Chapter Seventeen

STEPHEN

I woke up with my doll wrapped around me, and for the first time in weeks, I actually felt relaxed. Her body, soft and warm against mine, molded to me like she was made for it—like we were made for each other. I let my hand drift along the curve of her hip and closed my eyes again.

God, the way this woman loved me... the way she looked at me... It was everything a man like me could ask for.

But there was a downside.

She still didn’t know who I really was.

I’d let it go too long. I kept telling myself I’d tell her tomorrow. Then the next day. Then the next. And now, here I was, lying in bed with the woman I wanted to protect above everything else, in a constant state of tension—knowing full well that if she ever found out on her own... it’d be the end of us.

And I couldn’t take that risk. ~Wouldn’t~.

Trinity was everything.

She was the calm to my storm. She was the only light I saw in a world that, most days, was full of darkness. She was my soul.

It had been weeks since I knew I loved her. ~Truly~ knew it. I just hadn’t found the guts to say it out loud.

But last night? The way she took care of me, without question, without pressure, just knew I needed it … God, she deserved everything. She deserved the truth. And she deserved to know that I would give up everything—every damn thing—if it meant keeping her safe.

Even them.

Even the empire I’d built with my bare hands.

Especially now, because something was off. I could feel it in my gut—something was going to happen. I didn’t know when or how, but the energy in the air had shifted, and I needed to get ahead of it before shit blew up.

She kept asking me if something was wrong. I kept telling her no, that everything was fine.

But Trinity knew me. She knew me like Clint did—maybe even better. And I could see it in her eyes when she looked at me lately. She knew I was lying to her.

But how the hell do I tell her?

~Hey babe, no big deal, just thought you should know—I run the biggest cartel in the City. Also, last week when I was in London? Yeah, that was to track a potential rat in my inner circle. And surprise—it looks like the mole isn’t external. It’s internal. Right under my roof.~

It was fucking with my head.

I kept my crew small and tight. There were only a handful of people who had access to the kind of intel this mole had leaked. And it sure as hell wasn’t Clint, Dave, Chad, or Mike. They were my brothers, through and through. They’d built this with me from the ground up, and they knew they’d go down with me if this ship ever sank.

That left six others.

Six warehouse boys.

And one of them... was a rat.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath, staring at the ceiling as that ugly truth gnawed at the edges of my thoughts.

Just then, movement against my chest snapped me out of the spiral.

She stirred beside me, soft and warm, her breath still even as she wiggled further into me. I turned to her, slipping my arm more firmly around that beautiful waist and pulling her tighter. Her body arched in response, and the press of her ass against my groin was enough to earn a growl from deep in my throat.

That’s when I heard it—a faint giggle. Soft. Sinful.

She wasn’t asleep.

That little vixen was teasing me.

Oh, you’ll pay for that, doll.

I pressed my chest tighter to her back and leaned over, dragging my tongue slowly up the curve of her neck, stopping just below her ear before biting down—firm, but not too hard. Just enough to make her squirm.

At the same time, I reached around and grabbed a handful of her breast, squeezing tightly.

“Ahh... Stephen,” she gasped, voice low and breathless. “Mmm...”

Yeah. She was ready for me.

And if she was going to offer herself like this—hell, if she was going to play with me like this—I wasn’t about to let the moment pass.

I couldn’t afford to.

Because the truth was, I didn’t know how many more moments like this we had left before she found out who I really was—and walked away from me for good.

And if I only had borrowed time left with the woman I loved?

Then I’d take every second I could get.

We spent the next hour in bed—on each other, under each other, wrapped around each other—until we were both completely spent. Limbs tangled, bodies soaked in sweat, hearts pounding in unison.

As we lay there, breathless and spent, my hands stroked the soft curves of her body, memorizing her all over again. My doll lay curled into me, her moans reduced now to quiet purrs of contentment, and I knew—this was the moment. It had to be.

I couldn’t lie to her any longer.

I was madly in love with this woman. And she had every right to know the truth about the man whose bed she was in. The man whose life came with shadows and secrets. The man who, until now, had been too much of a coward to admit that.

But no more.

I tilted her face up to mine gently, cradling her chin in my hand. Our eyes met, and she smiled—soft, loving, completely disarming. That smile told me what I needed to know. She loved me, too. I’d seen it before, felt it in the way she touched me, but this time there was no mistaking it.

And it only made the guilt twist deeper in my chest.

I had let her fall in love with a version of me. A man with no past. No danger. No cartel. Just Stephen Gotti. I’d hurt the first woman I ever truly loved—by omission. And if she walked away when the truth came out … I didn’t know how I’d recover from it.

My thumb brushed her cheek as I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, needing to touch her, to feel her. “Hi, doll.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she ducked her head, smiling that sweet smile of hers. “Hi yourself, handsome.”

I shifted, pulling her petite body higher up mine, engulfing her in my arms. I was twice her size, yet she filled every corner of me.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, you know that, don’t you?”

Her blush deepened as she buried her face in my chest and mumbled for me to stop.

“What’s gotten into you, babe?”

I exhaled, my hand stroking lazily up her spine. “Nothing. Everything. You.”

She raised a brow at me, curiosity dancing behind her eyes, and I gave her the only truth that mattered.

“I love you.” My voice cracked, the words catching in my throat before I could steady them. “I’ve known for a little while now, but … you have to know. I love you. I’m in love with you. My heart is yours, Trinity. You’re the only one who could ever break me. And I swear to God, baby … you’re everything to me.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and for a moment—just one—I feared I’d ruined it. That she would pull away. That she wasn’t ready.

But then?

She smashed her mouth to mine, and I felt her desperation, her need, her love in every inch of that kiss. Her tongue swept into my mouth, and the way she took control of the moment made me groan into her lips.

When we pulled back, she was breathless. Her eyes gleamed.

“I love you too. I’m in love with you, Stephen.”

Those words hit me like a freight train—fast, brutal, and full of grace.

“Baby,” I whispered, brushing her hair back from her face, “there’s more we need to talk about. But I’ve gotta get back to the house—I promised Clint I’d help him out today. I want us to talk tonight. About everything. Can you stay at mine? I’ll invite Clint and Mia over, too. We can all have dinner, then you and I can sit down and really talk.”

Truth was, I needed the backup.

It was a coward’s move, yeah. But the idea of her walking out after I told her who I really was? That terrified me more than anything in this world.

And if she needed someone in her corner tonight—someone to talk her down after she heard the truth—I wanted Mia there for her. Just in case.

“Sure,” she said sweetly, kissing my lips again. “I’m actually meeting Mia today anyway, for a bit of shopping. If you’re a good boy, I might even pick you up a little treat.”

“Mmm, really?” I smirked. “Do I get a say in this so-called treat?”

“Sure, baby.” She kissed me hard before stepping out of bed and gathering her things for the shower.

I rolled onto my side, watching the sway of her hips as she moved—putting on a show for me. She always knew when I was watching. That sinful arch of her hip, the way she tapped her finger on her bottom lip…

“Hmm, maybe something from Agent provocateur … or Victoria’s Secret?” she teased.

“Green,” I said instantly, before she could finish.

She paused, laughing. “What’s that, baby?”

“Green,” I repeated, more serious now. “It looks stunning on you.”

She smiled, walking over to wrap her arms around me as I sat up. I stroked her face, and she looked down at me with those soft, shimmering eyes.

I leaned in and kissed her hard before giving her a playful smack on the ass. “Now move that peach, doll. We’ve got places to be.”