No matter how much trouble we were in because of him.
I shut the door and no sooner had the door latched than my back was against it. Camillo’s lips were on mine, pressing feverishly into me as my hands immediately clung to his wrinkled shirt. His tongue forced its way between my lips, pulling a groan from my throat while his pelvis ground against mine. I could feel his cock rising, pulsing against me with its massive girth as his knee pinned itself between my legs.
But I had to push him away, even though his tongue tasted like honey and his lips swelled perfectly against mine.
“The kids are here,” I said. “We can’t.”
He grunted, hesitantly pulling away from me. I could see the disappointment in his eyes and I had to admit that I was disappointed, too. Even with the danger looming over our heads and even with so many unanswered questions, there was a part of him that commanded everything about me. The way he looked at me with his stern, icy eyes. The way his rough hands traveled along my body, punishing me but never truly hurting me. The way the warmth of his body tugged at mine and the way his cock pried my body open and brought me to heights of pleasure I could’ve never dreamed existed.
But I had to face the facts, even when my body didn’t want to.
“Have you packed?” he asked.
“No,” I said plainly.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because I can’t just run off with you on some vacation. The kids have school. Ana has daycare. Cassie and I’ve got work. That’s not how it works. Not in the world we live in.”
“Those things aren’t important when your safety’s at risk.”
“And again, whose fault is that?”
“At this point, fault isn’t what matters,” he said. “Getting my family safe is what matters to me.”
“I have to work, Camillo. Don’t you get it? If I don’t work, none of this gets paid for.”
“That’s the thing,” he said as he grabbed my arms. “You don’t ever have to work again. Not with me. I have enough money to keep us in luxury for the rest of our lives.”
“What?” I asked.
“You’ll never want for anything again, Rose. Not with me. And school? It’s almost winter break. The kids can spend the holidays in the tropics. What would be better than a family vacation someplace warm?”
“This isn’t some kind of paradise, Camillo,” I said as I shrugged him off. “This isn’t a luxury vacation. We’d be on the run. From trouble you brought with you.”
I dipped my head toward the floor and squeezed my eyes shut. I wanted all of this to go away. I wanted to rewind back two days. Back to when Camillo was whispering salacious promises in my ear and using my body for his own pleasure. Back to when we were in the darkness of his cabin and he was teaching me how to please him.
I wanted those times back. Not these.
I felt his finger crook underneath my chin and pull my gaze to meet his. My eyes fluttered open, my weakness dripping down my face in the form of tears. I could see the hurt behind his eyes while he studied me, his intense gaze slowly slipping into one of regret.
That was when I realized he understood what he’d brought into our lives and just how badly he felt because of it.
“I’ll do my best to make it a vacation,” he said. “To give you a break from working so hard. To give you a break from struggling to support your family. I’ll deal with this problem behind closed doors while we give this family the vacation they deserve—the vacation you deserve—and after it’s all said and done, we can talk about where we go from there.”
I felt myself weakening for him, even as I continued to shake my head no.
“I’ll still want you to stay, even when the danger is no more, Rose. I need you to hear that.”
His grip on my chin tightened, commanding my attention as his stern gaze slowly settled back onto my face.
“I’ll still want you,” he said darkly.
“You’re still acting like this is just a little problem,” I said breathlessly. “It’s a death threat, Camillo. Against our daughter.”
But then, I saw something switch behind his eyes.
He released my chin and stepped behind me before he threw the door open. I followed him into the living room as he stood at the bottom of the stairs, his voice barreling up to the second floor as he yelled for everyone to get up.
“Kevin! Junior! Get up! Pack your things! We’re going on a vacation!”
“Camillo, stop,” I said.
“Mrs. Barker! You’ve got some time off! Take it through the holidays! I’ll call you later!”
“Camillo!” I exclaimed.
“Cassie! You, too! Get up and pack! I’m sending you on a fun vacation!”