Page 107 of Dangerous Intent

“I’m that good.” He winked, making my pulse race. “Let’s get out of here.”

He carried me out of the shower and gently set my feet on the plush bath mat. After turning off the water, he reached for two oversized towels on the shelf next to the shower stall. He took his time drying my neck and back before cloaking me in the fluffy towel that smelled of fresh linen and lavender.

I held out my hand and took his towel from him, drying his chest and stomach. I pressed my lips to his heart as I wrapped the towel around his waist.

“I really do love it here, despite the mishaps we seem to have.” I hugged him.

“Mishaps?” He quietly laughed, his chest shaking against me. “That’s one way to put it.”

“I didn’t mean to cause more problems for you.”

“None of this is your fault.”

“Come on.” I stepped back. “If I didn’t come looking for you that night, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“I’m the one who took you at gunpoint.” He smiled smugly. “Twice.”

“Hmm… I guess this is your own fault.”

“I wouldn’t change a thing about taking you as my hostage.” He wiped underneath my eyes and cheeks with his fingers, probably trying to remove the mascara from them. “Your makeup didn’t wash away.”

“It’s waterproof,” I said. “I’ll use makeup remover.”

“Then I’ll let you finish up here.” He gently kissed my lips. “I have some business to take care of.”

“Diego?”

He nodded, revealing no more than he had to.

“What did he want?” I rested my head against his chest. “Why did he come here?”

“He wants a refund.”

“Are you kidding me?” I stared up at him. “He had the audacity to ask for his money back?”

“A man who purchases another man’s woman, plants a warning device in her car, and then approaches her when he knows she is alone isn’t the type of person to have the sense not to come here and demand his money back.”

“You’re not considering giving him the money, are you?”

“The only thing I’m considering is how I’m going to kill him.” He pressed his palm to my cheek. “That’s the complicated part.”

“I would think that would be the easy part for you.”

“Normally it is, but Diego was strategic about this.”

“What do you mean?” I had an odd feeling there was much more to this story.

“I don’t know all the details, but Diego is under the protection of the men I came here to do business with.”

“How did that happen?”

“Either he’s really lucky or there’s something bigger at play.” Marchello kissed me long and slow, releasing all the fluttering butterflies waiting to break free. “That’s the complicated part I need to figure out.”

I could freak out and complain about how there was always something in our way, but that was the world we lived in. It was messy and chaotic, but we thrived off all of that. I could throw a tantrum or I could accept who we were.

Didn’t I already embrace the craziness when I vowed to be Marchello’s wife? The woman I was meant to be.

“You’ll figure it out.” I ran my hand through his wet hair. “I have total faith in you.”

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