Page 32 of Daddy's Little Spy

“Absolutely not. I know how that went for me on my wedding day, and I’d hate for you to end yours the same way.” Amara’s nose wrinkled. “Or to have a repeat myself.”

“Did you get… you know?”

Throwing her head back, Amara’s loud, delighted laugh filled the room, and Diana felt herself relax. “It will never fail to amuse me that the badass cop with the balls to organize an entire sting operation all on her own can’t bring herself to ask about spankings. Yes, Diana, I got my ass good and blistered for sneaking out on my wedding day. I don’t think I’ve been able to sit comfortably since I met Emilio.”

Diana winced in sympathy. “I’m sorry. That sounds awful.”

Waving a hand dismissively, Amara drained her own glass of champagne. “Don’t worry about it. I knew what the risks were, but I did it anyway. My choices, my consequences to bear.”

“Benito said something similar to me, this morning. That I was here because of the choices I’d made.”

Amara guided her to the chair at the desk and a moment later she felt the familiar, comforting tug of a brush being run through her hair. “All of us made choices that led us here. Don’t for a second let him act like he didn’t deliberately set out to trap you.” A beat of silence, a pause in the pull of the bristles against her scalp before Amara continued. “I know this must be hard for you. And I’m not saying what we did was right, but Benny… I’ve never seen him act this way about a woman. He’s always been the protective type, but you bring out a side of him I don’t think even Emilio has seen before.”

There was an undeniable rush of excitement at Amara’s declaration, but Diana deliberately ignored it. “If he really cared for me, he wouldn’t force me to do this.”

“Everyone loves differently, Diana. But my point is, don’t discount the power that gives you. I’m not even sure he realizes it, yet, but he’d do anything to make you happy. If you play your cards right, you can have that man wrapped around your finger before the ink is dry on your marriage certificate.”

Diana picked up her glass again, holding it out for a refill. Sipping silently, she considered Amara’s words. She’d set out to expose corruption within the BPD. Somewhere along the way, she’d even convinced herself she might be able to bring the Rinaldi’s down from the inside. While marrying into the family had never been a part of the plan, maybe it was exactly what she needed to do. If she played the game, and played it well, she could have all the evidence she could ever dream of at her fingertips. Enough, maybe, to clear her own name and avoid prison.

And if it made her heart ache and her gut burn with regret, well, that was a small price to pay, wasn’t it? Sometimes doing the right thing required sacrifice. And it was the right thing. No matter how much good Amara claimed they’d done, they were still criminals. Putting them away was the best thing for everyone.

It seemed she’d made her decision, then. She was going to marry Benito Rinaldi.

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