“Yes,” he says. “And I am in love, so here we are.”
I can’t help feeling shocked. I look at him, trying to see if I can suss out a lie in his words.
“That’s…not possible,” I say, even though a small, absurd part of me wants it to be true.
“No,” he agrees. “It shouldn’t be possible. Our relationship has been unconventional, to put it mildly. We didn’t just have raw animal heat chemistry; we also connected. We talked. You made me want something different. And when I found you in that bed, in my room by sheer accident?—”
“You threatened to use me as leverage.”
“I did. But it wasn’t just strategy, it was personal. Every time a man looked at you, touched you, I wanted to kill them. I wanted you only for me.”
“Possession is not love,” I say, and a lump forms in my throat.
“Ana,” he says. “Please. I understand that I am not perfect. I am not good. We have a great deal to learn about each other. But Iwill notlose you.”
“That’s…” I sigh, wiping away tears. Crying is making my head hurt. “You said you made a deal and that I might feel trapped. What did you mean?”
His jaw flexes. He starts to speak, then clamps his mouth shut.
My suspicion spikes. “Nik,” I push, my voice sharper now.
“They know,” he says finally, “They know you were planning to run. Your brother exposed it. Your father was… disappointed. He believes in you as his successor, as his future. He wanted you to take his place.”
“And?” My stomach knots.
“And he was worried,” Nik says, “worried about us. About how we met. I explained the truth to him. That neither of us knew the other’s identity until the Commission. I told him I love you, Ana. That I want nothing more than to protect you. And he… he wants you here. Running the business. He wants you safe.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “And?”
“He and Lars have agreed to merge Chicago operations. You’ll run the Campisi organization. My sister Misha will run the Chicago side.”
“And you?”
He meets my gaze without flinching. “I’ll serve as your second. And your husband.”
I swear my heart drops straight through the floor. “My… husband?”
“Yes.”
My pulse spikes so fast it sets off the monitor again. The nurse bustles in, scolding Nik to stop getting me worked up. He mutters an apology, calls her “Ma’am,” and probably sets her panties on fire with that disheveled bad-boy look.
“And… how do you feel about that?” I manage, trying to keep my voice calm for both the monitor and myself. “You told me marriage wasn’t on your radar.”
“I know. It wasn’t. Not until I thought I might lose you.”
“Do you want this?”
“I want you.”
“But you’d be giving up?—”
“I give up nothing,” he cuts in. “I want this. But it does trap you in a life you didn’t choose, and I won’t be one more person trying to control you. If you want out, I’ll help you disappear. I’ll help you leave. I won’t follow.”
I put my hand to my mouth, as if to stop myself from speaking or crying or who knows what. He would help me leave.
He would help me disappear.
I could go.
