Page 103 of Dangerous Contract: Part 1

Damn, he loved that smile. He loved this woman. And he would do almost anything to keep her smiling. However, like her, he had boundaries. There were principles he held dear that he wouldn’t change.

Just as he had to respect her desire to not be kidnapped or have her house purchased for her to lessen her stress, she had to respect his boundaries as well. He’d give his life for the people he loved. That included the Cattaneo family, a few affiliates of the family, and now her.

He needed her to understand that turning his back on those he loved was a hardnofor him. Only a scum would agree to terms like that. He may be cocky, stubborn, and a list of other unflattering words, but he was no scum.

“My cockiness isn’t the reason I said you couldn’t stay away from me tonight, Rosa,” Raz told her.

“Oh, really? I’m anxious to hear your reason, Orazio.”

“Love is the reason you can’t leave me, Rosa. There’s no way I’m letting the woman I love leave me tonight.”

He loved her, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. Sure, it had been lust at first sight. But somewhere along the line, love had taken root in his heart. That love had been wrapped up in obsession, something he could understand better than love.

But once he’d peeled the layers back, he’d been able to accept the cold, hard truth. He was in love. And it hadn’t taken him years to figure that shit out. It had only taken one smile, one touch, one taste, and he knew.

This woman was his, and there was no other for him. When had he fallen so hard? He didn’t know. Maybe it was after hearing her story and learning how she’d been treated by her ex. Or perhaps it was spending hours looking at videos and pictures of her, wishing he was by her side, wiping away her tears, and being the reason she smiled.

Then again, it could be seeing her last night and having her approach him instead of him approaching her.Fate. This felt like fate. And who was he to question fate? He would tell the world that he was in love with Monique Rose. However, instead of his declaration making her happy, her smile slowly disappeared. Fear gripped his heart.

“Raz,” she started.

“Trust me when I say I would never cause the woman I love to worry unnecessarily about me, my family, or my business dealings.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m willing to ease your worries. I can give this life up and never look back,” he told her. “When I saythis life, I mean the lifestyle. The jobs, the criminal business dealings, all of that means nothing to me. I can give it up. But I won’t give up my family, Rosa.Ever. And they’d never give up on me. My family is my foundation. My family is the reason I’m here now. I know what it’s like to have a family member turn their back on you. I won’t do that to my brothers and my father.”

“Raz,” Monique started again. But he wasn’t done. She needed to hear this.

“I’ll never turn my back on them, and they’ll never turn their back on me. Rosa, once you become a part of my family, my family will do whatever it takes to protect you because they’ll be your family, too. So, to answer your question, with no loopholes, I will let this lifestyle go and step into your world with no hesitation. But I’m bringing my family with me, Rosa. They have no say in our lives. But they will be there as support.”

“Your family will support me, a black woman?”

“What does race have to do with anything? Oh, I get it. It’s true. Some families wouldn’t support us for that reason. Not mine. My cousin is currently in love with a black woman.”

Raz intentionally left out the fact that his cousin had also kidnapped that woman. He’d tell her about that after she got to know Bryce.

“And you already see how gone over Meka my brother is. One of my cousins is married to a Korean woman. And I have a cousin who’s married to a black man. She jokes and says our family dinners are like a World Summit because of how different everyone is. Yes, they will support us. They’ll support you because that’s what family does. And yes, there is drama in my family, just like in any other family. But I won’t bring that drama to your door,ourdoor. I’ll shield you from it, I promise. As long as you’re willing to be a part of my family.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. “Raz...”

“Just say the word, and I’ll drop it all, Rosa.”

She brushed her tears away. “Raz...”

“No more shady shit for me,” he promised.

“Raz! Would you please let me talk?” she said in a rush.

He sighed. When she talked, she said shit that created distance between them. All he needed was for her to say yes. He’d handle everything else as long as she said yes. But tellingher that wouldn’t be wise. So, keeping his mouth shut, Raz nodded.

“Thank you. Raz, my ex thought I didn’t know about the things he did for a living. He thought I didn’t realize he was into illegal things. He invested money in corrupt people. And the reason he and my parents got along so well wasn’t because they believed in marriage and the church as they claimed. It was because they invested in the business opportunities he presented to them.”

Oh, she knew that?He’d found that out about her family when he’d investigated Trevor. But he hadn’t wanted to tell her that. He’d feared she would think he was trying to use that against her as blackmail while convincing her to be with him.

He couldn’t lie. He’d considered doing it. But it hadn’t felt right. Now, he was glad he hadn’t gone that route.

“My family hadn’t wanted me to break ties with Trevor because they had money wrapped up in him. And for that money, they were willing to ignore the fact that he wasn’t goodtome orforme. And because I knew they wouldn’t take my side, I pretended I didn’t know any of it. I pretended for so long that I even started to believe the lies I was telling myself. Like, my mind really created an entire lie to protect me from the truth.”

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