The BMW glided past the little Italian restaurant. I wistfully watched it disappear in the rear-view mirror, wishing for that day back.

Several times I almost opened my mouth and said something to Paige, almost dropped the bomb.

But I couldn’t do it. Not only could I not hurt her, but the repercussions of revealing what I knew might prove worse than imagined.

I didn’t lie when I said the young man in the photo was a family friend. That he was.

But he was also more than that.

He was Paige’s future husband.

Alfredo ‘The Pistol’ Moretti.

The reasons behind the murder of Paige’s parents had remained secret for years. Though I remembered them from growing up, just like I did the twins, I’d never spent too much time wondering just what had happened to them.

In the world I grew up in, sometimes things just ‘happened’. Asking questions wasn’t always the wisest choice.

“I hope it works out with your new position,” I found myself saying.

The words sounded ridiculous; talk about work pointless with so much else going on.

“Thanks,” came her just as hollow response.

I glanced over at Paige. Her head hung down, her eyes on her lap.

“If I marry this man,” she slowly said. “What kind of life is that?”

I opened my mouth then shut it, pain coursing through me.

“Will I be able to work or make any decisions for myself?” she asked, turning to look out the window at a time when I needed to see her face. “Am I even get to stay in New York, or will I even have a say in anything? This is just crazy. Does anyone have any answers?”

“I don’t know,” I rasped.

She vehemently shook her head. “I’m not doing this.”

She was preaching to the choir.

Paige’s nose wrinkled. “I just have to know. Did my parents make this arrangement? If not, did they know?” She sighed, not waiting for my answer. “I guess it doesn’t matter now. I’m not going to do it.”

“I don’t want you to, if that helps.”

She smiled sadly at me.

We were quiet until we hit Brooklyn. Paige’s phone beeped and she pulled it from her pocket to read a text.

“It’s Sophia. She says she just got a gig.” She read a moment more. “In Stockholm. She’ll be back in a couple weeks.”

“A gig, huh?”

I knew what that meant. This ‘job’ likely had nothing to do with DJ tasks. “You can’t stay by yourself at your apartment.”

“It’s fine.”

“I know you’re an independent young woman...”

She smiled cockily, the first real playful look I’d seen on her all day. “Yeah?”

“Yes, but you just left the hospital...”

And I don’t want you to go. And I’m worried I’ll never see you again. I wanted to add those things, but doing so would be pointless.

And kind of terrifying.

“And you shouldn’t be alone,” I finished. “Something could happen. What if you have another episode?”

“That was the only panic attack I’ve ever had. And I’ve accepted what caused it. It’s done with.”

“But now that you’re remembering things, something else could come up.”

Her lips pursed. She couldn’t deny the argument.

“Stay at my condo.”

“What about Franko and his friends? Aren’t they staying there? Thanks, Angelo, but I don’t really want to share bathroom space with a few college guys.”

“They’re gone. They’ve already left for Baton Rouge. And as far as space, there’s plenty of it there. You can have your own room and bathroom… Or you can share mine if you like.”

I tensed, waiting for her reply. This was the first time I offered to put a woman up in my home, to share my bed with her. The thought filled me with both dread and exhilaration.

Maybe she needed her own room instead. Her own space. That might stop me from getting too used to her being around. Just a couple nights sleeping by her side had done something to me. Any more and I would have a mental breakdown once she was gone.

Paige didn’t say anything.

Attempting to convince her, I reached out and touched her hand. She looked down at where our fingers met.

At the spur of the moment, I turned the car to the right, going down a street full of brownstones. Luckily, an empty parking spot popped up. I pulled into it and set the brake.

Paige looked wildly around. “What are we doing? Why did you stop here?”

I turned in my seat to face her, then placed a hand on her jaw. Her eyelashes automatically fluttered and her breathing went heavy, the exhales washing against my wrist.

“Stay with me,” I whispered. “At least for a few days.”

“Angelo...”

“Why can’t you just say yes?”

“Because… of everything.”

“The arrangement?”

Her eyes lifted to mine. “Yes.”

“That’s the main thing?”

“Yes. Believe me, I… I want to. God, I want to.”

Desire filled my veins. The need to take her right there in that car nearly overpowered me, but I kept it together, keeping my hand on her face and the space between us good and clear.

“You said you weren’t going through with it.”

Her face fell. “Yeah, I did say that.”

“Then what? What’s the problem?”

“What if… I don’t know...” She shook her head, shaking my hand loose. “This is so complicated now. Sophia told me not to mess with you. And now I’m...”

Attached? Was that the next word? The one she couldn’t bring herself to say?

I knew all about getting attached when you hadn’t meant to.

“There are too many reasons for you to stay with me, Paige. First of all, your safety. And secondly, I want you to. I don’t know what will happen next for us, but I know that I can’t let you walk away that easily.”

Her posture changed, her shoulders rising and her face turning back towards mine. Seeing an opportunity, I took it and leaned forward to kiss her.

She gave in immediately, relaxing as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her as close as the seat belts allowed.

My pulse thrummed and my dick hardened. I couldn’t think about tomorrow. All we had anyway was right now.

And right now, I needed to get her back to my penthouse.

I kissed her a little harder, sliding one hand down to press it against the curve in her lower back. My thumb swirled in circles, grazing the slip of bare skin between her sweater and pants.

Paige pushed forward a little bit more. I grabbed her hip and dug my fingers in, eager to have her on top of me.

She pulled back slightly. “You sure know how to convince a girl.”

“I wasn’t done yet.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “We’re parked on the street. I mean, I know it’s dark and all...”

“Mm hmm,” I murmured in agreement, running the back of my hand first down her throat then the center of her chest.

“You wouldn’t.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “You really think that?”

Paige bit back a smile. I grinned back, the stress of our lives forgotten about for one minute.

We could keep that minute going. Extend it into another one, and then another one. For how long, I didn’t know, but God, we could try.

“You’re driving me crazy,” she whispered, taking me by surprise by grabbing my hand and resting it right between her legs. It was hot there, and slightly damp.

I shifted in my seat, my dick so eager for escape that sitting still was rapidly becoming excruciating.

I ran my fingers across the fabric of her pants. She sighed and closed her eyes.

“I take it that’s a yes?”

Paige’s eyes snapped open. “Just for a few days.”

I hesitated. “Sure. For a few days.”

“Just to make sure I’m back to normal. Or, you know, whatever normal is for me.”

I solemnly nodded and pulled back into my own seat. With her finally broken, I couldn’t wait to get the two of us back to my penthouse to rip her clothes off.

“Will you take me to my apartment first, though? I need to get work clothes.”

I checked for traffic and then pulled out of the parking spot. “Will do.”

So, I’d gotten my extra minute.

Unfortunately, that new sixty seconds was the only thing guaranteed.