Page 33 of His to Possess

“Plus, sometimes I just want to get away from the city and the millions of people, you know? It can get tiring and suck the energy right out of me.”

“I definitely get that. I never get out of there, though.” Sometimes, it’s enough to make me feel trapped.

“Why not? You must make good money bounty-hunting,” he teases.

I chuckle. “I do, but…”

“But what?” he presses.

“I don’t know. I just squirrel it all away.”

“Saving for a rainy day?”

“No. Not really.”

He reaches for my hand, tangling his fingers through mine, and he tugs me closer. “Talk to me,la mia farfalla.I want to get to know you.”

“I think because of the way I grew up—without anything—I have this weird need to accumulate wealth, but not actually touch it. I just need to know it’s there in case I need it.”

“The point of having money is to spend it, though.”

“I know. I just have trouble doing that.” Clearly, Angelo has no trouble blowing money since he owns a helicopter and a second home here. But, for me, it’s not so easy. There’s this fear deep inside me that one day it could be all gone again, so I do my best not to be careless or frivolous.

Angelo stops and turns to face me. “You’re never going to be that scared, little girl again. I promise.”

I look up into his brown eyes, now bright with sunshine, and pretend I don’t understand what he’s saying. That he’s referring to my personal safety, not my financial net. “You don’t knowthat. Everything I’ve worked so hard for…it could be gone in the blink of an eye, if I’m not careful.”

“I’m not talking about money, Blake,” he says softly, forcing me to acknowledge his words. “I’m talking about you and that from this point forward, you will be protected. I’m going to make sure of it.”

“You’re sweet, Angelo, but these are very dangerous people after us.”

“You clearly haven’t met my brothers yet,” he states with a wry grin. “Or, my father. The men in my family protect what’s theirs.”

His words hit me hard.

“But I’m not yours,” I say softly.

That realization seems to dawn on him, but he shakes his head. “We’ll see about that,” he says, voice low and possessive.

A little thrill kicks up inside my heart as I imagine what it would be like to have a family and a man like Angelo Rossi at my back, always there to protect me. It’s a luxury I’ve never had, but one I’ve wished for before on multiple stars many, many times.

Suddenly, the need to be closer to him overwhelms me. I turn, cup his stubbled face and push up onto my toes to kiss him. His lips meet mine halfway and when I open my mouth, his tongue sweeps inside.

My protector.

The idea of having this strong, beautiful man care about me when no one else ever has is enough to bring tears to my eyes. I push them back down, though, and focus on his mouth movingagainst mine…the way his arms wrap around me and pull me close…how his hardness presses into my belly.

With a soft moan, I pull back and reach down to grab the hem of my tank top. I pull it off and toss it onto the emerald green grass then bat my lashes at him. As I begin to shimmy out of my jeans, I can’t miss the hunger that flares to life in his eyes.

“Let’s go for a swim,” I say, then pause and glance around. “Where’s your nearest neighbor?”

His mouth edges up in a wicked smirk and he yanks his shirt off. “Miles away.”

“Okay, good,” I say and quickly discard my bra and panties. He pauses, his pants halfway down, and stares at me, letting his gaze rake down my nakedness.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” he murmurs, eyes glowing with heat.

I can feel my body flush from head to toe and I give him a little smile before turning and heading straight for the water. “I’ve never been skinny dipping,” I tell him over my shoulder and step into the cool lake.

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