Page 13 of Mob Princess

He kissed my forehead. “Then you’ll get it.”

“Is it always this easy to negotiate with you?”

“Don’t push it.”

“I’m just saying, if I proposed an alternative to this situation that didn’t inconvenience us so much, would you at least listen to it?”

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Probably not.”

He eased himself back down onto the couch. “Fine. Let me have it.”

I knelt in front of him and took his hands within my own. “I’m more than willing to stay under this roof for most of the time if you put more guards around this place. The two downstairs aren’t going to work. For all we know, they didn’t even know what was going on up here. We need more guards downstairs and all around this place.”

Israel nodded. “Done. And trust me, I intend on interrogating those guards downstairs to make sure they weren’t in on this.”

I grinned. “Well, go easy on them. Two men can only do so much, no matter how heavily they’re armed.”

His eyebrows ticked. “I take it you have another request?”

I rolled my eyes. “Quit the act, Israel. I know that behind all of this anger and frustration, you’re worried about me. And I’m worried about you. So, instead of taxing our phones and having to keep track of time constantly, why don’t I just accompany you whenever you leave?”

He blinked. “I have to work.”

“And I’ll come with you. I can sit in the waiting rooms, or help some of your workers with things.”

“You’re not coming to work with me.”

I snickered. “Fine. Okay. How about this, then? More guards downstairs, I come with you whenever you leave, and in exchange for going along with this particular plan, you get to have me every night.”

His eyes darkened. “Say that again.”

I kissed his hands. “As a prize for taking me along whenever you leave so we can both keep track of one another, you can have me every night. Any way you wish.”

His hands slipped out of mine, and he crooked his finger beneath my chin. He raised my eyes to his level as a wild grin spread across his face.

My toes curled, and my gut clenched. I wanted nothing more than to kiss that grin right off his face.

“If we do it this way,” I said carefully, “you can see first-hand what I’ve got planned for this turf war. We can work together, in real-time, to make sure we come out of this on top.”

When he spoke, his voice commanded my attention with all of its huskiness and strength I admired so much in him. “I’ll be on top, all right. I always come out on top, no matter what I’m doing.”

I smiled. “I take it you accept my counter-offer?”

“Without a shadow of a doubt.”

I raised myself up to kiss him, but he turned his head. And instead of my lips falling against his own, they fell against his stubbled cheek.

Hurt filled my stomach, and I wondered why he still didn’t want to kiss me. I had just offered my body to him every night, all night, for the chance to be closer to him and to spend more time with him. Yet, he still didn’t want to kiss me?

It twisted my heart.

There’s still time. You can fix this.

Did Israel want to fix this? Because in all of the years I’d spent watching my uncle and my aunt break and mend their marriage, I learned one thing throughout all of it: Both parties had to be willing to fix things.

“I’ve got some phone calls I have to make,” he said, pulling away. “I’ll be in my office.”

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