Page 14 of Toxic Devotion

“I don’t doubt that,” Neil said with a soft smile.

“Yeah, I’m not sure which of them was the most unlucky that she fell in love with him.”

Neil frowned and said, “What do you mean?”

“She loved him more than anything, but she wasn’t a fan of the family business. She feared the effect it might have on her family.”

“They never thought about getting out?” Neil asked, curiosity in his eyes.

Marco pressed his lips together and glanced down.

“There’s no getting out.”

“Not even for you?”

He raised his gaze slowly, his heart jumping at the look in Neil’s eyes. As much as he hated to quash the hope shining in them, he had to be honest.

“Especially not for me. Not alive, anyway.”

Neil nodded slowly, eyes roaming over Marco’s face.

“Speaking of,” Marco said, fingers running down the lapels of Neil’s suit jacket. “Did you ever find out who tried to have you killed?”

Neil grimaced and shook his head. “Those men were ghosts and there hasn’t been another attempt.”

“Doesn’t mean there won’t be?”

Neil closed his eyes for a second, then he looked at Marco and nodded slowly.

“Hey, as long as they don’t try to come after me or my family,” he said with a shrug. If they did, they’d end up sorry very fucking fast.

There was a quick flash of emotion in Neil’s eyes that made him frown but then the man smiled at him and lowered his head for a kiss. Marco indulged him for a second, then smiled against his lips and pulled back.

“Come on,” he said. “Let me show you around.”

He had a feeling Neil would get acquainted with his home fast. At least, he hoped so.

Chapter Five

Neil

WHEN HE wasn’t with Marco, he was thinking about him. He couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to stop. It felt strange. It felt… out of his control, and he hated it as much as he loved it. He knew Marco was slowly but surely carving out a spot in his heart where only he would fit.

Liking someone as much as he liked Marco? He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. It made him vulnerable. So fucking vulnerable. Not just to his enemies, but to Marco as well. Marco had power over him, and he didn’t even know it. Or maybe he did. Maybe Marco was as vulnerable to him as he was to Marco? Wouldn’t that be something?

“Are you daydreaming again?”

“No,” he said without looking up because if he did, Ty would instantly know that he had, in fact, been daydreaming. About his lover. His very secret and very dangerous lover. It had almost been a year since they met in that hotel bar and those months had been a whirlwind of sex and secret meetups.

“What would you call it, then?” Ty asked and dropped into the chair across from Neil.

He met Ty’s gaze, a smile pulling at his lips.

“Fantasizing about your untimely death.”

“Riiight. Except you’d miss me too much,” Ty drawled, brows wagging.

“I wouldn’t miss you at all,” he deadpanned.