How many times had he threatened to kill her father?
A gasp escaped her before she could catch it. “You were serious.”
He arched one pale brow and hummed, the sound vibrating up his chest. “Probably, but you’ll need to be more specific, beautiful.”
She licked her lips. Was she angry at the notion? Scared? What was the feeling suddenly coursing through her? “When you said you wanted to kill my father….”
The trace of amusement vanished from his face, his blue eyes hardening. “Yes, Reiko. On thatespecially, I was very serious. He doesn’t get to walk away and live fucking carefree after everything he’s put you through.”
Her heart beat faster. She’d never considered herself an advocate of violence, but this felt … heavier. What he was offering was so much more than mere violence. She clutched the hand he’d kept between hers with a desperation she couldn’t define. “Is it really worth it? AmIreally worth it?”
His eyes narrowed. “Reiko—”
“What if I have to leave? What if I have to move away because I can’t find work close by?” Why was that what she was worrying about? Surely there were more important things. “What if I— What if I learn something you don’t want me to learn, or you get tired of me, or I can’t be the perfect, quiet housewife and I ask too many questions?” He had said he didn’t want her to know things. And if her sudden case of runaway-mouth was any indication, she suspected she’d struggle with that eventually.
Santino huffed out a breath and silenced her rambling with a firm, deep kiss. He swept his tongue through her mouth, kissed her like he was devouring her, then finally let the kiss soften until they separated. He somehow had both her hands pressed flat to his chest by then, his singular one locked behind them. “The only place you’re moving is out of that apartment and into this house with me,” he said roughly. “Employment is optional. We’ll be married soon, anyway. And any job you do choose to take, I need to ask you to let me vet first. I won’t play games with your safety.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to the spot between her eyebrows. “I won’t get tired of you.” He pulled back again, enough to meet her gaze. “Ask me any questions you need, anytime. I said I wouldprefernot to tell you details, not that I’d refuse. If you would feel better aboutusby moving forward with both eyes wide-open as to the shit in my life, I’ll give you that. But you should know, before you ask for it, that some of it’s pretty ugly. That’s all I was trying to spare you from.”
“So”—her fingers curled against his skin—“we wouldn’t have mountains of secrets between us? I’d be allowed a voice?”
“Nosecrets,” he said on a growl. “And anyone tries to silence you, I’ll slit his goddamn throat.”
There were undoubtedly other things that mattered. In the back of her mind, Reiko knew she would think of more questions. Just as she was sure most women would be running for the hills at the next available opportunity. But she couldn’t bring herself to care.
For the first time ever in her life, someone was treating her as if she had value.
Her smile came far too easy. “I don’t actually remember agreeing to marry you.”
He matched her smile with that grin he wore so well. “I believe I mentioned you wearing my ring.” He leaned forward and his voice dropped to a low, blood-singeing timbre. “Signing my name.”
She angled her head upward, the raised chin position that usually represented defiance this time bringing her just a bit closer. “I never said ‘yes’.”
His lips brushed against hers, just a whisper of contact. “You never said ‘no’.”
“We barely know each other.”
His thumb stroked along the back of her head. “It’ll take at least a couple of months to pull together your dream wedding. We’ll be experts in each other by then.”
A small, short-lived giggle bubbled up from somewhere in her chest. “You’re ridiculous.”
He groaned and swept his tongue across her lips. “I need more of that,” he said. “Laugh for me. Every day. I need that sound every day.”
She flushed even as a self-conscious, compulsory laugh slipped free. “I can’t exactly do that with your tongue down my throat.” Not that she was complaining. Why was he not kissing her already?
“I’m happy to put my tongue other places.” As if to prove his point, he used the hand in her hair to tug her head back and swept his tongue over her skin from the underside of her jaw down to the hollow of her throat.
The next burst of laughter his response had earned melted into a moan.
He’d released her hands, freeing himself to hold her better and allowing her the freedom to touch him in return, and his wandering lips had just grazed the top swell of a breast when someone pounded firmly on the door.
Reiko tensed immediately. She wasn’t in denial about what his staff surely assumed they were doing in there. Suddenly she was, however, painfully aware that she would be seeing much more of his staff and she had made quite a horrendous impression.
Santino stiffened for a moment, something like a growl vibrating through him, before he straightened them both to an upright position and tucked her flush against his side. He turned his head toward the door as it cracked open.
“Apologies, Boss.” The voice belonged to Armando. “Corinna is on the phone for you.”
Santino grunted. “Is there a problem?”
Corinna?Reiko was sure that was a woman’s name. But she also realized this was a perfect testament to her point that they hardly knew each other. It was also an excellent douse of cold water to her stupidly overheated, distracted blood.
