Page 59 of Kissing Danger

Nathan’s plansturned out to be a bubble bath. I’d been longing for one earlier, but after everything that happened in the penthouse, I’d forgotten about it. That desire returned with a vengeance the moment I saw the huge, claw foot tub filled with steaming water and clouds of bubbles just waiting for me to hop in.

Nathan’s private apartment was a strange mix of simple and grand. The apartment held only as much as it needed.

A single bedroom.

A small office space.

A single couch.

A single table.

There was even a single set of dishes in the kitchen.

Yet, everything that the apartment did have was luxurious and opulent. Nathan didn’t have more than necessary, but he always chose the best option for the things he did need.

The bathroom was no exception. It was just large enough to have a separate tub and shower, but the small space was outfitted with enough white marble and gold to befit a king.

Sitting in that bathtub, I certainly felt like pampered royalty. I was engulfed in hot water and bubbles, with Nathan’s arms wrapped around me as he lounged in the bath behind me.

I traced my fingers over one of the tattoos on the back of his hand. He’d explained some of their meanings to me. Predatory animals represented enemies that had left a mark on him, while prey animals represented innocent people whose death he felt responsible for. Weapons represented conflicts that he’d overcome, while flowers were used to represent more abstract concepts he didn’t want to forget.

Whenever stars showed up on his skin, they always formed the specific pattern of a constellation. The one on the back of his hand was Cassiopeia, and I’d spotted Eridanus near his collarbone before.

There was still a lot I didn’t know about Nathan, such as the meaning behind these two constellations. In fact, there was a lot I didn’t know in general about life among the Mafia and how the criminal underworld operated.

“Hey, Nathan?”

He gave a non-committal noise of acknowledgement from behind me, limp and relaxed in the water.

“What’s going to happen to that agent?”

“Hmm?” He raised his head from where it had been leaning back against the rim of the tub.

“From Interpol. Agent Belden. What’s going to happen with her? I assume you want to cover up the fact that you and your brother killed her, but an Interpol agent can’t just disappear. People will notice. So, what’s the plan?”

Nathan let his head fall back against the rim of the tub and threaded his fingers between mine.

“Her body will be taken somewhere else and staged to look like the victim of a mugging, or something similar.”

“But won’t it look suspicious that she disappeared while investigating you? Even if her body is found somewhere else?”

“Yes, it would, if she were actually investigating me.”

Water sloshed around in the tub as I turned to face him, straddling his lap when my legs had nowhere else to go. “What do you mean?”

His hands found my thighs under the water and started stroking along my skin.

“Interpol is an international law enforcement agency. There was no reason for them to be investigating any of these recent incidents. Even the model who was killed at your first show. She turned out to be the FBI director’s niece, but that still isn’t an international affair.”

I leaned into him until our chests pressed flush together and my nose was buried against his neck.

“So, you’re saying Interpol wasn’t supposed to be involved.”

His hands dug a little harder into my flesh. “Interpol wasn’t there. Agent Belden was acting off the books to pursue her own agenda against me. Interpol isn’t going to want anyone to know that their agent was acting outside of sanctioned orders, so they’re going to sweep everything under the rug as quickly as possible. So long as we give them a convenient explanation for her death, they’re not going to look any further into it.”

I moaned as one of his hands slipped between my legs to grip my arousal, which had calmed down but not fully vanished since leaving the Bellagio. At the same time, his other hand slid around behind me, so his fingers just dipped into the crease of my ass, barely touching the rim of my hole.

The hard line of his body rubbed against me as I squirmed, sending water splashing over the edge of the tub. I bit the shell of his ear in retaliation, but it backfired. The spark of pain from my teeth only excited him, and I felt the heat of his own arousal brush against my stomach.

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