Finallymine.
If I’m being honest with myself, part of my reluctance to bring her here has nothing to do with her safety. It’s because I fear once she reconnects with her friend and they have an in-depth conversation—the kind of heart-to-heart women specialize in—Katie will snap her back to reality. Remind her that marrying me is insane. That I’m dangerous, that I’ve killed people, that I represent everything she’s spent her career fighting against. And Emilia will come to her senses, look me in the eye, and tell me to forget about the wedding…
Which is another reason why the wedding is so rushed. I’m not giving her enough time to think, to reconsider, to build up those walls again. I’m locking her down while she’s still reeling from the attack, while she’s still vulnerable enough to say yes. We can figure out what comes after once she’s legally mine.
And we do have a lot to figure out.
I glance down at her as we walk, recalling the information Igot from SP after I returned from the downtown Brooklyn basement where her cowardly attackers were hiding out.
I wasn’t lying when I told her those fuckers refused to spill the beans. But I have my suspicions about who sent them. Suspicions that only grew stronger when I got another dossier from SP.
Suspicions that, if proven true, might destroy her.
I shake off the heavy thoughts as we walk into the hospital lobby, my nostrils immediately assaulted by the sterile cocktail of disinfectant, bleach, and artificial lemon that seems to permeate every medical facility. A young nurse approaches us, her eyes widening when she recognizes me, but she doesn’t say a word.
Enzo steps forward, murmuring something about why we’re here, and she nods rapidly before leading us to the elevator. I step in with Emilia, the nurse, Enzo, and three of my men while the others remain in the lobby.
We get off on the second floor, and the nurse hurries ahead to a small private ward. As soon as she opens the door, she flees, clearly eager to put distance between herself and us. Inside, I watch in amusement as the blonde woman on the bed jumps to her feet the moment she sees us, dropping into a fighting stance with her fists raised.
She stiffens when Emilia emerges from behind me, then relaxes marginally. “Em? What’s going on?”
My fiancée rushes towards her friend, grabbing her arm. “Katie. How are you feeling?”
Katie’s suspicious blue eyes flick past Emilia to me and my men before reluctantly dropping back to her. “I survived,” she answers dryly. “And so did you.”
Then her gaze falls to Emilia’s left hand, and she immediately snatches it up, lifting it with wide eyes. “What the hell is this? Emily, you–” She cuts herself off, darting another look at me and my men with newfound wariness.
Emilia follows her gaze and then, with a soft sigh, withdraws her hand from her friend’s and walks up to me. I watch, fascinated, as she places her palm on the left side of my chest, right over my heart. The organ responds instantly, pounding against my ribs like it’s trying to reach her touch.
“Can you give us some time?” she murmurs, rubbing her palm across my shirt in small, hypnotic circles. “You can go to your meeting and come fetch me on your way back.”
My fascination deepens. Is she trying to use her wiles on me now? It’s not going to work. “That’s not going to happen.”
“I need to talk with her, and she obviously doesn’t feel comfortable with you here.”
“She’ll just have to get over it, because I’m not leaving here without you. She–” My words die in my throat, my breath catching as she leans into me, her warm lips brushing the corner of my mouth and then my cheek as she whispers directly into my ear. “I swear I’m not going to run. You can have your men wait outside if you don’t believe me, but I need to do this, Rafael.Please.”
Fuck. Her soft words, her hand on my chest, her breath in my ear—they all work together to chip away at my resolve.She’s found my weakness and she’s exploiting it ruthlessly.Damn her.
I glance at Katie, who’s watching us with rapt attention before quickly looking away when I catch her. “What do I get in exchange?” I ask, refocusing on my fiancée. I'm not letting this opportunity slip. If I’m going to keep giving in to her, it’s time I start getting something in return.
“What do you want?”
My heart races with all the possibilities flooding my mind. I can’t possibly pick one. “You’ll owe me a boon.”
Emilia frowns. “A boon? What does that mean?”
“When the time comes, I’ll tell you what I want from you, and you’ll give it to me freely and willingly,withoutargument.”
It’s a dangerous deal for her to strike with me. I could askfor anything, and she wouldn’t be able to say no. The thought has my cock twitching with anticipation.
She realizes the implications almost immediately, and hesitation flickers across her face. “Ask for something else.”
“No. Either you grant me the boon, or we’re leaving. Right now.”
She glares at me with those fire-bright eyes. “Fine, I agree.” Then she waves an imperious hand towards the door. “You can leave.”
Her voice carries clearly across the room, louder than our previous whispered conversation, and I hear my men shift behind me, surprised by her audacity. No one talks to Rafael Moretti like that.No one except the woman who’s about to be my wife.
