Page 70 of Born into Sin

“Then keep me.”

Her words gut me. She makes it sound so simple when it’s anything but. I run my thumb over her lips and tell her the truth. “I’m planning on it, principessa. You’re mine, and I’m not letting you go.”

“Yes, you are,” she argues. “My dad’s on his way to get me, right? That means you’re letting me go, Dominic.”

“I’m temporarily allowing a separation,” I correct, “but it’s only because I think it’s the safest option for you right now.”

“So that’s just your decision to make? I don’t even get a say in it?”

“No, you don’t.” I ignore the angry look she’s giving me, even if she does look sexy as hell when she’s pissed. “When it comes to your safety, my word will always be the final one.”

“I don’t even know what to say to that.”

I give her a wink that has her narrowing her eyes even more. “You don’t need to say anything because it wouldn’t do any good. I get the final word when it comes to your safety, principessa. Always.”

“And what made you decide that I’m safer somewhere else, or am I not allowed to even ask that?”

I give her pouty mouth a quick kiss. “You can always ask me anything you want. It doesn’t mean I’ll answer, but you can always ask.”

“You’re impossible.”

I laugh and sneak in another kiss. “I warned you that I would be worse than your dad.”

“I was hoping you were joking.”

“I never joke about things like that, but I will answer your question. I don’t know all the details yet, but the man they questioned told them that if they couldn’t get a hit on you, then they should go after your siblings.”

Her body freezes at the thought of something happening to her younger sister and brother.

“And if that didn’t work, then they were to start on your cousins. It’s only a matter of time before another attack happens, and having you all spread out is making it difficult for your family to protect everyone. I need to help them, and if my men and I aren’t here to protect you, then it’s not safe for you to stay here. It’s not going to take the Zolotov Bratva long to figure out that our families work closely together, and once they do, they’ll look for you here.”

I look down at her, willing her to see the truth in what I’m saying. “I need to know you’re safe, and you need to let me do whatever the hell I need to do to make that happen. I won’t lose you, Natalya. I fucking refuse to let that happen.”

She sighs and lifts her hands to cup my face. “You’re a hard man to stay angry at.”

“Really? Most people find it very easy.”

Her soft laugh releases the tension that’s coiled around my heart.

“I’d better get ready to go then.”

I know she’s right, but the last thing I want to do is lift my body off hers. If there was any way I could guarantee her safety, I’d keep her here, but if the Zolotov Bratva attacks while I’m gone and most of my men aren’t here, it’s possible they could get to her. It’s unlikely, but the possibility is there, and I’m not willing to risk her life. For now, it’s safer if she’s with her family. Lev said they were taking all their kids to the farmhouse and that they’ll be surrounded by guards. No one knows about their secret house in the middle of nowhere. It’s the safest place for her while I help her dad and uncles find these fuckers and take them out.

Her safety and how damn important it is to me is the only thing that gets me to roll off her sweet body. I stay on the bed, watching her walk naked into the bathroom, groaning at the sight of her bare ass before she closes the door, blocking my view of her. Forcing myself out of bed, I pull on the jeans and T-shirt from last night. I’ll shower and put on a suit later. Right now, I don’t want to waste a second of the few precious minutes I have left with her.

While she gets ready, I gather up the few things she has lying around. My plan was to hand them to her so she could put them in her bag, but I quickly decide I don’t want to do that. Instead, I hang the pink dress she’d been wearing yesterday in my closet next to my rack of suits and line her sandals up next to my collection of Salvatore Ferragamo shoes.

I like seeing her things mixed with mine. Pleased with my decision, I leave the closet just as she’s stepping out of the bathroom. She’s in another summer dress, this one a pale blue that accentuates the color of her eyes, and all I can do is stare as she walks around the room, trying to find the things I just put away.

“Do you know where my sandals are?”

“They’re in my closet.”

She walks over, but I stop her from grabbing them. Keeping her hand in mine, I give it a squeeze and say, “I’m keeping them here, and the pink dress you wore yesterday.”

“But the only other pair of shoes I have are flip-flops. The sandals look better with this dress.”

I smile down at her. “I guess you’ll just have to make do.”

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