Page 140 of The Damaged Billionaire's Obsession
Again, I nod.
“And he’s the worst part of this situation because?”
I incline my head meaningfully at my desktop where I handle FCB affairs, and I see the exact moment she gets it.
“Jesus Christ on a cracker. Ethan Hawthorne, you’ve got to be absolutely shitting me!”
I shrug.
“He’s young! He was nice, making jokes all night, and he even gave a normal best-man speech—well, at least the parts Ilistened to. I was too busy plotting how to kill you and make it look like a freak accident.”
I shrug again. “He’s the bogeyman of New York’s underbelly. He’s nice, true, but he also can be a monster, which is why he’s feared. But as I said, we're friends, having worked together for five years. I trust him and he trusts me."
Otherwise, I wouldn't be here.
“Oh. My. God. To think it was a tie between him and Maxwell I was thinking about spending the night with at—”
“Hey, hey, what was that?” I demand.
“No, I meant at Cancun. I thought he was hot—”
“How’s your butt, I wonder? Sore enough yet?” It’ll be worse if she continues testing me.
“Geez!” She smiles, pressing her plump lips against mine. “Relax,” she whispers. “I’m just winding you up, babe. Husband. Love of my life. The only man who makes me come.” She moves against me, determined to keep pushing me.
“Siobhán…” I warn. I’m rock hard and throbbing.
“What, too much?”
“I was in the middle of showing you your side gig, but if you’d rather skip class…”
“Wait, what!” She stops her grinding and whirls to face the smaller screen. “You want me to…to do what?”
“I told you once that we're two halves of a whole. It’s infinitely more dangerous to work for the government, so I’ll do that for us. You’ll handle this one.” I point to the laptop. “Gino will protect you, baby. With his life.”
“And who’ll protect you, Ethan?” She looks incredulous, like she can’t believe I’m willing to put her safety above my own.
“Well, I was hoping you would cover my tracks. Gino can protect me physically but he lacks the digital expertise to shield me online because of how I do what I do for him."
“Oh, my.” She looks at me with new eyes. “Ethan Hawthorne, is this why you didn’t ask me to marry you before?”
“But I did ask you to marry me. And you said yes. Well, it was more like you couldn’t say no.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re so full of yourself. But, Ethan, this is the reason why, isn’t it?”
Bonnie gets me. What I need from her isn’t just marriage. It’s a partnership. It’s life and death. It’s dark, it’s dangerous. It’s a life of secrecy and a hell of a sacrifice. She might love me enough to marry me. But could she love me enough to share this aspect of my life with me?
“Yes. This is the reason why I didn’t ask. I wanted to, but I was trying to figure out a way to ask you that wouldn’t end with you pushing me into traffic.”
“Hmm. Does Jordan know this?”
I give her a pointed look. “Nobody knows—well, except Gino and the government.”
“And you’re playing both sides,” she states.
“Well, it’s more towards one side. Giovanni knows I hack for the FCB. That’s kind of why he needs me. The FCB doesn't know I do anything for Giovanni.”
“You know, my heart is actually racing right now? I cannot believe I used to think you were boring, Harvard.”