“I don’t care! Could you just go away and let me get out of this freaking tub?”
“Tomorrow morning, you’re going to be my wife. Tonight, you’ll stay here in my house. I’ll bring you clothes.”
It takes some serious force of will to turn my back on her. The second I do, all I want in the world is to turn again and stare at my future wife’s pretty skin.
She’s a beacon and it’s all I can do to keep myself from tumbling into her.
“You knew, didn’t you?” Her voice is very small, but the anger is crisp and clear. “That’s why you’ve been watching me. That first attack. They were coming for me from the start, weren’t they?”
My fists clench. Fuck, she’s smart. “We caught one of the men who was there that night and interrogated him. He said his crew was hired to kill you.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“There was no reason to scare you.”
“You asshole. I could’ve prepared myself! I could’ve, I don’t know, carried a gun with me or something.”
“Do you know how to shoot?”
“I mean, not well, but?—”
“Could you have fought that man off if you had known? Would it have made any difference? I told your brother, but he didn’t take it seriously. I was the only one that cared enough to make sure you were safe. I spent the last two weeks watching you around the clock—me and my crew.”
She’s quiet. I hear her splashing around. I keep my back turned until the towel rack creaks.
When I glance in the mirror, she’s covered with a little twisted knot above her breasts.
And god, I don’t think I’ve seen perfection until this moment.
“You should have told me.”
“I did what I thought was right.”
“I’m not some toy, Luca. You know that, right? I’m a person. I deserve to have a say in how my life goes.”
“I know that, but things aren’t so simple all the time.”
“That’s a great excuse.”
I start to leave the bathroom. Before I go, I glance back over my shoulder. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
“For what? For barging in on me while I was taking a bath?”
I shake my head. “No, darling. For saving your life.”
Her face twitches. Guilt flashes in her eyes for a brief moment. “Okay, I do appreciate that part.”
“There’s a guest room here.” I point at the door on my left. “I have a clean robe in the closet. I’ll bring you clothes shortly.”
She sucks in a shuddering breath. I have to remember that she’s dealing with her trauma right now, and dropping the wedding on her only compounds everything. I can be patient for her. I have to be patient.
Right now, she’s the only thing that matters.
“Don’t try to sneak into my room in the middle of the night,” she says sharply as I start to walk away. “I’m not going to thank you with—you know—every time you save my life.”
“That’s alright. I’ll keep risking my own neck in case you decide to change your mind.”
She growls with frustration, and I’m smiling as I go find some reasonable clothes for her to wear.
