Page 64 of Unravelling The Hitman: A BWWM Romance

“Angel…”

“No, listen.” She bounced the dinosaur on the ground for Reid’s benefit. My son laughed. Angel seemed to loosen up a bit. “Instead of just taking care of Reid, let me take care of the house.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m not too proud to clean and cook. I can scrub toilets too.”

The thought of her scrubbing the toilet made me angry. “I’m not asking you to do that.”

“Why not?”

Because her slender hands should never have to work that hard. Because she was my Angel, pure, beautiful, and ethereal. But, I had a feeling expressing the truth would be ‘crossing the boundary’.

“Well?”

I cleared my throat. “What happens if I don’t agree?”

“I leave and, this time, I won’t come back.”

I frowned.

Her expression was firm. “Any other objections?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Good. I’m glad we agreed on that. Now to my second point—”

My lips twitched. “There’s more?”

“After we calculate the additional hours for cooking and cleaning, I’d like the balance of the salary to be a loan.”

“No.”

“It’s not fair that you want to pay me in advance. That’s not how things are done in business. This way, I can take your money and not feel pressured to, um, pay you back in other ways.”

“You still think my intentions are to hire a sex toy?”

She covered Reid’s ears and moved her eyes pointedly to him. “Hey.”

I sighed. “Whether you want a physical relationship or not doesn’t matter to me. I would never force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“I believe you.” She dropped her hands. “I trust you. I do. Even though this all feels shady and last night happened and…” Her eyes skittered away. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought you were that kind of person.”

My chest swelled. Pride surged through my veins. Her trust was a precious treasure that I would keep safe, that I would guard with every fiber of my being. Her arbitrary rules meant nothing to me, but if they kept Angel here, I’d have to find a way to work with them.

I wanted her on this island.

Needed her.

For two years, I’d lived isolated with my son. Since meeting Angel, since gazing into those fiery brown eyes, feelings I’d thought were long gone had started to thaw.

“Is there anything you need from the mainland? Clothes? Food? Feminine products? Make a list. I’ll send Miguel back to get them.”

Angel didn’t answer immediately. She accepted the maracas from Reid and played with them.

Her delicate throat bobbed as finally she spoke, “Thank you. I don’t know why you’re being this generous but, like you pointed out, it’s money I desperately need.” She lifted her chin and said firmly, “I’ll make sure I’m worth every penny.”

I nodded.

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