Page 43 of Bound By A Promise

Em reached for my head, tilting my face down and brushing a kiss to my hair. When I looked up, Em and Dante were in a stare-down. I spoke in English. “Love you, Em. Thank you.”

Dante’s hand found mine, intertwining our fingers.

I looked up at him. “Let’s get married before I’m engaged to someone else.”

Dante walked me around the car, opening the passenger door and brushing his lips with mine before I slid into the soft seat. After the door closed, he stopped and spoke to Em. They both nodded before he walked to the driver’s door.

As Dante folded himself into the driver’s seat, he reached over and took my hand in his. “I can’t believe you came up with this plan.”

“You came all the way to the West Coast to fight for me.”

His nostrils flared. “I failed.”

Turning my hand in his until our palms were together, I squeezed his much-larger hand. “You didn’t fail, Dante. From now on we’re a team. You made the first play. I made the second.” Warmth filled my cheeks. “I think that means it’s your turn.”

He put the car in gear as a sexy smile filled his expression. “I’ve been thinking about having you alone and to myself since you appeared in my apartment.” His dark gaze connected briefly with mine. “I’ve had plenty of time to imagine all the things I can do to you.”

I fidgeted in the seat. “I’ve been doing the same, but admittedly, my imagination is rather limited in its knowledge.”

Dante drove a few blocks before pulling the car over to the side of the road.

“What?” I asked.

Dante leaned toward me. The scent of leather and spice filled my senses as my body warmed. His nose touched mine as his dark stare melted my insides, turning them to a molten lava. Without a word, he unbuckled my seatbelt.

Chapter

Fourteen

Dante

Camila was so fucking stunning. Within the span of a breath, as I stared into her emerald gaze, prominent memories of our short relationship sped through my thoughts. From seeing her for the first time the night before Dario’s wedding and wondering why in the hell he hadn’t chosen her, to taking a knee in Nicolas Ruiz’s home and asking Camila to marry me. Every stolen moment in between all culminated in having her here now, with me.

As the fast-forward reel spun, a new emotion morphed to life within me. The anger and doubt that had taken residence in my psyche at Andrés’s change of plans converted into an overwhelming need to protect the woman in my grasp. Yes, I wanted her naked beneath me, but more importantly, I was keenly aware of the worlds in which we lived. Danger lurked around every corner and in every shadow. Lives were continually lost in cruel and heinous ways.

Those were worlds we couldn’t escape. Nevertheless, I could do my best to keep her from the dirty, gritty reality.

Taking Camila away from the cartel wasn’t the benevolent move it could appear to be on the surface. No, while I was taking her away from a life drenched in perilous endangerments from threats all around, life in the Kansas City Mafia wasn’t exactly safer. If anything, it would be more dangerous. As my wife, Dario’s sister-in-law, and a member of the cartel under the Mafia’s umbrella, Camila will arrive in Kansas City with a target on her back.

The tenor of my words grated with desire. “Do you know what happened when you chose to get in this car?”

She nodded, causing our noses to brush. “I chose you.”

“That means you’re mine, Camila.”

Camila nodded, this time less confidently. Perhaps the entirety of her decision weighed on her.

Pushing back and inclining my seat, I encouraged her to come closer.

Fucking small car.

Camila obeyed, climbing onto my lap. She peered right and left through the windows. “What if they know I’m gone? What if the guards are coming for me? Shouldn’t we leave?”

My hands found their way beneath her hooded sweatshirt to the softness of her skin. I splayed my fingers around her small waist. “You’re right.” My breathing grew shallow as my circulation rerouted. The zipper of my blue jeans strained with her petite body in my grasp. “I need to kiss you. I need to know you’re really here.” I moved my palms to her cheeks. “A kiss like I couldn’t give you in front of your brother.”

Her giggle filled the car. “He was armed.”

“So am I.”