Page 58 of Dangerous Contract: Part 1

Raz swallowed. Before he could answer, Cas’s phone rang.Saved by the bell.Cas answered the call. His gaze jerked to Raz.Shit. What was wrong now? Had someone in their family been hurt? Had one of their businesses been raided again? Was their dad stalking their mother and her family again?

Cas burst out laughing before saying, “I’ll take care of it.” His brother ended the call and shoved the phone into his back pocket.

“What’s wrong?” Raz asked.

“Security got a call from one of the window washers. The guy reported that someone was sticking papers to the window from inside one of the family suites that read,Help Me, I’ve Been Kidnapped By The Owner. Call The Police.”

Cas burst out laughing. Orazio gritted his teeth. He should’ve known she wouldn’t sit in the room and think about her actions and how they hurt him. Instead, she was trying to find ways to leave him.

“I’ll be back,” Raz said, standing up.

“Wait!” Bryce stopped him. “You kidnapped your woman?”

Raz braced himself for the lecture his cousin was about to give him.

“Shit. Why didn’t I think of that?” Bryce said.

Cas began trying to convince Bryce that kidnapping the woman you loved was wrong. According to Cas, you should only kidnap women who loved you back. Orazio grabbed his drink and downed the rest of it. Yeah, the men in their family were definitely fucked up.

Maybe they were cursed to fall in love with women who would drive them crazy. He lowered his empty glass to the counter, then froze.Oh, shit!Did he just admit to himself that he loved his Rosa?Fuck!

Chapter Twelve

ORAZIO

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This wasn’t love.

This couldn’t be love. Sure, he’d longed for Monique since the first night he’d laid eyes on her, but that wasn’t love. That was lust. And yeah, he’d paid her husband a lump sum of money to divorce her, but that wasn’t love. That was lust.

And yeah, when his life had gotten busy with work and family problems, he’d had his people watch over her during and after her divorce. They’d sent him videos and pictures of her as proof that she was safe.

Videos and images that he stared at every time he had a moment alone, a moment of quiet, a moment to rest. Pictures of her grocery shopping. Pictures of her sitting on her porch, drinking a cup of coffee, or reading a book.

Pictures of her staring up at the sky and smiling for no reason at all. Pictures of her crying on her back porch when the pain became too much. He’d experienced her divorce with her through images and video while also experiencing the ups and downs of his own chaotic life.

She’d become his peace during the turmoil. His calm during the storm. He’d watched over her without her even knowing heexisted. But that wasn’t because he loved her. That was more like protecting an investment.

He’d worried that Trevor’s dumb ass would still try to harm her. He hadn’t trusted the bastard. Still didn’t. He’d also done it to make sure she didn’t decide to skip town after her divorce. Again, that was protecting his investment, not love.

He’d planned to go to her after his business issues ended. Instead, she’d come to him. Again, that had nothing to do with love. They could blame their meeting on fate. And they could blame their night of amazing sex on lust.

But no matter how he looked at it, none of what he’d done had been because he loved her. He lusted after her. And, after spending the night with her, he was growing to like her. But that was it.

And now that she was trying to alert the window washers to their business, he was going to have to put some rules in place for her. First rule was,we never put our business in the streets. No one else needed to know what was going on between them. Other than his nosy ass brother and heartbroken cousin.

They already knew too much. But they would never do anything to betray him or someone he cared for. However, if his enemies knew he was crazy about Monique, they’d try to use her to get to him. They’d hurt her in ways she couldn’t imagine.

Ways he wouldn’t allow himself to imagine because it bothered him to even think about it. He wouldn’t let that happen. Raz headed toward the door, preparing to leave Bryceson and Caspari to their conversation.

“Sit down,” Cas called to him.

“I’ve got something to handle.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s been handled. I told security it was fine. I’ll text them and have them explain to the washers that it was a joke,” Cas told him.

“I still need to check on her.”

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