Page 37 of Dangerous Contract: Part 1

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I’m not, Rose.”

“Let’s agree to not agree, Orazio.”

“Let’s agree that I’m right,” he countered.

“Must you always be right?”

“I must.”

“This time, you’re wrong,” she told him. “You may not think you’re frowning, but you are. People don’t frown with their lips only. They frown with their eyes, too, along with the crease in their forehead. And when they frown, their body becomes tense, and their heart starts to grow cold. Trust me. I know.”

She lowered her hand to her side. He wanted to grab it and place it back against his face.

“How do you know so much about frowning?” he asked.

“Because...” Her gaze dropped to his chest. “I’ve been frowned at a lot.”

Fucking Trevor!

The amount of anger the mere name of her ex brought over him was surprising. Men like Trevor pissed him off. Raz wasn’t perfect, but at least he acknowledged that he wasn’t capable of giving someone the love they needed.

Which was why he had no intention of offering Monique his heart. Contracts, protection, riches, and wild nights of pleasure were all he was capable of. With him, Monique’s heart would be protected because love would never be a requirement.

Sure, having her love him would be great. However, it wouldn’t be fair for him to ask for something he couldn’t give in return. He’d settle for having her by his side. He wanted her smiles, her kisses, her caresses, and her conversation.

He wanted everything except the one thing he couldn’t give in return.Love. Trevor, on the other hand, had been far greedier than Orazio. That bastard had demanded her love, knowing he didn’t have enough emotional riches to nurture that love.

And once he’d received it, he’d trampled over it like it was nothing, leaving her emotionally ruined. Trevor was the reason she was unsure of herself. Orazio would not be the reason her uncertainties grew deeper.

He raised his fingers to her face and mimicked the actions she’d just done to him, eliciting a smile from her.

“I’m not frowning,” she pointed out.

“This is for all the times you had to frown but didn’t have anyone by your side to comfort you,” he whispered as he massaged the space between her brows.

“I said I was frowned at a lot, not that I frowned a lot.”

“How could you not frown when someone was frowning at you all the time?” he asked, still massaging her head. “You deserve smiles and laughter. Not frowns, Rosa.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked them back. He was glad she hadn’t let them fall down her cheeks. If she had, he may havebecome so enraged that he’d need to find Trevor right then and end him.

“Where have you been my whole life?” she whispered, surprising him.

“What?” Raz froze.

“Nothing,” she told him.

“You said something.”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t important.”

It’s important to me.He kept that thought to himself. Lowering his hand from her face, he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

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