“Ouch,” I said sarcastically.
“Maybe we’re sleeping together monogamously and we have some sort of relationship, but my feelings about the situation haven’t changed. My father would lose his mind if he ever found out about this. He would tell my uncle, and it would turn into another world war. Trust me on this, I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes. And Griffin…he’d probably be even worse. So you need to stop dropping by like this.”
“You’re mine, and I can do whatever I want.” I gripped the edge of the counter as I stared her down. I wasn’t the kind of man that lived a lie. I was exactly who I wanted to be, and if someone didn’t like it, that was their problem.
Her eyes flashed with hostility. “My family means everything to me. They’re the single most important thing in my life, and I would rather die than ever hurt them. So if you really want me, you have to accept those terms. You will always be a dirty secret and nothing more. If you can’t accept that, then get the hell out of my shop and don’t show your face again.” Like a fire that started from a single twig, she came to life instantly.
Her fearlessness never failed to surprise me, and I found myself so hard in my jeans I might break through the zipper. Other men dispersed when I walked into a room, intuitively feared me and dropped their gazes out of dread of my hostility, but this woman had no problem telling me off.
She wasn’t afraid of me at all, at least not when it came to her family.
Fucking hot.
She kept looking at me with that same rage, like she was prepared to fight me if necessary.
That would be even hotter.
“Just a dirty secret, huh?” I asked. “That sounds pretty hot.”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly, and she reached her hand under the counter to do something discreetly. She did a good job of hiding it from me, but nothing could escape my notice.
“I can do that. But don’t expect to be my dirty secret.” I intended to wear her on my arm, to show the world she was mine—and mine alone.
The phone at the counter started to ring, so she walked away to answer it. “Hello, Carmen’s Flowers. How may I help you?” Her back was turned to me as she grabbed the pad and pen to take the order.
I moved behind the counter to see what she’d been hiding.
A gun.
I picked it up and checked the magazine—it was fully loaded.
And the safety was off.
I put it back where it belonged, but I couldn’t wipe the smirk off my face. This woman was prepared to shoot me if she had to, to put a bullet right in my chest if I crossed the line. She knew I was lethal and took that seriously, arming herself because that was the only defense she had.
Now I wanted her even more.
I returned to the other side of the counter and pretended I hadn’t discovered the gun.
She finished the call and came back to me. “I have a lot of orders this week. A few funerals.”
“That’s too bad.”
“I guess the flu is hitting people pretty hard.” She tore off the piece of paper and put it in a pile along with her other orders. She stood right in front of the gun, strategically placing herself in case she needed it.
I’d never wanted a woman more. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, finding her courage the sexiest thing in the world. She was willing to do anything to keep her family safe, even go head-to-head with me. She would have to put at least three bullets in me to slow me down because the first two just wouldn’t be enough.
She kept her eyes on me, studying me the way I studied her. “Look…I know that came off rude. When Vanessa brought Griffin around, my family refused to accept him. It was a really difficult year, and her parents went through a lot. I understand why she did it because he was the man she loved and wanted to marry. But I’m not gonna put my family through that. My parents don’t have to love the guy I want to be with, but they at least have to accept him. If they knew about us…” She rolled her eyes. “My family wouldn’t stop until you disappeared. They’re very protective of me.”
I couldn’t blame them, not when she was such a bombshell. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, independent, smart, and sexy. She was every guy’s fantasy—but only my reality. I couldn’t blame her father and her uncle for having high standards for the man she chose. I might be rich and successful, but I had more flaws than positive qualities. Not to mention, I was fucking dangerous.