Page 58 of Devil's Deal

“You for one. But I’m pretty fond of Harlow and Everest, too. I think if Huey had taken either one of them, I’d have been just as quick to slit his throat.”

Was it weird how much that warmed my heart? Probably. Did I care? Nope.

“As for Huey’s girlfriend,” he continued. “Let’s just see how it goes. Maybe she’ll come here looking for him, maybe she won’t, but I’ll dig around and see if we can find her. We’ll find a way to help her financially.”

“Can we? I think I’d feel much better if I knew his disappearance didn’t leave her in dire straits.”

Romeo nodded. “I’d already thought of it, too. I promise you; we’ll make sure she’s all right. What happened the other night was sloppier than I operate. Normally, I only take out targets I’ve researched, and if there are any innocents who will be affected, I plan out a way to make sure my actions don’t destroy their lives.”

Of course he’d already thought of it, but that was normal for him? “Really?”

“Absolutely. Like when I went back to take out the chiropractor who’d isolated and abused Chip, he had another young guy living there. The poor kid was estranged from his family, and rightfully so, but I found his sister and her husband. A little research showed they were good people. I arranged for him to go live with them before I took out the asshole.”

Did he see the stars in my eyes as I gazed at him right now? I’d never been impressed with what Frederic did for a living, and Mac threatened him that it better never touch my life. The two of us hadn’t really bonded until after we’d lost both my sister and Mac.

But maybe everything wasn’t as clear-cut as I once thought. Maybe it was okay to see things in shades of gray when it came to justice and protection. Not saying that Frederic was that altruistic, but wasn’t he still only with the mob to find his son? And Romeo…well, I couldn’t seem to find a thing wrong with his actions yet.

“Do you want to talk about the blueprints now?” he asked gently, jarring me out of my introspection.

I sighed. “It’s weird. I’d been wondering why he never told me about those tunnels. I can’t even begin to tell you the wild reasons I’d conjured in my head. I’m not sure why. He was never anything but honest and wonderful to me.”

“Maybe because it’s disconcerting to find out the building you thought you knew every square inch of had hidden spaces, or because your introduction to them was less than ideal.” He frowned.

The fear and anger of the other night nudged at me again, but it was muted for now. I was sure that I’d have moments of panic later, but letting it all go in the shower in Romeo’s arms had helped. “That’s probably it. I don’t know. Finding those blueprints just reminded me of how spoiled I was.”

Something flickered in Romeo’s eyes that I’d never seen before. “Do you think you’d like to move back into your house at some point? Reconnect with old friends and entertain and stuff?”

I surprised myself when I laughed. “No way. First of all, that place is too big. It always was. Second, it’s not exactly my style. The people we entertained were Mac’s friends and colleagues. They weren’t my people.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Boy, I have to be honest with you. I’m not a pauper by any means. I’ve been at my career for a long time, and I make a hefty sum doing it. But you have this hotel, and based on that property, I’m assuming that Mac left you decently well-off?”

Pressing my hand against his cheek, I smiled softly. “I don’t need your money, if that’s what you’re asking. I also don’t need the luxurious life Mac gave me. I’m content and happy here in my little hotel with my employees.”

Romeo kissed the palm of my hand. “You do realize some of your staff have become your family, don’t you?”

I snickered. “I do, but don’t tell them that. Some of them already get over on me.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure. You’re a softy.”

“Applesauce. I was hoping you hadn’t figured that out yet.”

Romeo threw his head back with laughter. “I don’t think you could hide it if you tried.” He leaned forward, catching my lips in a sweet kiss. “I wouldn’t want you any other way,” he mumbled against my mouth.

“I wouldn’t want you any other way either,” I said seriously.

That strange expression crossed his face again. Now that I knew it was doubt and insecurity, I sat up and peered at him intently. “I mean it, Daddy. I’m falling in love with you just the way you are.”

Falling? As if. I already belonged to this man, heart and soul. I wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear that, though, so I’d wait. He’d promised he was staying, and I was going to hold him to that.

“Love, huh?” he asked.

His question made me pause. Wasn’t he? He’d told me that he was, but was having to take care of me getting old already? “Yes,” I answered, trying to keep it from sounding like a question.

He untucked my towel from around my waist, then manhandled me onto the couch, tossing his towel as he spread out on top of me. “Good. I want you to love me because I can’t imagine leaving you. I’d lose my mind not seeing you, touching you, knowing that you’re mine.”

He swallowed my answer with a deep kiss, plundering my mouth the same way his presence had invaded my soul. He moved against me. The only sound in the room was the friction of the hair on our legs rubbing together. It felt so good to be this close to him—his weight pinning me down in the best possible way.

His tongue licked into my lips again as our cocks thickened, rubbing against each other. He hadn’t let me get him off this morning, and I was determined to make him come. I slipped my hand between us, wrapping it around both our cocks, squeezing them together.

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