~VALENTINO’S POV~
“Thank you.”
The words leaped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
I hadn’t said that in years, maybe longer, and never like that, never with that kind of weight. But here I was, saying it for her.
I watched the way her lips parted, the way her eyes searched mine like she was trying to figure out who I was.
I didn’t blame her.
I didn’t even know who the f**k I was in that moment.
What the hell is this woman doing to me?
I’d taken bullets before—plenty—but never thrown myself in front of one, not for anyone, not even my brothers. They were the ones who took bullets for me; that was the code, the way the world worked when you were at the top.
But for her?
I didn’t even think twice.
And that kiss… Dio mio, I hadn’t kissed a woman like that in my entire life.
