Laughing weakly, she dipped her finger in his cleft chin.“We should get married before anyone finds us.Once we show my father and Rubén our marriage certificate, they’ll have to accept it.I don’t think Rubén will be a problem—he was always kind to me when I was married to his brother—but Papá might seek revenge.”
“Anything is possible.It’s about time you come around to my way of thinking about our wedding.The sooner we do it, the better.I already have the license at the cabin, along with all the paperwork I need to tie the knot.The license, however, is for the state of Sonora, so we’ll have to cross the border and find the nearest civil registry office.”
“Doing it quick and dirty issoromantic,” she drawled, then winked at him.“I don’t care how we do it, though I would rather we not have an elaborate church wedding where I’m the center of attention.I want the ceremony to be small.Intimate.Just for us.My paperwork is in my purse.Thank God I insisted I’d hold on to it instead of letting my father have it.”
“You’re telling me.I’d planned to bribe whoever I had to for them to marry us since I didn’t expect to get your paperwork.I was relieved as fuck to find it when I took out your phone.”
“When you kidnapped me.”She punched him lightly on the arm.
Relief swept through him.At least she could joke about it now.“Twenty-four hours ago, you hated me.”
“I never hated you.I was angry, sure.You had no right to do what you did, but I get why you did it.Now, I’m all in.”She grasped his hand.“I want a marriage where my husband trusts me, respects me, and lets me into his life with no barriers between us.Will you give me that?”
“You have my trust and respect, but Lourdes, I cannot tell you everything.My life and job are dangerous.If you knew too much and talked to the wrong person, I could be dead, or something could go wrong.You need plausible deniability.”
Her breath hitched.A flash of pain filled her eyes, then vanished behind a cool shield.
Carajo.Enrique turned her hand over so he could twine his fingers with hers.“If the federales or police ever come after us, you need to be able to say that you do not know anything.That’s the only way you’ll be able to pass a polygraph test.”
“I’ve lived under the threat of federal persecution and backstabbing criminals my whole life.I never knew much about the darker parts of Papá’s business, and I never wanted to.Jacobo never told me anything, either.With you, things must be different.We must be equals.”
“Not in this.Keeping you in the dark about certain parts of my life is the price we must pay for our safety.I don’t want you to look at me and see a monster.”
She shook her head.“I see a survivor.A protector.”
“Lourdes, try to understand this from my point of view.”
“I do understand.That doesn’t mean I like or accept it.”She sighed and withdrew from his hold.Her lips crinkled on one side.“It’s fine.Everything is new right now.In a couple of months, you might feel differently once you realize you can trust me to keep quiet.That I can handle knowing about the illegal things you do.”
His throat constricted.Illegal things?That was putting it mildly.If she knew he’d washed his hands in rivers of crimson more than once, she would never look at him the same again.No fucking way would he change his mind on this.As his wife, she would be a target for anyone who dared to cross him.He had to protect her at all costs.
He kissed her before he unfastened her jeans and slid them down her body.
“What are you doing?”She grinned as he pulled off her shoes and pants.
“Making love to you.”Distracting you from this conversation,he bit back.“We’ll get married tomorrow and head to Hermosillo.Once things settle down, let’s return here for our honeymoon.It’s no Bermuda—”
“That sounds perfect.Now, kiss me.”
