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How amazing it was with him in here.

My thoughts drift to when he told me about his tattoos last night.

He’s been sharing his thoughts, his life, with me.

I never thought I’d be able to chip away at his thick skin and reveal the real Julian. So far, I’m loving it. It’s better than I even imagined, but now, like an addict, I want more.

After showering, I turn the faucet handle and open the door. I nearly fall back when I find Julian standing in front of me, holding a towel out in my direction.

He’s dressed, looking like he had more sleep than I did even though that’s not true.

I take the towel from him, draping it around my body. “It’s warm.”

He nods. “I put it in the dryer to warm it up so you wouldn’t be freezing.”

“Look at you,” I say in a cooing voice. “All romantic.”

“Not romantic.” He narrows his eyes at me and reaches out to confiscate the towel, but I swat his hand away. “Fine, I did it because if there’s a baby in your stomach, I want him or her to stay warm. Can’t have them getting hypothermia.”

I can’t stop myself from throwing my head back and laughing. “If you think that’s how it works in a woman’s uterus, you have some serious research to do before I give you the benefit of beingbaby daddyon the birth certificate.”

He steps in closer, his shoes getting wet, as he’s nearly in the shower with me. “I’m the onlybaby daddyoption for you. Don’t make that mistake.”

I kiss his lips. “Who’s my chaperone today?”

“Me,” he says sharply, as if I asked him to head to the hospital and donate a lung to me.

“You’re lying.”

“I wish.” He snatches the towel from me, giving me a mischievous smirk, and wipes the water off the bottom of his shoes before tossing it back to me. “How’s that for romantic?”

“Did you really just do that?” I throw the towel at him and stomp out of the shower, shivering and trailing water along the tiled floor. “How rude.”

“Neomi and her friends are tagging along with you at the shelter.” He opens a cabinet, collects a folded towel, and tosses it to me.

This one, unfortunately, isn’t warm.

“You have ten minutes,” he says before leaving the bathroom.

30

“I heardabout your deal with Yaroslav,” Benny says as we follow the women into Safe Hearts Mission.

I glare at him, crossing my arms.

He takes off his Ray-Bans and slides them into his pocket. “You fall in love with one of these women, prepare to hear the gossip.”

I shake my head, still glaring. “That’s the difference between us, Marchetti. I’m not in love with anyone except my casino and money.”

“We all go through that denial phase.” He scratches his cheek, watching Neomi out of the corner of his eye.

My glare still doesn’t leave my face.

“Let me just say this.”

“I’d rather you not say shit,” I fire back.

He doesn’t listen. “I’ve never heard of a man willing to pay a million dollars for a woman he doesn’t care about. Most men wouldn’t even do that for their own wives.”