Kat’s insides quaked. What she’d just done went against every self-preservation defense mechanism she’d spent years putting in place. She’d left herself vulnerable and at his mercy.

But she hated seeing Marco hurting. Sometime over the past few days, she’d grown more than fond of him. Her feelings for him had been all over the place—hatred, indifference, frustration, understanding, need. And now she’d come to care for him in a way she’d cared for no other person before.

He stared at her, his body still except for his strained breathing. Then she saw his hands shaking at his sides and she realized he was fighting to hold himself back.

She’d just have to help him give up the fight.

Stepping closer, she half expected him to retreat further, but he stood his ground. “If you come any closer, I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.” His expression was conflicted. “But I keep hurting you and I don’t want that.”

“Do you plan to walk away again?” she asked, taking another step. Maybe it was wrong, but knowing the hold she had over him made her feel powerful.

“Fuck no.”

She exhaled, not even realizing she’d been holding her breath. A small part of her—the part that still believed that what Leo had said was true, that she was worthless and no one would ever want her—had expected him to answer differently.

Anger flared within her as she realized she was still letting Leo have power over her. She closed her eyes, willing herself to let go. A feeling of relief washed over her as she felt the negativity leave her.

She opened her eyes, wanting to look at him as she spoke. “Then hold me.”

She didn’t have to say it twice. He closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her neck.

“Kat,” he breathed. “I’m so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.”

“I know.” She believed him. Marco protected what was his and somehow, despite their fucked-up situation and the odds that were stacked against him, she’d become his. She hadn’t even seen it coming. Perhaps that was the best way.

Or the only way. Lord knew she fought it as it was.

But seeing Ryan with Susan changed her perspective. If he could find happiness in spite of everything, then why couldn’t she?

* * *

I’m never letting her go.

It was a selfish thought. Marco didn’t deserve her. But damn—he needed her. And how could he turn down what she offered?

Especially when he finally understood what it cost her to do so. She’d overcome demons he couldn’t begin to understand.

He scooped his arm under her, lifting her and carrying her toward the bedroom. When he made love to her this time, he was going to take his time, do it the way he’d wished he’d done it earlier.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her head on his shoulder. When she let out a little sigh, it nearly undid him.

He laid her on the bed, joining her. His mouth found hers and he kissed her softly, slowly, tenderly. His hand found her skin under her shirt and her back arched at his touch, her flesh forming goose bumps. Through the sheer material of her blouse, her nipples hardened and he groaned, leaning down to flick her nipple with his tongue.

Her body reacted to him so completely, as did his. His cock throbbed against his pants, begging to find its home within her soft center.

But this wasn’t about him.

He undid the buttons on her shirt, letting it fall open. She brought her arm across her breasts, suddenly seeming shy when she hadn’t been earlier. Fuck, had he done something wrong? Raising his eyebrows, he leaned back, making sure he was reading her correctly and that she wanted him to stop.

“It’s okay,” she reassured him, her gaze moving from his face to her breasts. “It’s just . . . no one’s seen since . . .” She turned her head away as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

“It’s okay.” He repeated her words, wanting her to believe them. He wiped away a lone tear with his fingertip, then kissed the tearstain on her cheek. “Whatever it is.”

She scooted up to a sitting position, leaning back against the headboard. With a deep breath, she reached around to her back, unclasping her bra. Closing her eyes, she let the material fall away from her body.

Marco sucked in a breath. On the undersides of both breasts were a dozen circular red scars the size of her pinky nail. They were positioned so that a low-cut top wouldn’t reveal them. His gut chilled as he realized they were cigarette burns. That bastard had used her body as a damn ashtray.

For a moment, rage consumed him and he could think of nothing but killing the asshole who’d done this to her, but not before putting a cigarette out in his fucking eyeballs. An eye for an eye.

But Kat had worked so hard to move beyond the experience. His need for vengeance on her behalf would not help her move forward. So instead, he’d focus on the future.

He exhaled, releasing the rage with the breath.

He turned her face toward his. “You’re beautiful. These scars show how strong you are.”

“I let him do that to me,” she said, raw pain in her voice. “I was too stupid to walk away. Too weak to stop him.”

“Nothing that bastard did to you is your fault.”

“I know.” She cast her eyes downward. “Logically I know that. But I could have left.”

“You did.”

“It took him nearly killing me.”

“We all make mistakes. I’m not saying this is your fault,” he said quickly, “but we all have regrets. If we continue to live in the past, then those mistakes win. Don’t let them beat you.”

As he said the words, he realized they applied to himself as well. Except his situation was different. His mistakes hadn’t just affected him. His had maimed his friend.

He sat back as a dark cloud came over him.

She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and he raised his eyes to hers.

“I’ll forgive myself if you do the same,” she said. “Ryan has forgiven you. And I do, too.”

Those words cleansed his soul and he felt a whoosh as years of guilt left his body. He let out a shaky breath.

“Kat . . .” He didn’t know what to say. What she’d given him was beyond anything he could have ever hoped for.

But she knew exactly what to say. “Make love to me.” Her eyes locked onto his, communicating so much more than words ever could.

He brushed her hair away from her face and as he did so, the realization hit him. “You haven’t been with anyone since him.”

“No,” she said quietly. “You’re the first.”

It blew his mind that she’d chosen him. Her confession also told him what he already knew—he should have taken his time with her earlier this evening instead of taking her right there on the couch. But looking into her eyes, he decided to take his own advice—he wasn’t going to let that mistake control him.

And now he’d do what he should have done.

He leaned his head down to her left breast, kissing each scar before moving to the right breast and repeating the action. Then he pulled his shirt over his head, wanting to feel her flesh against his.

She tugged at his pants and he quickly removed them while she shimmied out of hers. He stood back for a moment, viewing her full naked form—the swell of her breasts, the flat tummy, the curve of her hips.

“You’re beautiful,” he rasped out, barely able to form the words.

She lifted her arms, inviting him to hold her. He obliged.

The lengths of their bodies aligned as they kissed—slow lazy delves of the tongue that explored. His hand caressed every inch of her within reach with a tenderness that healed.

She flung her leg over his hip and they shifted so that he was positioned over her, pressing at her center.

Though she gripped his hips and pulled him forward, he stopped. “I didn’t hurt you before, did I?”

She shook her head. “No, you gave me what I needed.” She bit her lip, casting her eyes downward before returning her gaze to his. “Marco, I need you now.”

He entered her slowly, watching her pupils dilate as he filled her. Her nails dug into his ass, making it so difficult not to ram himself into her again and again.

He raised her knee, opening her even more and she gasped as he went in deeper. He set a steady rhythm of long agonizing strokes, not taking his eyes off hers for a moment. When she wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her ankles, he nearly lost it.

Reaching between their bodies, he found her clit already swollen. He rubbed it with his thumb and immediately she clenched around him, her muscles spasming.

As she buried her face in his shoulder and let out a cry, he gathered her to him, finding his own release.

* * *

Waking up next to Kat was the most glorious thing. Marco would never grow tired of watching the sun slowly rise, pitching its rays across her body.

Her eyelids fluttered and when they opened, she blinked a few times, gaining her bearings. She turned on her side to face him, tucking her arms under her head.

“Good morning,” he said.

Her luscious lips spread into a shy smile that alighted desire inside him. He hadn’t expected this shy, vulnerable side of her. His Kat was full of surprises.

His Kat . . . that was how he thought of her.

And now it pained him to have to break the bad news to her.

“There’s no food in the apartment,” he said, “which means no—”

“No coffee?” Her eyes widened, horror filling them.

He nodded solemnly. “And we never ate the Chinese food last night, so that’s still sitting on the counter.”

It was a waste, but he would do it all over again, even though his stomach was gnawing with hunger.

She bit her lip, blushing. “Sorry about that.”

“No regrets,” he said. “If you want to jump in the shower, I’ll run out and get us some coffee and breakfast.” He’d planned to do that before she woke, but he hadn’t been able to pull himself away from her.

He’d prefer to spend the morning in bed, but they were already pushing it as it was. She wouldn’t want to be late to work and he’d promised Tony he’d fill in.

It only took twenty minutes for Marco to run out and pick up breakfast. He left the pastries on the kitchen counter but took the coffee directly to Kat. He figured she’d be desperate for it by now.

When he opened the bedroom door, he was lucky he didn’t spill the coffee all over himself in a repeat of yesterday. Kat wore nothing but a bra and panties with her damp hair framing her face as she peered into the mirror, applying makeup.

The sight took his breath away.

She turned quickly, her eyes going straight to the coffee cup instead of looking at him. Seeing how he rated, he chuckled as she took it in her hands greedily.

After the first sip, she sighed. “You’re my hero.”

“Really?” he said dryly. “After everything else, it’s the coffee that makes me your hero?”

She tilted her face up toward his, her breasts brushing against his chest. “A girl’s got to have priorities.”

Her lips touched his and when he dipped his tongue into her mouth, he found she tasted of coffee.

As he wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer, she wriggled out of his grasp, playfully pushing him away.

“Get in the shower,” she said. “We don’t want to be late.”

She was right, but damn.

Twenty-five minutes later, they locked up the apartment and set off for the day. Marco only hoped it wasn’t quite the fiasco that yesterday was.

Of course, the day had ended well, he thought with a smile.

The media circus in the Adamo parking lot could be seen from two blocks away. As Marco got closer, he noticed the reporters and cameras were convened near the parking space marked CEO. So much for a calm, uneventful day.

“Fuck.” When he’d told Tony he’d hold down the fort, he hadn’t known it would involve battling through bloodthirsty reporters just to get into the building.

Still, his answer still would’ve been the same.

But Kat shouldn’t have to deal with this. And they certainly didn’t need her face flashed on the news, although chances were X’s enemies already knew where she worked. Though they hadn’t taken her badge, it had been in the car. Besides that, they’d most likely started gathering intel as soon as they learned her name.

The thought of how much they probably knew about Kat made him sick to his stomach.

Marco bypassed the entrance, going around to the back. He glanced over at Kat. “Use this door. I’ll meet you inside.”

She nodded, opening the car door. She put one foot out, then paused, turned, and leaned back in to kiss Marco.

He closed his eyes, savoring the sweetness of her lips for a moment. Then she was gone and he was left alone to face the vultures.

As he drove around to the front, he looked down at his clothes. Shit. He was wearing jeans and a long-sleeve shirt under his coat, certainly not what the spokesman for Adamo should wear. He didn’t have any business clothes with him, but besides that, he hadn’t anticipated being in the public eye.

He pulled into his father’s parking space just as Ingrid stepped outside. She wore a suit and a take-no-prisoners expression. It would probably be smarter to just let her handle it, but he wasn’t going to leave her to deal with the wolves herself.

One reporter noticed him and recognition sparked in her eyes. She dashed over to his car. “Can you make a statement?”

He had no clue what she was talking about, but he had a statement for them—fuck off. Instead, he kept his cool and walked to stand next to Ingrid.

A reporter shoved a microphone in their direction, not seeming to know who to address. “What can you tell us about Tony Adamo’s departure for Miami and his involvement with Veronica Frazier Morrison?”

How in the hell had they found out where his brother had gone so quickly?

“That’s a private matter,” Marco said, taking the lead. Ingrid could answer any business-related questions, but that was personal.

“My sources state that Mr. Adamo was once engaged to Ms. Morrison, but is now engaged to her sister, Ms. Virginia Frazier.” It was the reporter who’d met him at his car. He narrowed his eyes at her, trying to keep a professionally neutral expression but failing miserably. “Ms. Morrison has been arrested for the murder of her late husband and Santi Adamo will soon be on trial for the production and distribution of narcotics. This means Adamo Enterprises is now closely associated with not one, but two notorious criminals. How does that bode for the future of the company?”

Marco ground his teeth and slowly exhaled through his nose. “No Adamo employees are involved in either of those cases and that’s all I have to say regarding the matter. Now I must insist that you vacate the property.”

He might not be able to control the stories they ran, but this was private property. He could at least keep the employees from being harassed.

Ingrid patted him on the shoulder. “Go inside. I’ll take care of this.”

As he was walking away, the same pushy reporter asked, “Is Marco Adamo taking Santi Adamo’s place?”

The door banged closed behind him, drowning out the sound of the reporters. He should not have left poor Ingrid out there to deal with the reporters alone, but if he had to listen to more of their bullshit questions, he would lose his shit. She was much better equipped to deal with the situation. His mother’s desire to stay out of the public eye suddenly made a lot more sense.

God, he hoped once his father was convicted, the media’s fascination with his family would cease. While at one point he’d been resigned to being the face of Adamo Enterprises, he’d never enjoyed being in the public eye.

He headed up to his brother’s office.

He and Kat were essentially doing the same thing—hiding. The trouble was these problems weren’t going to go away by themselves. So far they’d only been reactive. Perhaps it was time to be proactive.