Page 36 of Savage Mafia King

And now, he's dead. I know that's not the end of it, not really, but it's something. It disconnects our family from the Castellanos, at least for now. And his death means she's safe. And right now, that's all I care about.

She pauses in the elevator before she steps out and looks at me for a long moment.

"You need to get washed up," she murmurs to me, brushing her fingers through my hair.

I caught sight of myself in the mirror, and I know she's right. I'm smeared in blood and God knows what else.

"Let me run you a bath," she suggests, and before I can say anything, she moves through to the bathroom, and I hear the water running.

I know better than to argue. She needs to make sure I'm okay, and I'm not going to take that away from her. She saw menearly shot today and faced her own death—it's not like she can just brush all that off and go back to normal.

I make my way to the bathroom, following her after a long moment, to find her perched on the edge of the tub, her hand dipped below the warm water. I wonder how long she's been sitting there. Her eyes look distant.

I plant a hand on the back of her neck, and she jerks upright. "Are you okay?" I ask, and she meets my gaze.

Then, she nods. "Yeah, I am," she replies softly, reaching up to take my hand. "Just... just..."

Before she can stop herself, the tears start to fall from her eyes. I press a kiss against her temple and draw her into my arms.

"You're okay, baby, you're safe," I promise her as the water rises in the tub, steam filling the room.

I can't help but notice a ring of bruises forming on her neck. That fucker, he could have killed her.

"Here, come take a bath with me," I suggest. "Ease your muscles. Relax."

"I don't know if..."

"Please, Isabella. I just need you close to me right now."

She nods, knowing better than to argue with me.

I turn off the water and slowly undress her, gently tugging off her clothes one by one until she's naked before me. Though she's beautiful, seeing her like this feels more intimate than anything else. Once I've stripped myself down, I pull her closeagain, letting her feel my body against hers, the weight of it, the warmth of it.

And then we slip beneath the water, her between my legs, my arms around her waist. Though I can't ignore how goddamn sexy she is, I'm more struck by how vulnerable she seems. This is the queen bee of our college, after all, the woman who pretty much any guy would kill to get near. And here she is, lying in my arms, letting me hold her like it's the most natural thing in the world.

I brush aside a wet lock of hair so I can reach her skin and press a kiss against her neck. I can feel her pulse throbbing beneath her skin, a reminder of how alive she is—and how close we both came to losing this moment.

"What happens now?" she murmurs to me finally, sliding a little further down in the water, letting it lap over our bodies. The way she's lying, it's like there's no room between us at all. As though we could just blend into one.

"I don't know," I admit. "What do you want to happen?"

She takes a deep breath and leans her head back against my chest. Her eyes are closed, and I can tell how exhausted she is just from a glance.

"I want... I want to graduate," she admits. "And I want my brother to be safe. And I want all this shit with the Castellanos to be over with. I never want to have to think about them again. And I want..." Finally, she turns slightly so that she's looking me in the eye. "I want you, Marcus."

I stare at her for a moment. Despite everything, I'm surprised by her being so open about it.

"You do?"

"Of course I do," she murmurs, and she snuggles against me. "I know this started out as some kind of act, but I... in the time we've been together, the time I've gotten to know you, it's made me realize that the two of us have a lot more in common than we first thought."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"Like... we both want to be at the top of our game," she replies. "Me at the sorority, you in your business. And we both protect our families. We both come from similar worlds. And we both trust each other. At least, I hope you trust me as much as I trust you."

"I do," I promise her. "After what you did, there's no doubt."

"And do you want to be with me?" she asks, her voice laced with nervousness. "I know... I know it's complicated, with your family and everything, but if you're willing to try—"

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