Page 43 of Craving Danger

He lets out a soft chuckle. “I ownParadiso.”

Holy shit.

He is the boss.

I gape at him for a moment. “You’re the owner?”

He nods and chuckles at my surprised reaction.

“Okay…wow…” A frown forms on my forehead. “In that case, I have a complaint.”

“What?”

“Seriously, you could’ve chosen better masks.”

Laughter bursts from him. “Youreallyhate the balaclavas.”

“A lot.” Not wanting to insult him any further, I change the subject. “I’m sure you’re busy and don’t have time to spare. Why did you agree to meet with me?”

“I wanted to make sure nothing went wrong again.” He rests his forearms on his thighs and links his fingers. “It’s clear you’re dealing with something traumatic, and I want to help.”

“That’s really kind of you.”

He glances around my apartment, then asks, “What are your plans going forward? It will help if I know what to expect from future meetings.”

Hoping he’ll go along with everything, I reply, “After I manage to lie on the bed with you in the room for at least ten minutes, I’d like to try it with you lying beside me.”

Without even thinking about it, he agrees. “Okay. What then?”

“I’d like to try hugging you.”

He nods.

“That’s all I have for now.”

There’s a moment’s silence, then he asks, “You opened up a little to me earlier. Do you want to try telling me more about what happened?”

Instantly, my muscles tighten, and my anxiety spikes a little. “I don’t know about that. I don’t want to burden you with the details.”

“It won’t be a burden, Samantha. Maybe if you talk about it, it will help.”

“I haven’t told anyone.” I shake my head. “I don’t think I can.”

“As long as you know I’m here whenever you feel like talking.”

I give him a thankful smile. “I appreciate it very much.”

He checks the time on his wristwatch, then says, “It’s almost three-thirty. You better get some sleep.”

I let out a groan before chuckling. “My boss is going to kill me.”

“Hopefully, he doesn’t.” My mystery man gets up and walks to the window.

“Thank you for coming over,” I say as I rise to my feet.

“You’re welcome.”

When he disappears down the fire escape, I move closer and shut the window.

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