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He bore the afternoon patiently, not daring to go back to the bedroom and seek her out. When it came time to leave, he entered the bedroom to find her still sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at her hands. When she saw him, the relief on her face was palpable. It almost broke his black heart when she looked at him like that — when she was so fucking happy that her monstrous hero had returned.
They didn’t speak. He led her downstairs, into the garage, and jerked his thumb at the bike. His heart thumped wildly as she climbed on behind him.
When they got back to the apartment, he acted casually. After all these years, he still didn’t know if he was paranoid, or if his father’s eyes really did follow him everywhere he went. As soon as the front door closed behind them, he pointed to the bathroom. ‘Get in the shower,’ he ordered. ‘Now.’
For once, she didn’t argue. Maybe she had heard the desperation in his voice. The fear. He followed her, like a lion stalking its prey, slow and methodical.
She undressed quickly, turning on the water and standing under the spray. Waiting for him. His cock stirred at the sight of her naked body, the way her full breasts practically begged him to grab them, the slight wave in her dark brown hair that reminded him of the times he’d wound it around his fist and pulled.
He undressed, stepping in beside her, relieved that they could finally speak somewhere safe.
He pressed her against the wall and lowered his mouth to her ear.
‘That was too close today,’ he murmured. ‘Too close.’
She nodded feverishly at his words.
‘If my father finds out about us, Ana, he’ll kill you. You know that, right?’
Another emphatic nod. Dornan drew back so he could take in her face.
‘I would die if anything bad happened to you,’ he said firmly, and her eyes widened slightly at his admission. ‘We have to be more careful, you understand?’
‘Yeah,’ she said, biting her lip. ‘Yeah, I understand.’
I think I love you. Her words came back to haunt him.
‘And darlin’?’ he added. She raised her eyebrows in response.
He grinned, resting one hand in the hollow of her throat as he caged her against the wall.
‘I think I fuckin’ love you, too.’ He pressed his lips to her forehead, knowing that with his own admission, he had probably damned them both to hell.
He drew back to see her reaction, laughing when he saw the smirk on her face.
‘I don’t know if I believe you,’ she said playfully, running a finger down his arm. ‘I think you should show me.’
His grin grew so wide, he thought his face might break.
‘You are gonna be the death of me,’ he growled, grabbing her and picking her up effortlessly. He pinned her to the wall, spreading wet kisses down her neck.
‘Oh, God,’ she moaned underneath his touch, ‘I can think of worse ways to die.’
PART 2
KINGPIN
Loving me will not be easy. It will be war. You will hold the gun and I will hand you the bullets. So breathe, and embrace the beauty of the massacre that lies ahead.
R.M. DRAKE
PROLOGUE
MARIANA
2007
I watched from where I sat, grief beating inside my chest as Dornan placed a cupcake with a single candle on the table in front of me. A tear formed in my right eye, blurring my vision and the pink frosted cupcake warped momentarily. But I would not cry. I would not break down. Because it had been too long, and I struggled to remember my life in Colombia before this. I only knew that it had been happier, freer. Mostly, I remembered being less afraid.
