Page 61 of Raphael (Belles & Mobsters 5)

“No, Reina,” I assured her. “It’s a French Bulldog. They are small.”

“Oh.” Her eyes remained glued to him, as if she was scared, he’d disappear if she blinked.

“What are you going to name him?” I asked her.

Her head swished up, her eyes darting between me and Diego. “Me?”

I chuckled. “Yes, you. It’s your dog now.”

Her eyeballs almost popped out of her sockets. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” Her bottom lip quivered, but she got herself together quickly. Her reaction amused me to no end. A badass reporter willing to take down the cartel got all mushy about a little puppy. “Are you going to name him?” I asked.

The puppy was getting more and more comfortable with Sailor, his tail wagging wildly. Gently, she scooped him up, then stood up from her seat and set him on the floor. She lowered down on her knees. I wasn’t sure that I liked that she forgot about me so easily, but fuck it. She seemed happy.

I nodded at Diego and he made himself scarce.

“I don’t know,” she murmured. “Maybe Gabriel and I can come up with a name together.”

A tear rolled down her face and I came down to my haunches. “I thought a puppy would make you happy. Why are you sad?”

She shook her head, the glimmering depths of the ocean meeting me head on.

“I’m not sad,” she whispered

But ghosts lurked in her eyes and her lip quivered while she tried hard to steel her emotions. Our gazes locked, the pain in her shimmering depths slammed through me like a violent storm.

“I never had a dog before,” she admitted, lowering her eyes back to the puppy who already cuddled into her. “Anya and I dreamt of owning one together one day.”

“There's a first time for everything.” She nodded, her eyes still on the little puppy sniffing around. It was an odd kind of dog, but I didn’t think Sailor would warm up to a German Shepherd or a Husky. At least not as her first dog.

A soft chuckle. “Bruno?”

“Hmm?” I asked her, confused. I had no fucking idea who Bruno was. Better not be another man.

“Do you like Bruno for the puppy?” she asked, her hand scratching his ear as he pushed his small head against her, his eyes drooping.

“I like it.”

She grinned. “Me too. We’ll see if Gabriel likes it. If he does, then Bruno it is.”

With the puppy sound asleep, she tucked the blanket safely around him and rose to her feet, then sat back down at the table. And all the while, she kept smiling. Happy looked good on her.

“We have to come to terms about my proposition,” I said, keeping my eyes on her. She stiffened, but she didn’t look my way. Instead, her gaze focused on her own cup of coffee as she blew steam off of it.

“Why do I have a feeling it’s a trap?” she muttered and amusement filled me. The woman had good instincts. There was no need to prolong this shit so I went straight to it.

“I’ll keep you and your son safe. All you have to do is put my ring on your finger.”

Her eyes met my heavy stare. I could see a range of emotions pass those deep oceans - from disbelief to suspicion to resignation.

Okay, so that could have come out better. I should have practiced. It wasn’t every day you proposed to a woman. I knew Sailor would be a distraction of the worst kind. The kind of vice that would be hard to give up. Barely a day in my home and she had me firing my cook.

Yet, I knew nothing would stop me. The thought of not having her was somehow worse. Gabriel connected us and I’d be seeing her for the foreseeable future. She didn’t have a committed relationship, but eventually she would. Just the thought of it made me want to break every single man’s legs and hands, then cut their dicks off.

“You know proposals usually come with nice dinners and fancy rings,” she grumbled.

We stared at each other in thick silence, the evidence of her nervousness in the pale vein of her neck. She had the most delicate pale complexion and the urge to put my rough hands all over her rivaled the need to breathe.

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