Page 40 of For the Love of Animals

“Costa Rica’s nicer at this time of year.”

“Great. Let’s go.”

“Sure. Tomorrow morning.”

“You can’t truly be thinking of going through with this?”

“Why not? I’m gonna marry you someday. Might as well do it now and make your grandma happy.”

“Back up. Back up! What are you talking about?”

Nate gave a lopsided shrug. “Remember the other day when you told me you sold a diamond bracelet to buy a gun?”

“Sort of. Yeah, I guess.”

“Well, that was the moment I realised I’d fallen in love with you, and my feelings aren’t going to change.”

“You what?”

“I fell in love with you.”

Holy hell, this was deep.

Nate loved me.

If I said “I do,” everything would change in the space of an afternoon. My world had already been tilted on its axis this week, but although Nate had blasted his way into my life like a fucking stormtrooper, he’d also challenged me. While I’d gotten angry when he’d tried to hold me back, knowing what I knew now, I could see he’d only done it because he cared. Plus, I’d learned from him. He hadn’t questioned my abilities the way my colleagues did.

And then there was the sex…

I pressed my legs together and forced myself to focus, because I absolutely shouldn’t be making this decision with my vagina. Could I really get married to a man I’d known for less than a month?

“You said something about a job for me before. What did you mean?”

“I part-own a security company, Blackwood, and it’s growing. We’ve got one woman at the top, and we could use another. I’d like to train you to work with me.”

“What would I have to do?”

“That’s up for negotiation, but ideally, some sniping plus the occasional contract like the one we just worked on.”

“You’d want me to continue as an assassin?”

“Yes.”

“Would I be able to turn down jobs if I didn’t agree with them?”

“Absolutely.”

That was more freedom than I had at the moment, plus I’d get Nate.

“Where would I live? With you?”

“That’s what husbands and wives tend to do.”

Husband and wife. Joder. I was twenty-three years old, and my longest relationship had lasted two months. “We barely know each other. I mean, don’t you have family you’d want to invite to a wedding?”

“No.”

“None?”

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