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“What do you see out there, princess?” he asked, yawning.
I was able to see a hint of his reflection in the bright light of the moon shimmering in through the thick pane of glass. I had no doubt it was bulletproof, just like the hot sports car. “Darkness.”
“Unsettled?”
“I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh. Come back to bed.”
I raked my fingers down the glass, issuing a single puff and giggling when I noticed I left a slight fog. For some ridiculous reason, I drew a heart in it, even fingering our initials like I’d done once in grade school. Then I backed away, admiring my work. “Was Sophia your only love?”
“The only girl I cared about. Until you.”
When I sat down next to him, I immediately grabbed the covers, pulling my legs underneath and yanking the sheet all the way to my neck. “You care about me?”
“I do.”
“They aren’t just words, Arman. I already told you that I don’t believe in fairytales.”
“Another lie. Maybe one day you’ll stop feeling like you need to continue using them around me,” he said as he pulled hair away from my face.
“We live in the real world. What I hoped for as a child isn’t the same as what I know to be the truth today.”
“How did your world get as jaded as mine?”
I hadn’t thought about something like that, but he was right. “Maybe because my father discouraged me from dating. I brought two boys to the house over the years, and he grilled both for thirty minutes if not longer. I assure you they never came back.”
“That sounds like something he’d do.”
Turning my head, I stared at him. “How would you know? I didn’t think you were friends. Enemies from the start.”
He chuckled. “I have few friends, my lovely bride to be. As a man of the law, it’s your father’s responsibility to ensure that no criminal elements come close to touching his daughter. That’s no different than how I am with Zoe.”
“Mmm… And my guess is she hates you for it. Just do your daughter a favor. Don’t find her husband to be for her to boost business or whatever the real reason kingpins do that.”
“In the movies, princess. I don’t believe in arranged marriages.”
“Ah, but I’m special.”
He opened his eyes wide then laughed. “You’re very special. You’re right. But I’m not marrying you to increase business.”
“Just to keep it going.”
He cocked his head in such a way I knew there was more to the story that he wasn’t ready to tell me. “Not necessarily. But your advice is duly noted. I’m sorry this arrangement is not to your liking.”
“I’m not talking about us. This union, our relationship, whatever you want to call it is amazing and terrifying and just about every other emotion I can think of. It’s not the first.”
“Meaning what?” Arman reached for his wineglass, taking a sip.
“Meaning my father was certain Carter Ramsey and I were the perfect match. He was the perfectly aristocratic, holier-than-thou only son of my father’s best friend. It was all arranged, and I had no part of it. When Carter was presented to me at my eighteenth birthday like a present, I was mortified. Then I had to go on a date with the kid.”
The way he was studying me was almost chilling. “You didn’t get along?”
“Oh, God, no. I couldn’t stand him and I think the feeling was mutual. He was arrogant, vile, and had a mouth on him like a sailor. Even though he was very handsome, there was something off about him. I don’t know how to put it. It was like he was playing the perfect role of a straight A, scholarship winning football star when there was something lurking underneath, waiting to spring free like the creature in theAlienmovie.”
He laughed at my representation. “How did your father take it?”
“Not well, at least at first. It put a serious rift in our relationship. He settled down after that, refusing to talk about him, which shocked me. However, his initial attitude was why and how I ended up at LSU. I’d applied to various schools and he refused to pay for it if I left the DC area. So, I accepted the small scholarship on my own and moved out when my parents were off with friends. That really set him off. Fortunately, and with my mother’s help, he came around about school as well. Still, I fear he’ll do the same thing with my sister.”
