The Brit

He’s quiet for a second, though his eyes are wide. And then he starts laughing. “What?”

“You heard.” I stalk past him, heading for the gym. I need to work off some of this lingering anger. Ernie? My mother? My girl? I blow out my cheeks, the shock growing.

Brad is quickly on my heels. “I think I heard.”

“You heard,” I confirm. “I want out. I want to wake up in the morning and not wonder who’s going to try to kill me today.”

“That’s never going to happen.” Brad laughs again. “Not while you have enemies.”

I stop, forcing Brad to stop too. He looks at me, waiting. “I’m working on it,” I answer, and keep moving, leaving Brad with a look of confusion and worry all over his face.

He should be worried.

I am too.

Chapter 26

ROSE

* * *

After I get out of the shower, I find Danny on the terrace. He’s straddling a chair, his forearms resting on the back support. He’s deep in thought, gazing out across the gardens. I watch him for a time, unable to admire his sweaty form in his gym clothes, too worried about what could be running through his mind. Eventually, he notices he’s not alone. Looks up at me. Smiles. But it doesn’t light up his eyes. He pushes his hands into the back rest and raises, swinging his leg over the seat before tucking it back under the table.

He approaches me. Drops a soft kiss on my cheek. Then heads for the bathroom, pulling his black muscle vest off as he goes. Something’s . . . off. He’s quiet. Pensive and thoughtful. Part of me wants to ask what’s changed his mood so dramatically. A bigger part of me doesn’t. Trust him. That’s what he said. And I do.

I listen to him shower as I dress, pulling on some thin gray sweatpants and my British sweater. As I look in the mirror, I can’t help but think that the huge rock on my finger doesn’t quite match the comfy clothes. I hold my hand up and inspect my ring. I could stare at it forever. Not only because it’s beautiful, but because I can’t believe I have a ring on that finger. And Danny Black gave it to me. But if there is a man in this world who I should be with forever, it’s him.

“Still like it?”

I whirl around, finding Danny’s rubbing a towel over his hair, his shoulder resting on the doorjamb. There’s not a scrap of material covering any other part of him, and I fight to stop my eyes indulging in the vast beauty of his naked form. I have the rest of my life to do that. “What’s not to like?”

He smiles and approaches, dropping a light kiss on my forehead before getting into his own comfy clothes, namely, a black T-shirt and gray pants. His feet are bare. His strong arms strain against the material around his biceps. Every muscle he has seems more prominent, even through his clothes. “Good workout?” I ask, pulling my hair into a ponytail.

A light nod gives me my answer, though something tells me it wasn’t so good. I study him as he rakes a hand through his wet hair, pulling it off his face. “Ready?” he asks.

“What are we doing?”

“Watching TV.” He claims my hand and pulls me along as I balk at his profile. “I just want to do something normal,” he adds.

“What are we watching?”

“The Godfather.”

I roll my eyes as he turns a dirty smirk onto me, nudging my shoulder playfully. “That’s not funny.”

He laughs lightly and looks down at his phone when it rings, coming to a gradual stop. “You go. I’ll take this and join you.”

“The theater room?”

He nods and ushers me on, turning and heading back to the bedroom. I hear him say hello to whoever’s calling, his voice short and clipped, and then the door closes, and it takes everything in me not to press my ear to the wood to listen. Trust him. I breathe in and walk backward a few paces, eventually tearing my eyes away and turning. I take the stairs, the cold marble sinking into the bare soles of my feet, the slap of flesh on hard stone feeling good. When I arrive in the theatre room, I scan the cream space for a remote control to turn on the TV. Nothing.

“Lost something?”

I startle and turn, finding Amber in the doorway, her blonde hair secured tightly in a bun. It makes her face look sharp and unfriendly, her dark lips and black trouser suit adding to the hard look. “No, I—” I pull up, for the first time wondering why she’s here. Again. “What are you doing here?”

Her unfriendly persona turns downright hostile. “I could ask you the same question.”

“Well, that would be stupid, since you know the answer.” And just in case she doesn’t, or maybe just needs it confirming, I subtly reach for a loose strand of my hair and tuck it behind my ear, hoping the dazzle of my diamond blinds her. Her eyes widen, no doubt, but her body remains still, her face expressionless. “So, why are you here?” I ask again, this time moving forward, demonstrating that I’m not threatened by her. Not even when she’s dressed to kill, and I’m dressed to veg out. “To fuck Danny, or one of his men?”