Shadow Warrior (Shadow Riders 4)

“Bella, part of having you in my care is knowing what’s necessary in your life and making sure you’re happy. If something is a priority to you, then obviously, it would be one to me.”

Her chin lifted, and she looked him straight in the eye. “And if we disagree?”

“We communicate. Talk it out. Isn’t that what most couples do? I’ve watched Stefano and Francesca very closely. She doesn’t always give in to him. She lets things go that don’t matter to her, but if she really wants something he’s opposed to, she has no qualms about presenting her case to him. He knows when he has to give in.”

“And if you still don’t agree after we argue?” she challenged.

He sighed. “I would suggest both of us shelve the discussion, sleep on it and discuss it again. In the end, if we still couldn’t find a compromise, I would expect my woman to let me make the ultimate decision. I can only give you my word that I would take everything you say or feel to heart and make my decision with your happiness and health in mind.”

Grace didn’t react immediately and again, he liked that trait in her. She was thoughtful, her eyes on his face. “If I can’t give you these things?”

“I would understand. I never ever expected to meet a woman I wanted to spend my life with, let alone think I would ever admit to anyone what I was really like. You said you had nothing to give me in return for the things I do for you, but you can clearly see that wouldn’t be the case.”

“I can’t be in a one-sided relationship, always taking with you always giving.” She put the coffee cup down and turned her head to look out the window. “That’s what it would feel like to me.”

His heart reacted again, this time with a jump of hope. She hadn’t rejected him or his needs yet. She was considering everything he’d said. He had thought to give her more time, let her get used to his care and then tell her about his needs, but he knew that wouldn’t be fair to her—or to him. He was too invested in her already. He already loved coaxing her smiles. Watching her face light up in spite of the pain she was currently in. He particularly enjoyed that she was relaxed in his home, the fear slowly receding in his company.

“Grace, look at me.”

She turned back to him slowly, those eyes of hers meeting his until he felt the impact all the way through his body, as if she’d shot an arrow and it was lodged in the vicinity of his heart. He had to resist putting his hand over his chest and pressing hard.

“It’s up to you what you want out of the relationship between us. What you want to give back. I would hope that while I look after you, you would do the same for me.”

For the first time, her face brightened a little. “I like that idea, Vittorio.”

Her voice held a shy note, although he would never consider her shy. Just because she was the force behind KB Events and stayed in the background didn’t mean she was shy. He knew she was thinking of his taking total control in the bedroom.

He pressed a kiss into the center of her palm. “When we have sex, bella, I have no doubt you’ll give me everything I need or want.”

She blushed, but she didn’t protest. “I don’t know the first thing about relationships, families, or being someone’s fiancée.”

“I know about families, gattina, but I’ve never been in a relationship or had a fiancée.”

Shock registered on her face. “You’ve been in tons of relationships. I read the tabloids, the news, everything about you. I watched you at events. You always had a beautiful woman on your arm, mostly very tall, elegant models, which I most assuredly am not.”

Grace had no idea what she’d given away to him. She’d clearly followed him in the tabloids, reading everything his family fed to the paparazzi. She’d been drawn to him before she met him. Immense satisfaction filled him. He liked that, more than liked it.

“When we attend a fund-raiser, the idea is to get as much money as possible for the cause. To do that, we generate publicity. Bringing a model or an actress with a following helps to do just that. Some of those women are friends, some were simply a one-time hookup. That isn’t the same thing as a relationship.”

“It’s hard to believe that over the years you didn’t find another woman you wanted to be in a relationship with.”

He didn’t have the luxury of explanations. He was a shadow rider and that meant no one, no one, other than family, and even then only close family, could know the truth about him. She had to be in completely. Committed to him. The pull, for him, had been instant and strong. He tried to keep their shadows separated but being in such close proximity to her these last three weeks, sleeping in her room with her, meant their shadows were becoming entwined.