Page 73 of Dangerous Contract: Part 1

Maybe in a grocery store or something. Or maybe at his casino. The location hadn’t been the problem. The problem was him and his tendency to throw money around to get what he wanted. She was one Rose money couldn’t buy.

Without money, what else did he have to make a woman like her want a man like him? At least they’d have their shared memories of last night. He’d never forget her touch, her taste, the sounds of her moans. Fuck!

Stop thinking about last night, Orazio, before you do something stupid. Like, fly her out to your house in Italy, where you know she can’t escape you.With thoughts like those, it was definitely time for him to let her go.

Orazio started to turn around to check on her but tensed when he felt her arms wrap around him. Was he still drunk? Was he hallucinating? He had to be because there was no way his Rosa would wrap her arms around him. She couldn’t wait to be away from him.

“Rosa,” he started.

“Shush,” she told him, face pressed against his back while her hands were clasped together in front of him. “It’s my turn to talk.”

Raz grew silent. But he was nervous as hell. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been this nervous.

“Thank you,” she told him, shocking him. “Thank you for finally seeing things from my perspective. Thank you for being willing to take me home and let me go.”

He didn’t know what to say or what to do. He didn’t know if he should touch her or not. One wrong move could ruin things. He was trying his best not to make things worse. Moving slowly, he placed his hands on top of hers, which were clasped in front of him, and kept them there.

He didn’t want to let her go. She was giving him no choice. But he needed one last touch. Hehadto have one last touch. He waited for her to say more, but she’d gone quiet. If she was waiting on him to sayyou’re welcome, she’d be waiting forever.

That would probably be a good thing. She could stay with him while she waited. Orazio couldn’t say those words withsincerity. Since he didn’t mean them, he wouldn’t say them at all. He’d never claimed to be a gentleman.

He was just a flawed man who wanted a beautiful woman so much that it hurt, so much that he’d been willing to do whatever to have her. Hand on top of hers, he remained silent, waiting for her to continue speaking.

A few minutes ticked by before she said, “Thank you for agreeing to put everything back in my name. I appreciate it. I know you’re a man who’s used to getting your way. So, this must be hard for you.”

“So fucking hard,” he growled.

Damn, why had he said that? It slipped out before he could rethink it. His Rosa laughed.

“I’m a woman who’s been hurt before, so your propositions and demands put me on the defensive. What you want and what I want are two different things. They don’t mesh well together,” she told him.

More rejection. But this was his fault. He hadn’t taken the time to find out what she wanted. Instead, he’d imposed his wants on her and had expected her to fall in line like one of his goons. That wasn’t how relationships worked.

“Relationships aren’t business deals, Orazio. And they can’t be forced or treated like hostile takeovers. You can’t buy my love or my time. I’m not for sale.”

“I know, Rosa. And I’m sorry.”

“Relationships require two people on equal footing, getting to know each other.”

“I know,” he told her, wishing he’d done things differently.

“So, no more propositions, Orazio. Man up and do the right thing. If you want me, get to know me. And you do that by first asking me on a date.”

He’d love to take her on a date. That’s what he should’ve done first instead of telling her about the bank and her ex’s debt.Wait.Huh?Did she just say what he thought she’d just said? Orazio unclasped her hands from in front of him and spun around to face her.

“What did you just say?” he asked, needing to be sure he’d heard her correctly.

He truly hoped he’d heard her correctly. She looked confused.Damn. What if he hadn’t heard her correctly?

“Um, I said no more propositions,” she told him.

Not that part!“What did you say after that?”

“Um, I said man up and do the right thing.”

“After that!” He was growing impatient as fuck, but he couldn’t let it show.

“Um...” Monique started smiling.

---