Page 84 of His Deadly Lies

“Not as well as you think you do.” I’m arguing for nothing.

I want him to know me. Except there’s no way we can possibly be as close as my mind says we are now. Not when we’ve only started fucking. Not when there has been nothing intentional about this beast between us.

“Would it be so wrong to want something that doesn’t fall in line with the direction of my family's vision?” I wonder out loud, intrigued by what Carter’s answer will be.

He shoots me a sidelong glance. “You’re asking me?”

“You’re the only other person in the car with me.”

“I…don’t think it’s wrong,” he says hesitantly.

And Papa? What would he think if I told him to shove his proposal up his ass? That a part of me wanted to run off with my bodyguard and damn the entire operation just to be with Carter?

Yeah, that wouldn’t blow over well.

“It’s unnatural for me to even consider going against the wishes of my father. It seems antiquated when I say it out loud, but it’s true. He’s the decision maker, and he’s planned the entire trajectory of his life and mine.” The gun is hefty at my side, the knife blade too warm even with fabric.

“Your sisters don’t carry the same weight of responsibility that you do,” Carter replies.

“No, they don’t.” It’s another fact.

“So what do you want, Princess Mia?” He’s looking at me again.

We pull off the highway leading the line of cars toward the warehouse. The setting sun casts shadows through trees and buildings, slats of gold and peach and gray.

Do I really need to spell it out for the man?

“I’ve never seen you be intentionally obtuse,” I object.

His smile is a thin sharp line. “Humor me.”

It’s probably nothing. Probably just a surge of chemicals reacting to being intimate with a man for the first time in my life. Why do I want it to be more? Why does it need to be more?

Why do I want this connection I feel to be everything for both of us?

I’m not sure what to say, but I reach out across the middle console separating us, and I link my hand with his, our fingers fitting together perfectly when he turns his palm up to me. I’ve never felt this way about another person before, and a part of me hopes to God it isn’t just because I’ve never been with a man. That sort of thing can seriously fuck up a woman’s radar, I think.

But I’ve been around men. All of my life, I’ve watched them and watched my sister’s date. I’ve even been on several dates myself but no serious boyfriends.

Would it be so unheard of to slip into something serious with the first man that I’ve slept with?

The ludicrous part of it is expecting him to feel the same for me.

Carter pulls up in front of the warehouse, and the rest of the cadre of cars files in behind us.

“Are you ready?” he asks, lifting my hand to his lips and kissing my knuckles.

I never answered him.

Carter breaks away, checking his guns to make sure the safety is off before he hands one off to me. “This is a powerful piece of machinery, and I’ve got enough clips to take down an army.”

“I’ve had my hands on better.” I glance down at his crotch and leave no room to misinterpret my meaning.

His brows furrow down in a clear gesture telling me to hold my tongue.

We’re a short walk away from the warehouse, and even from this vantage point, I see cars, the gray sedan among them, gathered near the back door of the place. Rafel’s intel was spot on again.

And I’m willing to bet the inside of the place looks a little fuller than it did when we arrived yesterday. Judging from the trucks…I’ll find our stock inside.

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