "Yes, Ceres is older than I am."
"You're close?"
"Yeah, we are."
"Then you should know how far he'd go to protect you. It's the same for me and Amalia. She kept me human in a way nothing else could have. If I still have a heart, it's her doing."
"I think maybe it's the same for Ceres, sometimes," I admit. "He's in the military. Special Forces. He doesn't talk about the things he's seen and done, but I know they weigh on him. Things were really dark for a while there. I do what I can to keep him from falling back into that place."
I guess a life at war has a way of changing everyone. A life in the military and a life in the mafia don't compare, not at all. And yet, there are distinct parallels. A life in either is a life of turmoil and danger. They're just at opposite ends of the spectrum. Our armed forces are the good guys, the ones who do it to protect us all. And guys like Diego? Well, if he has a halo, it's shaped a lot like horns.
I still don't think he's evil, though. Perhaps I think it even less now that I understand his story. Everything he's done, he's done out of love. It's hardened him, turned him into the ruthless, dangerous man he is today. But he still loves. Even now, he watches over his sister, keeping the promise he made to their adopted father.
"You said you have a couple regrets," I say after a moment. "What are they?"
"I can only tell you one now."
"Fine. What is it?"
"That I'm not inside you right now."
I roll my eyes. "I'm serious, Diego. I want to know."
"I am being serious." He grabs my hand, dragging it down his body to his cock, which is just as hard as it was when he was inside me an hour ago. "I deeply regret that I'm not in you right now, bella."
I groan, wrapping my hand around his length, unable to help myself. I think I may be addicted to him. Actually, that's not true. I know I'm addicted to him. And God help us both, I'm also pretty sure I'm falling in love with him.
Chapter Nine
Diego
"I said sit on my face, bella," I growl, dragging Athena's gorgeous ass across the bed toward me. "Get up here before I spank you."
"I swear to God, if you spank me…"
I smack her ass, making her yelp. The startled sound quickly bleeds to a moan.
"Don't tempt the devil, Athena. I've been aching to get my hands on this luscious ass since you tried to hit me."
"You deserved it."
I smile despite myself. She never gives an inch. If I push, she pulls. If I say up, she says down. She fucks with me as if it's a biological imperative, refusing to submit until I earn it. And fuck, how I love earning it.
I've kept her naked and on my cock all day. We've fucked in every room of my apartment, and I still want more. My twenty-four hours ends soon, but she hasn't made a move to leave yet. We haven't discussed what comes next, either.
Sooner or later, I'm going to have to tell her. But not yet. Not until the clock runs out and I have no choice. I need every moment I can get until then. To convince her that this is where she wants to be. That I'm what she wants. I have to convince her, or her world isn't the only one that ends when the clock runs out.
