Page 134 of Lady and the Hitman

“Why?” he asked.

Because I remember the fury that filled my chest that day. The bile in my throat when I thought about how Redmond would be eulogized as some kind of saint. How the system let men like him rot everything from the inside while calling it righteousness. And how maybe—just maybe—there was someone out there who didn’t wait for permission to stop him.

“Because I think a part of me wanted someone like you to exist,” I said.

He took a slow breath. “And now that you know I do?”

“I don’t know what that makes me,” I said, voice raw. “But I know I still want you.”

His hand reached for mine again. “Then take me. With everything that comes with it.”

I did.

And for the first time since hearing that news broadcast, I understood what it felt like to be on the other side of a story.

The truth wasn’t black and white.

It was him.

Gray, complicated, violent—and still the safest place I’d ever known.

I stared at him, trying to reconcile the man who’d killed with the man who’d touched me like I was his entire world. “And now?” I asked, my voice barely audible. “Do you still … do that?”

His gaze darkened, not with anger but with resolve. “Not if it means losing you.”

The words hit me like a punch, stealing my breath. The sexual tension that had simmered all night flared hot again, my body responding even as my mind grappled with the weight of his confession. “You’d give it up?” I whispered. “For me?”

“I’d give up everything,” he said, his voice rough with something that felt like love. “I want all of you, Zara. I want you in public, by my side, where everyone knows you’re mine. I want you to choose me, even with the truth.”

My throat tightened, tears pricking my eyes, not from fear but from the intensity of his words. He was offeringme everything—his past, his future, his heart. “Ronan,” I said, my voice breaking, “I’m scared.”

“I know,” he said, his fingers brushing my cheek, catching a tear I hadn’t felt fall. “But I love you. And I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to trust that.”

The words shattered me, my heart splitting open.I love you.

My God.

He’d said it, raw and unfiltered, and it was everything I hadn’t known I needed. I pressed myself against him, my hands sliding up his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heart.

“I love you, too,” I whispered, the words spilling out before I could stop them, and his breath hitched, his eyes flaring with something fierce and tender.

He kissed me, deep and desperate, his lips claiming mine with a hunger that made my knees buckle. The pool’s glow reflected in his eyes, and the tension between us crackled, electric and consuming.

My dress clung to my skin, still askew from our earlier frenzy, and his hands roamed, tugging it higher, exposing my thighs to the night air. The risk of being seen only fueled the heat, my body aching for him despite the shadows of his past we’d just touched.

He pulled back, his breathing heavy, revealing the muscles I’d memorized.

“Get in the pool,” he said, his voice a low command that sent a shiver through me.

I didn’t hesitate, letting my dress fall to the terrace until I was bare under the starlight. The warm air kissed my skin. His gaze was fire, burning away any doubt.

I stepped into the infinity pool, the warm water enveloping me, lapping at my thighs, my hips, my waist as I descended the steps. The city shimmered in thedistance, beyond the pool’s edge, and I felt exposed, vulnerable, but alive.

So very alive.

Ronan followed, shedding the rest of his clothes as he joined me, the water rippling around us.

He pulled me against him, the water making our skin slick, his hands sliding over my curves, possessive yet reverent. “You’re mine,” he murmured, his lips brushing my ear, his beard scraping my skin. “And I’ll never let you go.” His hands cupped my breasts, thumbs teasing my nipples, and I moaned, my head falling back against his shoulder as the water lapped around us.