Looking over at snoring Franco, I grinned. “I’m not concerned about my own wellbeing, but I agree he’s a bit of a mess. Best to have someone who can knock him out if he gets out of hand.”
Tess clamped her lips together. “They really hurt him. Just like they hurt you.” Her focus turned inward, no doubt remembering the rush to find me and the mess I’d been in when they did.
My heart squeezed as shadows cast over her face. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that, esclave.”
Her eyes flickered to mine. “Sorry? What on earth do you have to be sorry about?”
I sucked in a breath. Not prepared to tell her just how much I had to apologise for. I’d been completely reckless. Idiotic. “I should’ve had more security. I knew they would come eventually.”
She sucked in a breath. “I want to ask one question, then I’ll never mention it again.” Her face turned hard. “Will you answer it?”
My temper intertwined with the morphine in my blood, making me wary. She knows.
Goddammit, I wasn’t ready for this. “What is it?”
“You knew something like this would happen. I know why you went with them—to protect me. But, Q, you’re a billionaire. You should never have been in harm’s way. You were reckless. Travelling with only one guard. You made it look like you were protecting yourself with fake names and guns but really—you let them take you—didn’t you?”
Shit. How did I ever think I would get away with it? The way she’d watched me at the restaurant—her hesitation when we first arrived in Rome. She’d fed off my awareness—searching for the men I knew were stalking me.
My eyes narrowed. “You want the truth?”
She nodded.
“Fine. Yes, I made it easy for them.”
“Why?”
“To use them as an example.”
Franco stirred before falling back into sleep. “I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life, Tess. Messed with a lot of men who are just as rich as me and have the means to hunt and kill without ever being seen. It was the choice I made in order to avoid dying one afternoon by a sniper rifle and never returning home to you.”
“But you could’ve brought more security. You could’ve—”
“No, Tess. It wouldn’t have worked. They would’ve found a way, and I refused to run that risk. What if they’d killed you by mistake? What if they came after you again? This was the logical way—even Franco agreed with me.”
“Agreed with you on what?”
I sighed heavily. “I had to look weak to appear strong.”
Tess frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”
I shifted against the pillows, already feeling stronger. I was calm—for the first time since the press aired my dirty secrets. “Not only did I remove Red Wolverine’s operation, but you and Franco took out Lynx. Two major players who others respect. What do you think other traffickers will do? Now, I’ve proven twice as hard to kill?”
Tess shook her head. “I know what you’re going to say, but how can you be sure?”
“I can’t.”
Tess fell silent before murmuring, “You think they’ll keep their distance?”
That’s what I f**king hope. “I aim to use Lynx as an example. He came for me. He hurt me. But he died for it. And not only did I exterminate his team, steal his women, and disband his business, but I have the law on my side. No one will put me in prison for killing them. No one will make me stand trial for saving women.” My body heated with the knowledge I’d built a protection detail better than mere men. I’d bought word of mouth respect and a reputation for invincibility. I’d done everything in my power to ensure I lived a long f**king life. “They won’t try again—not for a while.”
Tess suddenly stood. Her eyes glittered as she tore off her jeans and sweater. The smear of blood still marked her cheek—her trophy from battle. Her stomach muscles danced, slinking from her clothes.
My mouth went dry, staring at her body. She only wore knickers—no bra—the blush from the candle wax faint on her br**sts. “You’re impossibly stunning, esclave.”
My c**k swelled, filling with desire for the woman who’d saved my life. She truly owned me. It was undeniable now.
I wrenched back the covers, inching over for her slim body to fit against mine on the small hospital bed. The moment her delicate form pressed against me, I breathed heavily. “Don’t hate me for accepting pain. It was an insurance policy.”
“To protect me.”
I kissed the top of her head, wincing a little at the ache in my chest. “To protect you.”
“You don’t have to protect me anymore,” she murmured.
I smiled, relaxing against her warmth. “Tess, I will protect you till my last breath on this earth—and even longer if I can. You’re mine. You should expect nothing less.”
Tess’s frame shivered as tears dampened my chest. “You almost left me, Q. I hated you for leaving.”
I held her tighter, letting her release everything she’d lived through. “But I didn’t leave. I found a way to be with you. You found me in time.”
Her voice was watery with sadness. “I never want to feel that way again. Promise me.”
Rocking her, I let her cry. “I promise, esclave. I promise to never leave or keep things from you again. Je suis à toi.”
Franco had told me briefly about the arrest. About what she’d gone through. I wanted to smash the cop’s face in for detaining my woman, but that would have to wait. Right now I would be the sponge to soak up Tess’s tears, and tomorrow I would stand by her side. We would speak the binding words of eternal vows.
Tomorrow all of this wouldn’t matter.
Tomorrow the future was ours.
Stepping into the solid wall of heat deleted our sorrows, giving us happiness instead.
The air-conditioned flight had taken us away from Spain, the hospital—away from what Lynx had done.
Seychelles at midnight was almost mystical in its paradise. The airport twinkled with lights, creating a buzz of anticipation while a welcoming blanket of relaxation descended. All my angst and stress from the past few weeks melted away, leaving me weightless for once.
This was the place I would marry Tess. The place where true happiness began.
The ten hour flight had given us time to rest, but the trade-off for sleep was stiffness. No matter how I forced my body to move, it’d lost the smooth power, replacing it with jerky tiptoes. The stitches in my legs tugged uncomfortably, the tenderness in my thigh throbbed, but nothing would stop me from being here—or marrying Tess tomorrow.