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Fervently, Nadia responded in the only way she could—by surrendering instead of fighting the rise of the tide that was threatening to overtake her.

His mouth returned to hers as his thrusts gained speed, like the leaf that was now traveling through rough waters. She held on, going where Dante was leading her, clinging to his shoulders for dear life, determined to hang on for each precious moment. Dante was unrelenting, like a never-ending rapid she didn’t think would ever end. Then, in one single burst, she found herself going over a waterfall to fall safely back to Earth with Dante murmuring in her ear and stroking her body in soothing movements that showed it was safe to breathe once again. Thank God she had been drunk when they’d had sex the first time, or when she had gone to his office, she would have latched on to him. Not even Amo would have been able to pull her off him.

“Am I alive?” she gasped out.

Dante gave a growling laugh against her throat. “Yes.”

“I can see why everyone says you’re lethal. I thought I was about to go through Heaven’s gate there for a second.”

“Only a second? Damn.”

“Any longer, and you would have needed to bring me back to life.”

Dante reached a long arm down to the floor to pick up the blanket that had fallen, covering them as he settled down next to her. “You have any plans for tomorrow?”

Raising sleepy eyes to his, she saw he had risen up on one elbow. “Nothing in particular.”

“Feel like hanging out with me for a few days at the beach?”

“There’s a beach in Kansas City?” she asked, trying not to yawn.

“I was thinking more like Cancun.”

Contentedly, she placed her head in the curve of his arm, snuggling closer to him. “How long?”

“A couple of weeks, maybe three.”

Nadia instinctively knew why he wanted to go on a sudden trip after the one they just had. He wanted her far enough away from One-Shot until his son Lucca either unmasked the person or killed them.

“I’ll have to ask Haley.”

“I already did. She said she didn’t see any problems she couldn’t handle.”

“I don’t know if I’m liking this relationship you are developing with my best friend.” However, she could see how important it was to him that she was out of harm’s way. “But I’ll go as long as I don’t have to get on any boats.”

“We’ll fly there,” he said, finally able to relax since she said she would come. “Desmond has a private jet. I’ll ask if he’ll fly us there.”

Nadia made a comical face at him. “Good luck with that. I wouldn’t even place a one-dollar bet on that possibility.”

He disagreed. “He owes me a couple more favors.”

“Dante, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think any favors he owed you were blown to hell and back.”

Epilogue

The Promise

Dante skirted around the workmen carrying plywood and tools inside the mall that Nadia was converting into Moonbeam. Glancing around the bustle of activity taking place, he searched for Nadia.

Amo had texted him to explain which portion of the mall Nadia was currently working in. Taking his phone, he was about to text Amo back to ask for better directions, when he heard a laugh coming from somewhere above his head. Recognizing the joyful sound coming from the ceiling, he moved forward and looked up then nearly lost his lunch.

Nadia was balanced on one board between two scaffolds, walking on the thin plank as if she were a fucking gymnast. Dante lost ten years off his life at seeing her casually hanging a “Welcome” banner from the ceiling.

Afraid to take his eyes off her, he started making his way toward one of the scaffolds.

How in the fuck did she even get up there?

Terrified that if he said something, she would lose her balance, he snarled at two workers who were walking past him, in too big of hurry to get where they were going to pay any attention to him. He lost another five years of his life when the long sheet of plywood they were carrying came within a hairsbreadth of hitting one of the scaffolds that Nadia was on.

Silently reciting the rosary, Dante finally reached one of the scaffolds, trying to determine how to get up the fucking thing.

“I’m up here, Dante!”

Jumping in his shoes at Nadia yelling down at him, he managed to choke down the hellfire he was going to bring down on her head once she was on firm ground again.

“Having fun?” he asked blandly.

“We’re having a blast!” She smiled, completely unaware of his feelings. “Amo and Leo are around the corner, if you’re looking for them.”

It was everything he could do to stay cool. “I came to see you. Can you come down here so we can talk?”