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“Did you earn those or just saw the style at a tattoo parlor?”
“Neither,” I said truthfully. “They were forced on me when my father snitched on the mob and I had to pay them years of my life so they wouldn’t kill my sister as well.”
She nodded and didn’t ask any more questions, but I knew she wanted to. “My life is... complicated.” I added, regretting how much I had already told her. The less she knew, the safer she would be.
“We seem to have that in common as well...” she said. Then she leaned against me just for a second to playfully jab an elbow against my own. “You saved me like a knight in shining armor.”
I nodded, but I kept staring at the grass, trying to remember the last time someone had said anything good about me. Not since my mother had died, for sure.
“What’s your real plan after tonight?” I asked. “You said your husband will keep looking for you.”
She sighed. “I don’t know.”
I scanned her face. Did that mean she was hoping to stay around here for a few days? There was a part of me that wanted that... but it wouldn’t be safe around me. Not in the long term. Besides, I’d been alone for so long, I wasn’t used to living with anyone else. Especially not a woman that got me hard.
“How have you been spending your time since you got to South Africa?” I asked.
She frowned and brushed a wayward hair from her forehead. “Hiding. I stay at different hotels. Change them frequently. It’s been safer that way. But I’ve been to a few local attractions, too. The beaches. And I went to the stadium once in Johannesburg.”
I pictured her running barefoot in the sand along the beach. Saw the wind blowing through her pitch-black hair.
Tilting my head back, I looked at the sky. Beside me, she folded her hands against her chest. Then she breathed out slowly and deeply into the night.
“We should go inside,” I said. “It’s getting cold.”
She nodded. I couldn’t help but notice her thighs, how smooth her skin looked under that shirt. They were sleek but curved in the sexiest way. It seemed she was even hotter in that shirt.
Inside, she sighed and then stretched tall like a cat before walking toward the kitchen door. “Do you mind if I look for some food? I’m about to eat that spider off the bathroom wall.”
“Knock yourself out,” I said, starting toward my bedroom door. Hell, I hadn’t even thought about sleeping arrangements yet. There were two of us now.
I swept my eyes around the room, trying to figure out where she could sleep. The bedroom wasn’t an option. It had too many of my secrets in it: guns, pictures, and files with the detailed information the CIA had on me. None of that was particularly dangerous, but I didn’t want her to know my real identity. It was better if she didn’t find out who I was. Safer for her that way.
I took the blanket off the bed, picked one of the pillows, and returned to the living room. I arranged them on the couch and turned around just as she came out of the kitchen. She was holding a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk.
“I’m... sorry,” I mumbled, pointing to the couch. I felt like an asshole.
“It’s okay. Thank you. I’ll make myself comfortable,” she said, sitting on the couch.
“Let me know if you need anything.”
“Okay.” She smiled, tucking her foot underneath her delicious thigh.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” I said, feeling like I’d hesitated too long.
“Good night,” she returned.
With that, I walked toward the bedroom door, then turned to face her once more.
“Do you have a smartphone?” I asked. “It can be traced.”
“Oh,” she said, turning to me, a bit surprised. “No, I had to leave my purse and jacket behind when Loronzo chased me.”
“Loronzo? I thought you said you didn’t know the guy?”
Her eyes widened, then her gaze dropped.
“Good night,” I said quickly. Her secrets were hers to keep. For now. Plus, for some reason, I hated to see her this embarrassed.
