Page 93 of King of Greed

“If you need me, I’m here,” I said quietly. The longer he stayed on the phone, the greater his risk of exposure. “Take care of yourself.”

A catch in his breath, then…nothing. He’d hung up.

“Everything okay?” Alessandra asked drowsily when I returned to the bedroom. She was a light sleeper, and the sound of the door closing must’ve awakened her.

“Yes.” I climbed into bed and brushed my mouth over her forehead. Roman had risked his life by reaching out, but he made sure I knew he was okay. Perhaps I was doing him a disservice by underestimating him. He was a survivor; we both were. “Everything’s perfect.”

CHAPTER 44

Alessandra

Three months later

“ARE YOU SURE YOU’LL BE ALL RIGHT?”

“Yes.Go.” Jenny waved me off. “It’s your birthday. Have fun! I promise I won’t burn the store down.”

“That’s not funny after the iron mishap.”

Guilt suffused her face. “That was one mistake, okay? I learned my lesson. Now go spend the day with your hot boyfriend or the next iron incident won’t be a ‘mishap.’”

“Fine. Twist my arm. Leave it to me to hire someone who threatens their own boss,” I muttered good-naturedly on my way out.

Jenny had been one of my virtual assistants before she moved to the city to be closer to her family. Hiring her to help me run the shop had been a no-brainer.

Despite my reluctance to leave her on her own at the start of graduation season—pressed flowers were a surprisingly popular graduation gift—my misgivings melted at the sight of Dominic waiting for me on the curb.

He leaned with his back against his car, looking like he’d stepped off the cover ofGQin jeans and a slate gray button-down with the sleeves rolled up. Sunglasses hid his eyes, but his slow smile warmed every inch of my body.

“Look at you. Feeling fancy now that you’re a bank owner, huh?” I teased. He rarely drove his Porsche in the city, but seeing him in front of, next to, or behind the wheel did unholy things to my libido.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” His rough drawl sent a breathless shiver from my head down to my toes.

As of yesterday, Dominic—or rather, Dominic’s company—was officially the new owner of Sunfolk Bank. The institution that’d been responsible for so much of its competitors’ turmoil had landed in hot water itself the past three months. The leaked contract had only been the tip of the iceberg; after his arrest and detention, the CEO had been found dead in his cell due to an “undisclosed incident.” Everyone suspected foul play, but no one could confirm anything.

Since then, Sunfolk had burned throughtwoCEOs and multiple board resignations before Dominic stepped in. He gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse, they accepted, and he cemented himself in corporate history.

He was still worried about his brother and paranoid about Roman’s former employer coming after us, but we hadn’t run into any trouble yet. I think Dominic realized he couldn’t spend his life looking over his shoulder, so he’d calmed down on the constant check-ins and insisting we visit secure locations only.

I followed him around to the passenger side and slid into the seat after he opened the door. “So, Mr. Davenport, what do you have planned?” I arched a playful brow. “I expect nothing but the best after the way you hyped today up.”

My birthday fell on a Wednesday this year, and Dominic hadinsisted on us taking the day off work so we could “celebrate big.”

He grinned. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, would it?”

He slipped his hand over mine and held it on the center console as we wound our way through the city. I glanced at his profile, my heart embarrassingly full.

I didn’t care where we went. I was just happy spending the day with him.

Dominic and I were officially dating, which felt strange to say when we’d once been married, but neither of us wanted to rush back into marriage without ironing out our issues. And truth be told, dating wasfun.No complications, no pressure, just simple enjoyment of each other’s company.

I suppose it was easier when you knew the other person was the love of your life, but regardless, I wanted to savor every step of relationship 2.0.

Half an hour later, we arrived at Teterboro Airport, where his jet waited for us on the tarmac.

Curiosity sparked. “Are we going to Brazil again?” My brother would be thrilled. We’d visited him last month to celebrate his promotion at the restaurant, and I thought he’d been happier about our rekindled relationship than his own career advancement.

A mischievous glint passed through his eyes. “No. It’s a little closer to home.”

---