Page 36 of Crime Lord's Paradise

He didn’t have to answer because of course he did.

“I forgive you,” she said and patted his chest.

“Didn’t ask for forgiveness,” he retorted.

She walked to Gavin, and said, “Hold me.”

He wrapped his massive arms around her and pulled her tight against him. She rested her cheek against his bulging pec, and muttered, “You know, you’d be more comfortable if you weren’t so muscular.”

Blade snickered as he passed.

“Do you need another spanking?” Gavin asked.

She let out a shaky sigh. “Maybe some other time.”

He rubbed her bare back. “You okay?”

“I will be.”

7

Before Lyla opened her eyes,her lips were curved into a smile. The faintest hint of light seeped through the wooden louvers that covered the windows, and she was pinned beneath Gavin’s heavy arm. He was deeply asleep, his features completely relaxed. When she slid out of bed, he didn’t stir. She tiptoed into the connecting room to check on Nora, who was also dead to the world.

She dressed quietly before she left the master suite and entered the living area. The private villa they rented mimicked a monstrous version of the straw huts the natives had once lived in, but with modern updates that included over five thousand square feet of living space, three pools, and air conditioning. The villa had an incredible layout with lots of indoor-outdoor living space that beckoned them outside to take in the priceless view.

Blade stood on the main terrace, legs braced apart and hands clasped behind his back. He had finally given in to the tropics and changed from slacks to shorts and a black shirt. Despite being over four thousand miles from Las Vegas, he still wore his shoulder holster.

She came up beside him and took in the view. The main terrace faced their private beach, a U-shaped alcove covered in palm trees and tropical plants. Aqua waters stretched out as far as the eye could see. Bora Bora was paradise, pure and simple. The moment she stepped foot on this island, she felt as if she’d arrived on an alternate universe where nothing bad could happen. The air smelled of flowers, the staff was all smiles, and she felt safer than she had in years. It took less than a day for her heartache and anxiety to melt away in the face of such raw, natural beauty.

“Have you ever seen anything like it?” she whispered.

“No,” Blade said, his voice just as quiet, almost reverent.

The island had yet to stir. Bora Bora had a drugging effect on all of them. She hadn’t slept so peacefully in months. She and Gavin spent the first day napping on the terrace, eating, and listening to the sound of the ocean.

“You like your room?” she teased.

Blade had a minor fit when he found out he was occupying the other suite, which had enough room for four people and its own private pool and hot tub. Gavin rented another villa for the ten guards they brought with them who took shifts patrolling the grounds.

“It’s too big,” Blade growled.

“It’s perfect.”

He rolled his shoulders. “It’s unnecessary.”

She bumped her shoulder with his. “You should take advantage while we’re here. Relax, take some time to recoup.”

“From what?”

She stared at him. “You’re not serious, are you?”

He scanned the beach. “You up for a run?”

She blinked. “Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“You haven’t worked out in five days.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I’m on vacation!AndI’ve been swimming, which burns calories.”

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