The bathroom door opened and Dez entered, already stripping off his clothes.
"Room for one more?" he asked.
I shifted forward and he slid in behind me, pulling me back against his chest. His arms wrapped around me and I let myself relax into his warmth.
"What did you find out?" I asked quietly.
"Vincent's lawyer is good. Got him released on a million-dollar bond, posted by a Vitale family account." His hands moved slowly over my arms, soothing. "But he's required to wear an ankle monitor and can't leave the county. He's being tracked."
"So we know where he is."
"Always." His lips brushed my temple. "He can't run. Can't hide. Can't make a move without us knowing."
"And then what?"
"Then I handle it." His arms tightened. "I told you, sweetheart. He's never going to threaten you again. I meant it."
I turned in his arms, water sloshing, until I could see his face.
"I need to know something," I said. "When you say 'handle it'—are you talking about legal consequences? Or something else?"
He didn't look away. Didn't pretend to misunderstand.
"That depends on him," Dez said quietly. "If he takes the prison time, accepts his fate, leaves you alone, then legal consequences are enough. But if he keeps pushing, keeps threatening, keeps trying to hurt you…" He tilted his head, but didn’t say anything. The implication was enough.
"Then it becomes something else."
"Yes."
I should have been horrified. Should have pulled away, should have demanded he promise not to do anything that would haunt him. But I wasn't. And I didn't. Because Vincent had planted bombs. Had tried to kill me twice in one day. Had spent months terrorizing me while I struggled alone. He’d thought that it was okay to kill me. Why was he exempt from the same terror?
"Okay," I said. "Whatever you need to do. Whatever keeps us safe." I kissed him softly. "I trust your judgment."
"Angelina—"
"I mean it." I cupped his face. "I'm not naïve, Dez. I know what your family does. I know the world I live in now. And I know that sometimes legal consequences aren't enough to stop someone who's desperate and dangerous."
"You might feel differently when it's done."
"I won't." I was surprised by how certain I felt. "Because you're doing it to protect me. To protect us. And I'll never fault you for that."
He kissed me then, deep and claiming, and I felt the tension in his body start to ease.
"I love you," he murmured against my lips. "So goddamn much."
"I love you too." I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Now can we please just forget about Vincent for a few hours and focus on the fact that we're supposed to be on our honeymoon?"
He smiled, that wicked smile that never failed to make my stomach flip. "Say less."
His hands slid down my body, relearning curves he'd worshipped not long ago in Santorini. Though it felt like a lifetime ago.
"We're going back," he said, his fingers finding sensitive places that made me gasp. "To Greece. Once this is handled, once you're safe, we're finishing our honeymoon properly."
"Promise?"
"Promise." He lifted me easily, and lowered me slowly onto his erection. "But for tonight?—"
"For tonight we're here," I finished, moaning as he filled me. "Together. Safe."
