Chapter 12
What the actual fuck was wrong with me?
carpet.
The cleanup crew worked in silence, efficiently removing all traces of the bloodbath. One of them even used a special vacuum on the Within fifteen minutes, you’d never know three people had died here. They nodded at me as they left, carrying their macabre packages.
I poured myself a generous glass of what looked like very expensive whiskey and downed half of it in one gulp. The burn in my throat felt real, grounding me in this bizarre reality.
Leonardo emerged from the bedroom looking refreshed and impeccable in clean black pants and an unbuttoned white shirt. His hair was still damp, and water droplets clung to his chest. He looked like sin personified.
“Better?” he asked, pouring himself a drink.
“You just killed three people,” I said flatly.
“They came here to kill me,” he countered. “Business disagreement. They chose violence; I simply responded in kind.”
And this is normal for you?”
“Not ideal, but occupational hazard.” He sat beside me, close enough that I could smell his body wash. “I understand if you want to back out of our arrangement. The money is still yours.”
I should run. Any sane person would. But something kept me rooted to the spot. Maybe it was a shock, Maybe it was morbid curiosity. Maybe it was the way his shirt hung open, revealing that perfect chest.
‘I don’t know what to do,” I admitted.
“What do
o you want to do? His voice dropped lower, intimate.
“I should be terrified of you.
“But you’re not. It wasn’t a question.
“I’m scared of what that says about me.”
Leonardo’s hand found mine, his thumb tracing circles on my palm. “It says you recognize power and aren’t afraid of it. That’s rare, Hannah. And Incredibly attractive.”
His touch sent electricity up my arm. Despite everything–the bodies, the blood, the revelation of who he really was–my body responded to him. Heat pooled between my legs, and my nipples hardened beneath my dress.
“This is insane,” I whispered.
“Life often is.” He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”
But I didn’t want him to stop. God help me; I wanted him more now, knowing how dangerous he was. What did that say about me? The sensible part of my brain screamed at me to run, to get as far away from this beautiful, deadly man as possible. But my body had other ideas.
“This is your last chance, Hannah,” Leonardo said, his voice low and dangerous. His fingers traced a path up my arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “Walk out that door now, and we forget this ever happened. The money is still yours. But if you stay… His eyes darkened. “If you stay, you’re mine. For everything that entails.”
I swallowed hard. “What exactly does that entail?”
His smile was predatory. “Pleasure beyond anything you’ve experienced. Protection from anyone who might harm you. And yes, occasional…. complications like tonight.”
“You mean dead bodies?”
*Occupational hazard.”
Chapter 12
I should have been running for the door. Instead, I leaned closer to him, drawn like a moth to a flame that would surely burn me.
“I’m not running,” I whispered.
Leonardo’s hand moved to my face, cupping my cheek with surprising gentleness. “Last chance.
“I’m staying.”
His lips crashed against mine, hungry and demanding. Nothing like the tentative kisses I’d experienced with college boys. Leonardo kissed me like he owned me, his tongue pushing past my lips to claim my mouth. I moaned against him, my hands clutching at his shoulders.
