“Why do you have to be like this?”
I didn’t even realize I had whispered it aloud until Andrew’s eyes snapped to mine. The words felt reckless, dangerous, like a confession of some fragile part of me that had been trying to hide. But there I was, standing too close, heart hammering against my ribs, looking at him in a way I probably shouldn’t have.
Andrew Villamor, brutal kingpin of his world, ruthless predator in the streets, yet somehow—against all logic—my protector, my keeper, my… obsession. And right now, he was both of those men at once.
He tilted his head slightly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Like what?” His voice was low, smooth, dangerous, and my skin tingled under the raw intensity of it.
I swallowed. “Like… like you can be terrifying and… caring at the same t
