Page 47 of Less
“No.”
The word cracks through the room like a gunshot.
He steps closer, gripping my shoulders gently but firmly.
“I fucked up,” he says quietly. “Letting you stay here last night. Now that these threats are escalating? Staying isn’t an option.”
His dark eyes lock onto mine.
“But I have a contract—”
“I’ll return Carter’s money.”
His voice is calm.
Unshakable.
“I’ll deal with his lawyers, his assistants, whoever he wants to throw at me. I don’t give a fuck.”
He cups my face in his hands.
“But Less—your career! You can’t do this!”
“I can, and I am. Now get dressed.”
“But w-what if you change your mind?”
“About what? About you?”
He cups my cheeks, dropping a firm kiss on my lips.
“I’m not changing my mind. Never, Rusty. Your safety is everything.”
The intensity in his gaze steals the breath from my lungs.
“Your serious aren’t you?” I whisper, afraid to break the spell.
“Yeah, I’m serious. I lost you once,” he says softly. “I’m not risking it again.”
My heart hammers in my chest.
“So, you’re taking me? Back to New York?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
He grabs his jacket and phone.
“Ten minutes.”
Then he looks back at me.
“Pack what you need.”
“And when we get there?”
Alessio stops what he’s doing, narrows his eyes, and walks right up to me, grabbing the back of my neck in a firm, yet gentle grip.
