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The possibility caused my mouth to dry out. I couldn’t. He was Billy Baxter, violent criminal and gang leader. I was . . . the opposite, part of a family who crusaded to bring down the gangs. My father had been trying to rid the city of such ne’er-do-wells for years. There was no future for Bax and me.
“I don’t like the expression on your face, widow.” Bax shucked off his union suit, leaving him completely bare.
All thoughts in my brain disappeared except for one:Good heavens, he is gorgeous. I drank him in slowly. It was my first look at a naked man and I was not going to waste the opportunity. “Turn around.”
With a smirk, he spun to show me his backside.
I bit my lip and admired the view. Tall and muscular, he was even more magnificent from this angle. There were scars, signs of the life he’d lived, the fortitude he’d shown to get to the top of the New York City underworld. Perhaps I should’ve been scared . . . but I wasn’t.
Quite the opposite.
He crawled onto the mattress, stretching out his long frame at my side, then cupped my cheek in his palm. His fingers stroked my skin almost reverently. “Thank you for trusting me.”
The adoration in his gaze melted my insides, and I couldn’t prevent the rush of affection in my chest. “It was perfect, Bax.”
“Good.” He settled at my side and held me close. “I have an idea.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve been thinking about your undergarments. And the tariffs you talked about.”
I studied the far wall and stroked the flat planes of his chest. “Meaning?”
“I can help you skirt the tariffs. If you want to buy more undergarments, that is.”
Easing back, I smirked at him. “Why, Bax. Are you encouraging this for my benefit . . . or yours?”
His grin was positively wicked. “Both?”
“So I buy more fancy undergarments and you see me in them, is that it?”
“I call that a win for both sides.”
I chuckled. “Rascal.” Then I decided to be honest with him. “I once thought of opening a store, where I could sell them publicly. I also have some designs of my own.”
“I can help you with that.”
“Unfortunately, it’s impossible. The daughter of Honest Dan Kelly could never.”
“Because you’re embarrassed?”
“Because everyone would know I like those undergarments. That Iwearthose undergarments. And besides the tariff problems, Mr. Comstock would probably shut me down over indecency. It’s impossible.”
“Sweetheart, you can’t live your life for other people. If you want to open a store selling racy unmentionables to help women feel pretty and make men want to fuck them, then do it.”
He didn’t understand. Rules and conventions didn’t apply to Bax. “Easy for you to say. You do whatever you like and to hell with the consequences.”
“Yes, but I’ve learned to listen to the only person whose opinion matters: mine.”
“Women are not so fortunate. I have to work within the bounds of both society and the law.”
“No, you don’t. You have me now. I can twist the entire city to suit my whims—and yours. Whatever you want, Belle. You only need to ask.”
It was so very tempting. He was offering up my dreams on a silver tray like a glass of champagne. But at what price? What would I need to give up to claim them? My father would never approve. He would rather I stayed inside the house and didn’t cause trouble.
I was caught between fantasy and reality, where nothing was quite real.
Bax kissed my forehead. “Think about it.”
