Page 141 of Taming Seraphine

Seraphine wraps her arms around my middle and tucks her head beneath my chin. “I believe you,” she whispers. “You’re the hero I dreamed about in the dark.”

We hold each other in the middle of the kitchen for several minutes, our hearts beating in unison. I close my eyes, savoring Seraphine’s sweet warmth, and everything else fades into insignificance. She’s the only thing that matters.

I want to give Seraphine everything she never had: protection, love, and a future free from fear. I’ll erase all traces of Anton, help her find the last two men on her list, and hand her Samson Capello’s bound and twitching body so she can send him to hell in a hundred bloody pieces.

But first, I need to call Cesare, ask him what the fuck he did to Rosalind, and give him a heads up that a determined girl with the cops on speed dial is hunting down her missing sister.

FIFTY-FOUR

SERAPHINE

Leroi orders me to pack my things so we can move to the apartment directly below. He’s been paranoid since Rosalind’s sister visited and acted like she was going to call the police.

I could ask why he didn’t just tell that girl he last saw Rosalind at the club, but I’m too caught up by his admission.

He finds me captivating. Perfect. He wants to protect me with his life. My heart flutters a thousand times a second. It feels like I’m living in the epilogue of a fairy tale where the hero helps the damsel get revenge on all the villains.

Packing only takes a few minutes and before I know it, Leroi is escorting me to the apartment containing all the gym equipment. As I walk around the machines’ perimeter to move my things to the spare bedroom, he places a hand on my shoulder.

“Put your things in the master suite.”

Heat rises to my cheeks, hopeful that he wants me to sleep in his bed.

Strong arms wrap around my middle, and he pulls me into his chest. “I can’t bear the thought of you being in another room.” he growls in my ear. “From now on, you’re with me.”

“Alright,” I whisper, my breath coming in shallow pants.

With an arm around my shoulders, he guides me into a room identical to the one upstairs, with the same gray decor, king-sized bed, walk-in closet, and door that leads to a bathroom.

“Why do you have a replica bedroom?” I ask.

“It pays to take precautions. If that girl sends the police looking for me upstairs, they’ll find an unoccupied apartment. The firm also has properties in other locations across the state.”

“Do you think she will?”

Leroi walks to the window, lowers himself on a brown leather sofa, and pulls me down onto his lap. “That all depends on if Rosalind is still with my cousin.”

I nod, remembering Leroi talking to some dark-haired men at the club who looked a little similar. He pulls out his phone and sends a text to a man in his contacts called Cesare.

The first one Leroi sends says:

What’s going on with Rosalind?

Three dots appear immediately, but we wait several seconds for Cesare to reply.

You knew and didn’t say???

WTAF?

My brows crease. “What are you talking about?”

He chuckles. “It’s our shorthand.”

Leroi places soft kisses on my neck, distracting me from his phone. Each press of his lips sends tingles across my skin, and I squirm on his lap.

With a groan, Leroi wraps an arm around my waist and traces his fingers over the skin above the waistband of my shorts. I whimper, and he smiles against my neck.

He brushes his hand between my legs, and fire rushes through my skin.

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