Page 122 of Bitter Prince
Her cheeks flushed pink. “I’d love that.”
I leaned in and took her mouth. Kissing her felt like living, and I wondered how ridiculous it would be to ask her to move in with me so I could kiss her every morning and every night.
When I pulled away, her lips were plump and her eyes hazed with desire and love. She loved me. No woman had ever given me her love so freely. I didn’t even think it was possible. And it wasn’t only her words, but her actions. It was like she wanted to give and give, and like the greedy bastard I was, I took and took it all.
“Okay, cinnamon girl.” I nipped her lip gently, marking her. “Let’s get to Paris, and then you’re staying with me.”Possibly forever.
Her smile blinded me, and I couldn’t resist another peck on her lips before shutting the door and going around to the driver’s side. She was already connecting her phone to the Bluetooth and putting on her music.
“Is this okay?”
“Anything for you.”
I put the car in drive and left my docked yacht in the rearview. As I drove through Monaco, I pondered how much things had changed in the past several weeks. The piece of paper my mother wanted and my revenge barely plagued my mind anymore. Instead, this girl consumed all my thoughts. I’d have to come clean to her father and my family sooner rather than later.
My brows furrowed, remembering my mother’s last words to me:Romero won’t approve, and neither will I.
They would have to. I’d collected enough favors over the years to shut down Romero’s business for good. So if he wanted to maintain his position in Omertà, he’d cave. Eventually.
My mother was a different matter altogether. Maybe it was time to introduce the two women so she’d see that Reina was nothing like her family. Mamma could be stubborn when she wanted to be, but she’d come around. If Reina could make Dante smile, she could make my mother smile too.
I flicked a glance to my girl to find her face tilted to the sun with a blissful expression. My lips tugged up and any anguish toward my family and hers perished. The views that surrounded us had nothing on her.
She was like a breath of fresh air. A flicker of sunshine breaking through stormy clouds. I knew giving her up wasn’t an option.
I came to a stoplight and admired her profile. The sun reflected in those long, wild curls, making them appear like spun gold. Her neck was a graceful curve and she carried herself with the utmost confidence despite her age.
“I love the top down.” Reina beamed, pushing her flying strands out of her face. “Phoenix and I have a Jeep back in California. I miss driving it.”
Truthfully, driving with the top down was dumb as hell—and dangerous in my profession—but I found myself unable to deny her anything.
“You two share a car?”
She nodded. “Yeah. We left for college shortly after I got my license. It seemed dumb to each have one when we only went home during holidays.
“Is this your first time in Monaco?” she asked, her eyes returning to study what was known as a playground for the rich and famous.
Monaco, the beautiful little sovereign country, located on the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Despite it being the world’s second-smallest nation, it always buzzed with life and glittered with opulence. But underneath all that wealth, it hid corruption. Much like any other city in the world.
“No.” I owned a few casinos and hotels here, but she didn’t need to know that.
She turned her head, tilting it pensively. She glowed, and not just from the way her bright hair reflected her personality. It was her heart. “You do business here too?”
“Maybe.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Keep your secrets.” The corner of my lips tugged up. “So where in Paris do you live?”
“Not too far from you.”
Reina sat up straighter. “Really?”
“Yes.”
A flicker of worry passed her expression. “We’re not going to stay with your brother, are we? It will be a bit crowded.”
I cocked a brow her way. “You live with four other girls in your apartment every day.”
She grinned. “Exactly.” Then she returned her eyes to the city and the man-made beaches. “This place always looks so busy.”
