Page 261 of Vicious Temptation

“I’ve killed people.”

For several heartbeats, neither of us says a word, and I watch his face for the moment everything changes. I expect shock first, then fear or disgust as he realizes the woman beside him has taken lives.

None of it comes.

“Not because I wanted to.” I continue. “I’ve never enjoyed taking a life, but there have been times when it was them or someone I loved, and I made my choice.”

Thiago still hasn’t pulled away.

I search his face again, convinced I must be missing something, but nothing has changed since before I told him.

He doesn’t see me as dangerous or as some kind of monster. He still sees Remi, and I don’t know why that makes me want to cry harder than if he’d recoiled.

“There’s an entire network of people out there who deal in death, where blood is currency. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He takes a moment before answering. “Is that what you do?”

“No.”

“Your family?”

“Not anymore.”

Slipping out from under the blanket, I get to my feet, too nervous to care that I’m still naked. “I know what I’m asking of you by telling you this. You wear a badge, and I’m admitting I’ve killed people and that my family was once part of a world most don’t even know exists.” I turn back to him. “I’m trusting you with things that could destroy all of us if they fell into the wrong hands.”

Now that it’s all out there, I finally understand how much I’ve trusted him. Even with everything at stake, I don’t regret it.

“I couldn’t keep falling for you while hiding this part of myself. You deserve the truth, and if learning it changes what you want with me, I’ll understand.”

“Remi.” He gets out of bed and comes toward me before I can say anything else. His arms wrap around me, drawing me against his chest. “I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere, chama.”

Trying to believe it can really be that simple, I hold on to him. “Thiago.” I pull back just enough to see his face. “Do you mean that?”

He cups my cheeks. “Eu sou seu, meu amor. Enquanto você ainda me quiser.”

I’m yours, my love. For as long as you still want me.

My eyes fill again as I rise onto my toes to kiss him, but he slips an arm beneath my thighs and lifts me before I can reach his mouth.

A laugh escapes me through my tears.

He carries me back to bed and kisses me as he lowers us onto the mattress. When he pulls the blanket over us, I return to the place against his chest I never wanted to leave.

“I took an oath years ago, and every day, I try to be a better man. I want to be someone my father would be proud of.” His fingers glide gently through my hair. “I’m not perfect, Remi. I’ve made mistakes, and I’ll probably make more. But I’ve never been more certain of anything than I am of how I feel about you.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Whatever tomorrow brings, this is the truest thing I know.”

I’ve spent this entire conversation waiting for him to change his mind, but he hasn’t. He knows now. Maybe not every name or every ugly detail, but he knows enough to understand who I am and where I come from. He’s still holding me exactly as he was before.

I curl closer and listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat as his fingers move through my hair. “Sometimes, I think about it,” I whisper.

His fingertips brush my shoulder. “Think about what?”

I lift my head and rest my chin on his sternum so I can see him. “What my life could look like if I ever left all this behind.”

His touch slows.

“My mother grew up on a beautiful hacienda.”

“The one in the painting in your room?”