He took another drag from the cigarette as she pulled him into the bedroom down the short hall where the French doors were pulled wide open.
“I don’t ever want to sleep in a hotel bed again,” he told her.
“So buy me a house, and I’ll find you a bed you’ll wanna sleep in every night.”
He didn’t doubt her. Roman liked that idea fine.
Karine dropped the hotel robe down her shoulders, showing off bare skin he’d spent so much time loving earlier. Just like that, his tongue watered, his dick got hard, and he thought he might be ready to go again. Even if every part of this tempting woman had been a lie that could have destroyed him, he still would have happily died just to get another taste.
“What happens now?” she asked him.
For once, he could smile when she asked him that question because the truth didn’t have to be scary. There were a lot of unknowns facing them, sure—he’d never deny that. The mess they had left behind just to stand here together now stretched from the city of Chicago to the bright lights of Vegas, and the gated suburbs of New York, New York.
He was still happy about it, though. Despite funerals to plan, and secrets still between them, what could be wasn’t at all frightening anymore.
“Whatever you want, Karine.”
She only shook her head at that, laughing like he was silly. Maybe he was; with her, who’d care?
“Don’t you know?” she asked him, her grin blooming wider than ever as she came to stand on her tiptoes in front of him. Close enough to kiss as she said, “I told you—I want you.”
“Will you always?”
“Forever.”
“Even if I’m a prick?”
“Even then,” she agreed.
“Even when Masha tells you I almost killed her and—”
“Roman.”
Her amused glower turned into something vicious in a blink. He had to laugh.
She didn’t like that much, either.
“Stop that,” she demanded, poking his chest.
“I’ll have her flown in tomorrow,” he promised.
“Is she okay?”
With the cigarette still burning between his fingers, Roman used the pad of his thumb to smooth away that knot of concern between her eyebrows. “You’re all she has, I think. I tried to keep that in mind for you.”
Karine’s eyes closed at his touch and words, whispering back, “You’re all we have, Roman. Think about that.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author of too many novels to count, Bethany-Kris is a Canadian, lover of much, and mother to four sons, a glaring of cats, and a pack of dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, a snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a spouse calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something ... when she can find the time.
Find where to follow BK and keep up to date with all her book news at her:
WEBSITE
OTHER BOOKS
The Darkest Lies Trilogy
The Agreement
The Promise
The Marriage
After Another Trilogy
One Step After Another
One Breath After Another
One Second After Another
Boykov Bratva
Fractured Ties
Essence of Fear
The Guzzi Legacy
Corrado
Alessio
Chris
Beni
Bene
Marcus
The Firsts: A Guzzi Legacy Companion Novel
The Guzzi Legacy: Vol 1
The Guzzi Legacy: Vol 2
Renzo + Lucia
Privilege
Harbor
Contempt
Forever
Cusp
Renzo + Lucia: The Complete Trilogy
Andino + Haven
Duty
Vow
One Last Time
Andino + Haven: The Complete Duet
John + Siena
Loyalty
Disgrace
John + Siena: The Complete Duet
John + Siena: Extended
Cross + Catherine
Always
Revere
Unruly
The Companion
Naz & Roz
Guzzi Duet
Unraveled, Book One
Entangled, Book Two
Cara & Gian: The Complete Duet
DeLuca Duet
Waste of Worth: Part One
Worth of Waste: Part Two
Standalone Titles
Pink
Pretty Lies
Dirty Pool
Effortless
Inflict
Cozen
Captivated
Dishonored
Donati Bloodlines
Thin Lies
Thin Lines
Thin Lives
Behind the Bloodlines
The Complete Trilogy
Filthy Marcellos
Antony
Lucian
Giovanni
Dante
Legacy
A Very Marcello Christmas
The Complete Collection
Seasons of Betrayal
Where the Sun Hides
Where the Snow Falls
Where the Wind Whispers
Seasons: The Complete Seasons of Betrayal Series
Gun Moll Trilogy
Gun Moll
Gangster Moll
Madame Moll
The Chicago War
Deathless & Divided
Reckless & Ruined
Scarless & Sacred
Breathless & Bloodstained
The Complete Series
Maldives & Mistletoe
The Russian Guns
The Arrangement
The Life
The Score
Demyan & Ana
Shattered
The Jersey Vignettes
FANTASY ROMANCE
The Hunted: A 9INE REALMS Novel
Find more on Bethany-Kris’s website at www.bethanykris.com.
Copyright © 2021 by Bethany-Kris. All Rights Reserved.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted material is illegal and punishable by law. No parts of this work may be reproduced, copied, used, or printed without expressed written consent from the publisher/author. Exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in reviews.
eISBN 13: 978-1-989658-41-3
Editor: Eli Peters
Proofreaders: Tracy A., Mia S., and Felicia F.
Cover Design © Mignon Mykel
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, organizations, corporations, locales and so forth are a product of the author’s imagination, or if real, used fictitiously. Any resemblance to a person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
