Petal had changed him.
Without even realizing it, she’d gotten under his skin, and now, she was his weakness. Picking her up, he threw her into the pool. She let out a scream just before she hit the surface. He dived in, swimming toward her.
She broke the surface, pushing her hair out of her face.
“What the hell?”
He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her, keeping her completely off balance. Picking her up, he gripped her ass.
“You were saying something about hell?” He teased across the seam of her panties.
“I … why did you throw me into the pool?”
“Because I wanted to.”
“Is it always going to be like this?” she asked, cupping his face.
“Like what?”
“This. With you?”
“You tell me? What are you feeling?”
“Like we’re the only two people left in the world.”
“We’re not. I want to keep you locked away in my tower like the princess you are, but I can’t. I’m going to have to take you out.”
“You won’t.”
“I will. I won’t have you get sick because I’m confining you.” He slid his finger under the material of her panties and started to stroke her pussy. “It doesn’t mean we can’t have a lot more fun though.”
“Will you get rid of me?” she asked.
Her hands around his neck tightened a little more.
“Get rid of you?”
“Yes. Is this forever? Will you get bored of me?”
She wanted security.
“I’ll never get bored of you. This is forever.”
“I can live with that.”
She pressed her lips against his, and he knew there wasn’t any other woman in the world who’d ever be able to compare to her.
Chapter Six
Marco kept to his word, and a couple of days later, he took her out for lunch. He hadn’t been called away, and Petal loved having his undivided attention. The restaurant was particularly nice, the kind that made her nervous as everyone looked like they wore million-dollar outfits just to sit and enjoy a coffee.
“You look stunning,” he said, reaching over the table and taking her hand.
In the short time they’d been out of his apartment, she’d noticed a difference in his demeanor. He didn’t touch her as much, and he always had a hand ready to grab his weapon. She missed his sweet touches and the charming flirtation he always had with her.
“I don’t really fit into a place like this.” Her father had been a wealthy man, not overly so, but he’d taken care of all of them. This was out of her comfort zone though.
“You don’t need to fit in. No one here needs a reason or an excuse as to why you’re here. Own who you are, and they are beneath you.”
“Do you do that? Make yourself believe they’re all beneath you?” she asked.
“For the most part, they are. I own this place. I own most of the major establishments in this town. If I’m unhappy, I make sure the people who made it so, feel my anger.”
“It must be hard though. You’ve got to learn to trust people close to you.”
“I don’t trust anyone.”
“No one?” she asked.
“No. In my world, you trust the wrong person you’re dead.”
“You don’t feel lonely?” She was finding it hard not to feel a little upset by his words. She trusted him. Her father didn’t even give her a choice in trusting Marco. She’d been passed off to him.
“No, it’s not lonely. I’m alive.”
“Excuse me.” She cut him off, and without waiting for permission, she left the table, heading toward the bathroom.
No one else was there, and she went straight to the sink, gripping the edge. She closed her eyes, counting to ten. When that didn’t work, she counted again.
“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.” She shouldn’t be hurt because he didn’t trust her. Marco had made it plain he didn’t trust anyone.
The door opened, and she looked up to find Marco inside the women’s bathroom.
“You’re in the wrong room.”
“I’m in the right room. You know, I’ve never had a woman just get up and leave.”
She turned to give him her full attention. “I’m not trying to be difficult here.”
“What did I say?” he asked.
She opened her mouth, about to lie to him, but he held his hand up.
“Think before you speak, Pet. Remember what I told you about lying.”
She sighed. “Fine. You don’t trust anyone. I’ve never given you a single reason to doubt me.”
“You’ve never given me a single reason to trust you.”
“I’ve known who you are from the very beginning.”
“You have?”
“I’m not an idiot. I really wish you and my dad would stop treating me like I am. I know you’re part of—” She pressed her lips together, trying to find the right words. “A certain group of people. I could have betrayed you long ago. What about the other night when I helped you shower?” She felt the tears in her eyes, and she turned her back, not wanting him to see her tears as weakness, even if that was exactly what they were.