I burst through the front door and run to the living room, hoping Jaylin is somehow still curled up on the couch. Maybe she passed out after her orgasms and slept so hard she didn’t notice I was gone?
Wishful thinking, I know. My heart sinks when I enter the room and see she’s not there. I run my fingers through my hair, tugging the strands and trying to get my breathing under control.
My next idea is to check her room, but before I reach it, I spot the object of my obsession sitting at the massive dining room table.Thank fuck.
The relief is short-lived when I see her new wardrobe neatly folded in the shopping bags they originally came in. Jaylin is fully dressed, her shoes and coat on the seat next to her, so she can leave as soon as we’ve had this discussion. A sad but determined look pours from her golden brown eyes.
I approach her as if she’s a scared animal, not wanting to spook her into running away. My chest nearly caves in when her eyes glisten with unshed tears, but she blinks them away and schools her face.
“Renzo,” she greets in a cold and professional tone.
Jaylin stands and faces me, the light drained from her normally radiant eyes. I did that to her. Fuck, it hurts worse than a bullet tearing through flesh. I would know.
“I’m sorry–”
“It’s clear I’m not wanted here,” she says, cutting me off. “The rest of the money showed up in my account earlier today, so I took that as my sign to move on.”
Her voice trembles slightly, breaking me out of my frozen position. She’s trying to be strong, but I know she’s one breath away from falling apart. I can feel her heart breaking, and I hate myself for making her doubt what we have.
I storm toward her, more determined than ever to make this woman mine for good. Much like the first night we met, I lean down and throw Jaylin over my shoulder. She gasps in surprise as I carry my prize through the house and into my bedroom.
Tossing Jaylin down on the bed, I crawl on top of her and cage her in with a hand on either side of her head. Her jaw is clenched, her brows furrowed in frustration and confusion.
“I want you here,” I tell her, my gaze locking with hers. She wants to believe me, but I’ve given her plenty of reasons to doubt my words. “It was not my intention to leave yesterday. A situation came up that needed my immediate attention, and it turned into an overnight stakeout.”
“That would have been nice to know,” she whispers.
“I know. I’m sorry. I realized I didn’t have your number, and things were happening so quickly, I…”
“I get it. Work comes first.”
“No,” I snarl, making her eyes widen slightly. I take a deep breath and push back the possessiveness coursing through my veins. “It used to come first. But now I have something more important.Someonemore important.”
“Forgive me if I don’t exactly believe you,” she counters with a surprising amount of force. “I was humiliated when I heard the front door open and close. I got up to look out the window, but you were already at the gate. I thought…”
“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” I say again. I hate the thought of Jaylin staring out the window, thinking I ran away from her onpurpose. “I know my words are empty right now, but I’ll make it up to you. God, please let me make it up to you.”
Golden brown eyes search mine, peering right down into my blackened soul. I may be a filthy, feared mafia boss in the criminal underworld, but for Jaylin, I’ll be whatever she needs. Her partner, her biggest support, the one she can turn to and rely on.
She reaches out a tentative hand and cups the side of my face. I close my eyes and lean into her touch, nuzzling against her hand. Tears gather in her gorgeous eyes, and I lean down, pressing my lips against her cheeks as the first one falls.
“I’m so sorry,” I murmur as I continue kissing away her tears. “I’ve never been in a relationship and I’ve never had to balance work with anything else. But I’ll do better. We’ll talk about everything from now on. You’re going to get sick of me.”
She shakes her head no, a small smile fighting through the anguish. “I will never get sick of you, Renzo.” Her soft-spoken words are the first stitch in my otherwise shattered heart. I didn't think I had one, but Jaylin is showing me a different side of myself. “I’m just… I’m confused. What am I doing here? Who am I to you?”
Taking a deep breath, I roll onto my side, taking Jaylin with me so we’re face to face on the bed. “You’re the only light illuminating my dark world,” I tell her as I tuck a few strands of her dark hair behind her ear. “You’re my greatest treasure, and also my greatest weakness. I’d put everything on the line for you; my career, my connections, my wealth… It all means nothing without you.”
“You really mean that,” she says more to herself than to me.
I nod and press a kiss to her forehead, loving the fact that she lets me. “I confessed something to you; now it’s your turn.”
“Making demands already, are we?” The playful spark in her eyes heals me in more ways than one. She’s going to give me another chance. I won’t fuck it up this time.
“You like it,” I purr, rubbing my nose against hers. “But this is important. I need to know why you put yourself up for auction. Surely, your father has more than enough money to take care of you.”
Jaylin blows out a breath and then nibbles her bottom lip. “I don’t want his money or the strings attached to it,” she finally says. “You don’t understand what it was like growing up with my parents.” She gets a faraway look in her eyes as painful memories replay in her mind. “I was a disappointment from the day I was born. Literally. They wanted a boy, someone my dad could pass the family wealth and legacy down to. It never crossed my father’s mind that I’m fully capable of doing whatever a son would have done, but the older I got, the less I wanted anything to do with him.”
“Sweet girl,” I murmur, stroking my fingers up and down her arm. “I had no idea.”
