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She peeked at Roth. The golden light softened the brutal cut of his features while the wind played with his hair, tousling it so he looked carefree and ruggedly appealing.
Sensing her stare, he looked down.
“Thank you for being kind to my friends,” she said.
“They’re good people.”
She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him as she tried to absorb his warmth. “I saw you and Johnny arm in arm,” she teased.
He raised one brow. “You want me to be nice, don’t you?”
“You like them. Admit it.”
“They’re likable,” he said with a shrug.
“They’re one in a million.”
His eyes slid to the left, where she knew Johnny and Aleixo were. “They make this place come to life.”
Her heart flooded with joy. “You understand why I needed more time here?”
He grunted.
“So…” She hesitated, which brought his gaze back to her. “Our deal shouldn’t apply.”
She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but the humorless quirk of his lips wasn’t it.
“I wondered what tact you would take to get out of our agreement.”
She didn’t like that he had been expecting her to renege, but with each passing day, knowing she had recklessly agreed to more time caused her to toss and turn at night. “I shouldn’t have to bargain with you to spend time with my friends.”
“You agreed to be mine for a year. That means every hour of every day. I don’t have to share you if I don’t want to.”
“What does nine days matter to you? All you do is work.”
“I told you it’s not always going to be like this. I’m tying up loose ends so I won’t have to travel so much and can run things from New York. That’s almost at an end. Once my schedule’s clear, things will be different.”
Her heart jumped. “Different how?”
“We scratched the surface the first time around. This time, I’m going to indulge to the hilt.”
His choice of words, paired with the look in his eye, caused an unwelcome spurt of heat in her gut.
“This is a business arrangement,” she reminded him.
“Call it whatever you want.”
She lifted her chin. “I want to renegotiate.”
“No.”
“Roth—"
“You offered a deal. I accepted. Case closed. You owe me nine more days.”
“You’re heartless!”
The setting sun reflected off his eyes, giving them an eerie orange glow.
