Page 42 of Relentless Pursuit

“I need food. Nourishment to give me energy, and you should eat, too.”

“You are my nourishment.”

I giggled, as my body warmed and my pussy throbbed. “You say the darndest things.”

“I mean what I say.”

“I know.” I stared at his lips, then asked. “Can you tell when someone is lying?”

He stared at me a moment. “Why do you ask?”

I shrugged. “You just seem to be the type.” His brows rose, and I explained. “I mean, you study people. You’re very observant. Sometimes, I can’t determine if someone is lying to me, and I wish I could.”

“It’s a skill. But like anything, you must practice that skill to master it.”

“So you can tell when someone is lying?”

“I think you knew the answer before you asked. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell when you were pretending to be someone else. And that’s something I’ll never forgive myself for.”

Surprised, my eyes widened. “Dominic.” I squeezed his fingers. “I didn’t pretend to be someone else. I’ve been myself this entire time.”

“Under the guise of another name.”

“Yes, but?—”

“And you pretended not to know anything about my world.”

“I don’t know anything about your world. I mean…” Flustered, I took a breath and rephrased my words. “I heard some things and saw pictures when I was younger that I was never supposed to see. But, like the point you made before, I was sheltered from most of it. Knowing that my family is part of the underworld meant nothing to me because I didn’t know what it entailed, and they wanted it that way.”

“Until now.”

I nodded. “Well, yes. Because it benefits them.”

“Them or Riccardo?”

“My grandfather, specifically.”

“Have you spoken with your parents since the funeral?”

My eyes widened. “You were there…” We stared at one another for a long, silencing minute. “I knew it.”

“How did you know?”

“I could feel you.”

“Hmmmmm.”

“Wait, so, that same day my parents made the escape—did you see them?”

“Yes.”

My surprise spread. “The guards. You saw my parents escape from the guards? And mutilate them before fleeing?”

He didn’t respond; he only stared at me when another revelation hit me, and I whispered. “It was you…” With a gasp, I covered my mouth with a hand. “Dominic.”

“Penelope, it is unnecessary to know every detail of my movements. Is that going to be a problem for you?”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. His stare deepened, and finally, I responded to his question. “Yes. I mean, no. No. I just want you safe.”