Page 42 of Deadly Don's Savage Vows

I don’t want her to see that side of me. But she will - if she chooses wrong.

I let go of her face and watch the red lines of my fingers, where they were gripped across her jaw, disappear from her skin. She says nothing as she stares at me with intense focus.

“Forty-eight hours, Bella.” I warn her.

Then I leave her alone in the office. She can have her time to think.

And in forty hours I will have what I want.

Chapter 17

Isabella

Over the last few days it seems like all I’ve been doing is pacing. Up and down, up and down, pacing away the anxiety. Trying to run away from my own thoughts as though walking back and forth is going to achieve that.

I sigh, forcing myself to stop and take a breath.

I’m wasting energy on nothing.

What I should do is figure out the best possible future for my son. Our son.

Nico would take my son from me. His son. Dammit. It’s so complicated.

And I would be powerless to stop him. He is a strong man with so much power behind him that there is nothing I could do to get my son back if he took him.

Luckily, I am confident that he would be an amazing father.

In fact, that’s something important to me - it’s something I have no doubt of. I know he would be incredible as a father for our son - and I know I love him - it’s not something I’m questioning, and it’s not the reason for me being so reluctant to accept his offer of seeing where we might lead.

It’s the secrets.

I hate secrets.

They destroy everything.

I kept the secret of our son from him and it almost made him hate me. I have no idea what secrets Nico is keeping - but they would probably be devastating for me to find out.

He’s not the monster of a man I was pushed into an arranged marriage with. He is nothing like Marcus.Nothing.

But Nico isn’t agoodman.

He belongs in the mafia world. It’s in his blood and the things he’s done to survive and make a name for himself - do I even want to know what they are?

No.

But can I live with him never asking questions?

But - again - Nico will take my son from me and Dante deserves a mother and a father. He needs both of us. It would break me apart if I couldn’t be in his life.

I could run - if I really wanted to. I’ve escaped one man. I could do it again. I have enough money and I’ve learned a lot about the world in this past year. I could do it.

I reach up and touch my lips, still feeling the effects of the kiss he gave me before he left. My body is another story. My mind can at least try to think rationally, using logic to choose the best possible outcome - but my body is out of my control. Ican’tcontrol how I react to him physically or how myheartyearns for him. I can’t stop myself from loving him or being attracted to him.

I didn’t choose it. It just happened that way. It started that night he helped me escape my wedding. And since then it’s always been there in the back of my mind. I was rebuilding my life and doing my best to restart and move on from everything in my past - but Nico was always there, drifting in my thoughts.

I never regretted anything that happened between us - and I don’t see why I would regret anything that might still happen.

I want him. I need him around me. He makes me feel safe and desired and beautiful.

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