Page 26 of Protected By the Sinner

“Hewho?”

“I can’t say anything more than his first name. Giancarlo only got involved to help me. He’s an important and honorable man. His life can’t be tainted by this mess or our past. Stay close to your Beau until we can reunite.”

“He’s notmyBeau, my man, or anything else. I’ll trust what you’re telling me and stay here for a while, but he’s already suspicious. He’s asked me questions. The longer I stay, the greater the risk.”

“I’ll figure out how to protect us both—like I always have. You just have to hold on for a few weeks. Or months.”

“Months?” My voice cracks, full of panic.

“Again, I’m asking you to trust me, Amber. And don’t panic. Never forget—we’re survivors. We weren’t defeatedbefore, and we won’t be now. Remember what I said. Destroy that phone.”

When the line goes dead, I rush into the bathroom.

Elodie would never scare me without reason. She’s calm, level-headed. If she’s telling me to stay, I have to obey.

I look around for something to use to destroy the phone but find nothing. I memorize Elodie’s new number. I take out the SIM card, flush it down the toilet, then erase everything from the device.

Taking a deep breath, I look at myself in the mirror.

I have to put the mask back on, but this time, at least, I won’t feel like a traitor.

Notcompletely. Because even if my deal with the Italians is over, it doesn’t change the fact that I approached him like a spy.

Minutes later

I walk back into the living room, unsure of what to expect, but my knees nearly buckle when I see Beau sitting in an armchair, legs spread, back straight, facing me like he’s been on alert, just waiting for me to show up.

It’s almost surreal how a man, even seated, can project that much force and raw energy.

It’s not just his large body. There’s something primal in him, something that warns anyone who gets close that this is not a man to be messed with.

“We’re not going out anymore,” he says.

“No?”

He gestures with his head toward the room beside us. “I ordered dinner for both of us. Should be here any minute.”

I’m still standing a few feet away. “Okay,” I agree because now, more than ever, I don’t really have a choice. “Can you tell me why I’m here?”

“Because I’m attracted to you.”

“And do you bring every woman you’re attracted to into your home?”

One corner of his mouth lifts, and for the first time since I met him, I see a flicker of humor. If it can even be called that. “Not even close.”

“Then why me?”

He studies me for a moment, and I’m sure that if he handles his opponents the same way—whether in business or anywhere else—he probably makes most men tremble. “Because I’m not letting you run from me again. Not until whatever this is between us gets settled.”

I should stay quiet. But there’s something about Beau that makes me push back.

“And what if I don’t want to sleep with you? Because that’s what you mean, right? When you say we need to settle things?”

He stands slowly, with the grace of a predator, and when he’s in front of me, I feel overwhelmed. It’s like his dominant presence fills the whole room. Like heisthe room—he’s the very air I’m breathing.

“You already want to. Maybe you’re just too scared to admit it.”

Chapter 11