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“Good enough for now,” he said.Then he opened the freezer, groaning with satisfaction.“Barbara, you spoil me.”He hauled out a carton of rocky road and glanced over his shoulder.“Want some?There’s also some disgusting praline pecan.”
She laughed again, a stilted, uncertain sound.He should have dismissed it—but instead, it burned through him, making his chest tighten.
“No, thank you,” she said quickly.Her voice was steady, but her hands trembled as she reached for the sponge.“I’ll just clean up the kitchen.”
“Nope!”he announced, taking her hand and snatching a spoon from the counter as he tugged her off the stool.“If Barbara ever discovered that someone messed with her dishes, her cleaning routine, she’d mess up my coffee every morning for a week.”He gave an exaggerated shudder.“She’s done it before when I pissed her off.It wasn’t pretty.”
Catarina laughed, eyes sparkling as she tried to suppress the sound.“What did you do in response?”
He handed her a spoon and smirked.“I think some dire threats were issued, but no one lost their head.”
“That’s…comforting,” she teased.
He dug into the rocky road and handed her the spoon back.“What’s your favorite movie?”
She hesitated, then shrugged.“I don’t know.I guessShawshank Redemption.”She slid the spoon between her lips and groaned softly.“Oh my gosh.It’s been so long since I’ve eaten anything this good.”
Sal nearly forgot what he was asking.His eyes darkened at the little sound she made.“Careful,cara.You make noises like that, and I’ll forget about the ice cream and find something sweeter to taste.”
Her cheeks flamed as she tried to focus on the spoon instead of his gaze.“What about you?Favorite movie?”
“The Godfather,of course.”He grinned at her scandalized look.“What?It’s practically required.”
“That’s…predictable,” she teased, nudging his arm.
“I’ll forgive your lack of discernment,” he said, leaning closer, “if you agree to watch it with me.”
“Maybe,” she said, pretending to think about it.“If you behave.”
He chuckled low in his chest.“Oh,cara, I never behave.”Then, more suddenly, he said, “Let’s go watchShawshank.And afterward…” His tone shifted, steel threading into it.“…you can tell me the name of the person who’s going to betray me.”
The warmth in her face drained as she froze.He’d already walked three steps before he noticed she wasn’t following.
When he turned back, her brown eyes were wide, terrified.
“There isn’t someone who is going to betray me, is there?”His jaw clenched as he studied her.
“No, that part is true,” she rushed out, hiding the spoon behind her back as if it mattered.“The problem is…I don’t know the person’s name.But I’d recognize her.Definitely her voice.”
His eyes sharpened.“It’s a female, then?”
“Yes.A female with a rough voice.”
He processed that, sifting through faces in his organization.There weren’t many women in his employ.Not many strong enough to meet his standards.
She stepped forward, wringing her hands.“I can draw her!I’m good with charcoal pencils, but even just a regular pencil will work.I promise, I wasn’t lying.”
“Fine,” he snapped.He left the room and returned moments later with printer paper and a pen.When he stepped back in, she was still standing where he’d left her, trembling slightly.
Something in his chest tightened.Possessiveness, sharp and sudden.
“Come with me.You can draw her while I pull up the movie.”He pressed the pen and paper into her hands, then deliberately took her hand again, relishing the softness despite the tremor.
In the movie room, he sat beside her and scooped another spoonful of ice cream, holding it out to her lips.“How long will it take you to draw her?”
“I…need something solid to draw on,” she murmured, voice catching, but she ate the offered scoop of deliciousness.
He disappeared into his library and came back with a massive leather-bound book.
