Page 192 of The Billionaire's Secret
"I love it when you call me that."
I allow my lips to curl, "Thought you hated my nickname for you."
"I lied," she whispers.
"I know," I lower my head, until our eyelashes tangle.
"I’m sorry," her lips tremble and a tear slides down her cheek. I bend down and lick it up. A sob catches in her throat.
I place my forehead against hers, "Don’t cry, Gigi." I swallow down the lump that blocks my throat. Fuck, what is it about this woman that guts me so completely?
"Didn’t mean to," her chin wobbles.
"I’d fucking slay anything that causes you misery. I’ll drown out the entire fucking world, set fire to the monsters that lurk in the dark around you. I… I’ll rip open my chest and show you what it means to be near you."
"Would you accept this child as yours?"
My eyes fly open. "I’ll never shirk my responsibilities when it came to the two of you."
"That’s not what I asked."
I step back, reach above her to pull out the antiseptic and cotton wads. "It’s all I can give you right now."
"It won’t be enough."
"Can we take this one day at a time? I am trying Victoria, I promise I am." I place the medicines on the counter next to her, then reach for her shirt. This time she allows me to undo the buttons, help her out of the shirt.
I take in the mark on her shoulder. A growl rips out of me, "Fuck." I reach out to touch the fading scar. She flinches.
"Does it hurt?"
"Not anymore."
"Fuck, this was my fault."
"Stop trying to take responsibility for everything." She squares her shoulders. "I am the one who played ball with the Mafia… Things were bound to get a little crazy. I mean, it’s not like they’d have let me walk away without paying a price."
I grit my teeth so hard, my jaw hurts. "I’ll ensure they never get to you again."
"I know." She smiles a little, "I always knew you would be my knight in shining armor."
"More like the villain."
"I have a thing for bad guys."
"I noticed." I chuckle, "So long as it’s me you’re talking about and not that bastard..."
"You really don’t have to worry about Antonio."
"How can you be so confident?"
"Nina, the woman in the video?"
I nod.
"He…has a thing for her. It’s the only reason I agreed to take on this entire mission, knowing he’d never let anything happen to her. It’s why he’ll take the evidence I gave him to the Mafia and ensure that they stick to their word."
"I hate it," I growl. "No way, am I going to put your future in the hands of that motherfucker, I am going to track him down and when I do—"
