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“I’m surprised you're down for a little voyeurism. Lately, you’ve wanted to fuck with all the drapes closed.” But he doesn’t sound surprised. “Or is it that you don’t like seeing me?’
I smack the side of his stubbled cheek lightly, watching and loving the way his eyes heat, and follow the tiny slap with a kiss.
“Maybe I’ll open the drapes when you put a ring on my finger,” I tease.
His groan turns into a snarl, and he buries his face at the side of my neck, nipping at my skin just hard enough for the threat to be implied. He doesn’t leave a bruise. “I’ll propose to you when I’m good and fucking ready. Until then, you know what you mean to me. I don’t need to make it legal for the world to know you belong to me.”
“Or maybe it would be romantic if you threw me over your shoulder and forced me to marry you.”
He shifts to brush his fingers along the side of my breast, and the tantalizing gesture has my nipples hardening.
“Maybe you’d rather I kidnap an officiant?” He rears back to arch a dark eyebrow at me. “This talk is going to distract you from what we’re here to do.” He slides a hand to his back and withdraws a weapon from wherever he’d hidden it in the lounge. “Here. I got this for you.”
The exchange is discreet, but the handle of the gun is inlaid with mother of pearl, and the metal shined to a gleam. I angle my body to keep the weapon from view. The last thing we need is the dancer on stage seeing it and freaking out the rest of the customers.
I swallow over another laugh. “You are insane. You know that?”
“Love you too.” Ricardo kisses my lips this time. “I like to think this is better than a ring. I had an engineer make it so it’s easier for you to handle. It’s been designed for less reverberation when you fire a shot, and it won’t make your delicate little wrist ache. I need you to save your hands for other things, Iz.”
Such a horny bastard.
Ricardo tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, reverently, before he clears his throat. “You like it?” he asks.
“I love it.” Better than a ring, indeed. But really, I just like teasing him. I don’t need a ring. I’m proud to be his, and I'm proud to call him mine, to have our relationship out in the open. This is just the start for us.
“Still think I’m a selfish prick?”
“I do, and I like you that way.” I laugh and bend to kiss him. Fire erupts in my blood as though we’ve just sealed some kind of deal. Once again, I want to take him in the back and rip his clothes off. Or interrupt the poor dancer on the stage and show the rest of the crowd how hot we are for each other.
Ricardo pulls back to look at us, doing his best to keep the smile off of his face. Because a smile, I’ve learned, is only used sparingly, just like the weapon in my lap. “Are you ready to go?”
I will be in a minute. I use both hands to drag his face toward mine, stealing a passionate, languid kiss. I stroke my tongue along his until our mouths open, both of us starving for the other.
I’m free of my contract. I’m out in the open.
And I’m so grounded in love that I have the strength to do whatever it takes to make my dreams a reality. It’s my choice to be with him, and it’s my choice to go forward in this business. The whole situation with Drago had been the lesson of my life and a huge learning curve. Nothing in this life is guaranteed, and the best lessons are sometimes the worst to have to live through.
It makes no sense to stay in the shadows and keep yourself small.
Playing by other people's rules is bullshit, too. I want to make my own rules. I always have. And not telling people how you feel when you might die at any moment will do nothing but destroy you from the inside out. I won’t be that small person again.
I chose my fate, and I chose my partner.
We aren’t perfect by any means, but we’re doing our best for the people we love.
I finally break the kiss and swipe the tip of my tongue against the end of his nose. “I’m ready.”
Ricardo growls, and when I shift off his lap, I see the outline of his cock through his pants. I glance away, holding my gun out in front of me. “What do you expect me to do with this?”
“Well, I don’t have time to fuck you with it…” he purposely trails off. “So I’ll have to outfit you with your holster when we get out to the car.” He holds out a hand for me to take. “Are you going to change?”
This criminal has my heart. And it’s just as black as his. I slap my palm to his, sliding the gun into my cleavage. “Nope. Let them see me. I have nothing to hide.”
“That’s my girl.”
His girl, his equal. I can’t ask for anything more, but I will, someday.
THE END
