Page 118 of Relentless Oath

“You know, if you want, there’s a play at the park today. We can go watch it. You could get some fresh air.”

“I would like that.”

He stared at me, and I stared back at him. He leaned down and kissed my nose, making me giggle.

And then he touched my chin, tilted it up, and kissed my mouth. I thought he was going to stop at one kiss, but then he kissed me again, playfully this time.

I pulled away, and he kissed me yet again. This time, I giggled as he pulled me into his arms and nuzzled my neck, placing kisses there too.

Where had this playful side of Dario come from? I didn’t know, but I liked it. I guess not being tied to his family, and his empire meant that there was a new facet of himself that he could explore.

And I was curious to explore it with him.

We would learn about each other together. It was appealing in more ways than I could ever imagine, but yet, I found myself unable to tell him that.

I still was trying to reconcile my feelings for him. But for now, my plan was to enjoy his kisses, the occasional back massage, and the endearing way he would lay his ear against my stomach to feel the baby squirm and roll.

Sometimes, when he thought I was asleep, he would talk to my belly, and the baby would react by waking me up, moving to the sound of Dario’s voice.

I still felt a little jealous of the relationship they already had. I’d never known my father, but this child surely already loved her dad.

A daddy’s girl even in the womb.

It was sweet and made me cry on my especially emotional days.

I didn’t tell Dario, but I was thankful for this special time and the peace. Yes, we were hiding out, but the peace he brought me just by being present wasn’t something I took lightly. I was falling hard for this man.

“Okay, okay, you can stop cuddling me now,” I said.

“Are you sure?” He nuzzled my neck some more, and I felt his hand creep under my shirt and graze the nipple of my bare breast.

I gasped and slapped his hand away. “None of that,” I teased, blushing.

He ignored me and rolled me over until I was sitting on top of him. I could feel him hard against my leg, and shook my finger at him.

“No way.”

“You sure?”

I opened my mouth to answer him when I heard a car approaching. It paused in front of the house.

“Are you expecting someone?”

But I knew from the look on his face that he wasn’t. Playfulness gone, he rolled from under me, picked me up, and carried me across the room. He shoved me into a closet, not without first saying, “Don’t come out until I say so. And take one of my guns.”

Before I could protest, he disappeared. I had thought this part of our life was over, but I guess it wouldn’t really be over until Ivan was dead.

I just wanted to live peacefully, without the threat of constant death. Was that too much to ask?

I felt a little pain in my lower stomach and rubbed the area. A few more minutes went by, and the pain happened again. Braxton-hicks?

I groaned. Of course, my body would rebel at a time like this.

It was probably just a delivery guy, I said to myself, but my racing pulse told me that my body didn’t believe what my mind was telling it. I’d been in fight or flight mode too often to just relax.

I heard voices nearing the bedroom and reached for one of Dario’s guns, which were already loaded. And then I heard Dario whisper my name and pull the closet door open.

“Let’s go,” he whispered. “Fast.”

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