"No," he says, shaking his head. “I have other ideas. We need to do this right to make it believable.”
Of course, he's already thought this through, every meticulous detail.
"We stage the proposal. Tomorrow in Florence at sunset. At the Ponte Vecchio, perhaps. It's a romantic setting. Perfect for your brand and our message."
"You already planned this. You already picked out the location. The time. Everything. Before you even told me any of this."
He shrugs. "I always plan ahead for everything. You know that about me. Contingencies. Strategies. Every detail's considered. It's how I operate. It's how I survive. Or survived I should say until you came along and turned everything upside down."
I study him for a long second. The man who stole me, protected me and who last night touched me like a secret he didn't want to share. The man who admitted he's fighting hard not to want me. And now he wants to fake marry me to protect me.
A desperate, terrifying, yet utterly captivating act.
But when I look into his eyes, they say he'd do it for real.
They say everything he's fighting so hard to suppress.
Maybe that's enough.
Maybe it has to be enough for me.
For now, anyway.
"I need something first," I say.
"What?" he asks.
"If I'm going to sell a proposal this big," I begin. I take a slow step forward. "If I'm going to make the entire world believe I'm falling in love with you..." I take another step. Until I'm toe to toe with him. So, close our chests are almost touching, the air between us crackling with an undeniable electricity.
"I need to know what you're selling, Rafe," I whisper. "I need to know what's real. Underneath all the strategy. I need to know if last night meant something to you too."
And then I kiss him. Not fake. Not safe. My hand reaches up, cupping his jaw, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. My lips press against his, hard and hungry, a desperate demand for truth.
He stiffens for a fraction of a second. Then, his arms come around me, pulling me flush against him. His mouth responds to mine, hard and breathless and starving. He kisses me back with a desperate intensity that sends shivers through my entire body, a raw, untamed passion that consumes me.
And in that moment, in the fiery embrace of his kiss, I know. We've already crossed the line. The one he tried so desperately to maintain. And there's no going back. Not for either of us.
This isn’t just about survival anymore.
It’s about lines blurring.
And I’m terrified I won’t be able to tell what’s real until it’s too late.
CHAPTER 24
RAFE
Florence glows at golden hour, the late afternoon sun draping the city in soft light. A slight breeze moves through the alleys, carrying the scent of history and secrets.
It's both beautiful and deceptive.
I've killed men in cities like this. Watched their blood hit marble steps, stark and dark against elegant stone. I've closed deals while church bells chimed overhead and broken bones while lovers strolled past unseeing. I’ve built an empire in these cities while the world admired the picturesque view.
But not today.
Today, I'm proposing.
Or at least pretending to propose using the script I wrote. The one I forced Nikki to rehearse.
