Page 171 of Dangerous Contract: Part 2

Denver:Auntie Monique, don’t forget I have a football game tonight. See you there.

She smiled, not truly understanding why he called her, Toya, and Meka auntie, but she was okay with it.Oh, shit.They had to go to Denver’s game tonight. She stood and rushed from the room to remind everyone of the game. Apparently, he’d sent the message to them already.

“I had us T-shirts made,” Toya told them. “I’ll run by the house and get them before the game.”

“I made us some banners to hold up,” Meka added. “Denver hasn’t seen them yet. He’s going to be so excited when he sees them.”

Monique smiled as they continued to discuss what they were doing for Denver at his first football game. Happiness swelled within her as she stared at her friends, her family. And to think, none of them would be here if Raz hadn’t kidnapped her.

Maybe kidnapping the person you loved wasn’t such a bad idea after all!

***

LEO

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Leo sat in the bleachers, staring at the blue shirt Toya had insisted he wear. The bold lettering, “Knock Their Heads Off, Denver,” stretched across his chest, as subtle as a brick through a window.

He wasn’t sure how they hadn’t been asked to take the shirts off yet. But he was pretty sure it was because Orazio Cattaneo was seated just a few spaces down from him, wearing the same shirt. When the head of the Cattaneo family was in the stands, people tended to mind their business.

His gaze drifted to the field, where Denver, decked out in his jersey and helmet, finally spotted them. It had taken an ungodly amount of screaming, waving, and what Leo could only describe as Monique, Meka, and Toya’s synchronized choreography of chaos to get the kid’s attention.

Denver waved up at them, and the trio of women erupted into squeals and frantic waving. Monique and Meka even held up the banners they’d made, complete with glitter and oversized lettering.

Leo chuckled as Toya dropped back into her seat beside him, grinning like she’d just won a lifetime supply of whatever crazy ideas she’d dream up next. He handed her the purse he’d been holding while she’d been up yelling for Denver.

“You hungry?” he asked, leaning closer.

“No,” she said, her eyes sparkling up at him.

Damn, she was beautiful. A simple smile from her could wreck him in ways he never thought possible.

“You thirsty?” he asked, needing something to do for her, anything to keep that smile in place.

“Leo, I’m not a pet or a plant. You don’t have to feed and water me every few minutes,” she teased, smirking.

“Are you cold?” he asked, already reaching to adjust her jacket.

She glared at him, exasperated but not annoyed. “Leo!”

“What? I just want to make sure you’re alright,” he said defensively.

He wasn’t used to trying to figure out how to love someone who didn’t need him to do everything for her. Women in his past had pretty much used him, wanting him for his money or his connections. Toya wanted him for him, which left him not knowing how to treat her. Spending money and taking care of a woman’s every need was his love language.

But she didn’t need him for anything. Still, she deserved every damn ounce of care he could give and he wanted to show her that without making her feel smothered. Cas and Raz made it look easy, but for Leo, it felt like walking a tightrope blindfolded.

That’s why he had an entire notebook dedicated to Taking Care of Toya. It was a collection of every fact, preference, and quirk he’d learned about Toya. Her favorite food, the way she liked her coffee, what made her laugh, and most importantly, what made her mad.

He tried to avoid that as much as possible. Hell, there was even a section labeled “Emergency Smiles,” filled with jokes he could tell her when she had a bad day. He was doing his best to make sure she never grew tired of him.

In the beginning, she told him that she had a habit of leaving relationships because she got bored. He never wanted her toget bored with him. Even if she did, she had to know that he wouldn’t let her go.

That wasn’t an option. On their first night together, he’d told her that if she stepped into his room, he would never let her go. She’d laughed and said yeah, right. But he hadn’t been joking. He’d been serious as fuck.

“You don’t have to try so hard,” Toya said, pulling him out of his thoughts. “I’m yours, Leo. I’m not going anywhere. With you is where I want to be. And I don’t need to be pampered every minute of the day. Just having you beside me is enough.”

The words hit him harder than he wanted to admit. She leaned closer, her lips brushing his in a kiss that was far too brief.

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