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“Do you hurt people?”
I can feel his head nodding on the pillow. “Sometimes.”
“Are they bad people?”
He sighs. “Usually, but that doesn’t make what I do good.”
I think about what Jean said this morning and wet my lips.
“Are you a mobster?”
The arm around my waist tightens. “You could say that.”
“And that’s why you don’t want us to be together?”
“Payton,” his voice rumbles through me. “Iwantto be together. That’s not the problem.”
“It’s your enemies,” I repeat what he’d said earlier.
“That’s right. It’s not safe to be associated with me.”
“What does that mean for me?” I hate how meek I sound. But I need to know where I stand.
“I’m trying to figure that out.”
“Will you tell me more about what you do?”
“Not yet,” he answers truthfully.
“I don’t really know what mobster means,” I admit.
“Hmm,” he hums. “Why’d you use it?”
I chew on the inside of my cheek, not waiting to snitch on my boss, but if she knows enough about Nero to use it, then maybe it’s not some big secret.
Or maybe she’s in that world too?
His thumb strokes against my stomach.
“My boss said something after you and the mayor left today. But I didn’t know which of you she was referring to.”
Nero huffs out a laugh. “I didn’t recognize anyone else in there, but if she said that, I recommend staying on her good side.”
I shudder. “She’s scary enough already, I don’t need extra reasons to fear her.”
Nero nuzzles against my hair. “I’ll protect you.”
I make a doubtful sound. “How are you supposed to protect me if you have to pretend like you don’t know me?”
There’s a beat of silence. “Like I said, I’m figuring that out.”
Obviously, I want to know more. I want to know everything. But this might be one of thoseignorance is blissmoments that I should take advantage of.
“My turn,” Nero’s voice is like a lullaby, causing me to sink further into his embrace. “Tell me why you were still a virgin.”
The question rips apart the wall of calm I was starting to build.
“It just… never happened.”
