Free Carnevale and Subterfuge by Selena Illyria

uncomfortable.
    “I saw you leave, tesoro. I watched you go and yet I knew that it must be this way. I don’t want to let you go, amore mio . I really don’t. You have formed a space in my life that I’m not sure what to do with. A guy like me doesn’t deserve to have a woman as good and sweet as you. That much I know. I’m not a murderer or anything, nothing so violent, but in my line of work one makes a lot of enemies. If one of them were to capture you, I don’t know what I would do. So for now we must part as Anarrae and Dodger. For now.”
    He smiled and brushed back a few strands of hair from her face.
    “Goddess, I’m going to miss being with you. We started something, you and I, and one day, if we ever get the chance, I want to see where it goes. So you’d better be ready. I don’t care if you think you’ve found someone or if he makes you happy. I’m your man and you are mine, always. Understand?” Diego placed another small kiss on her lips and stood up. “ Arrivederci, per ora, amore mio. ”
    She let out a soft sigh. That small sound tugged on his heartstrings. It took great effort for him to leave. When he stepped out the door, he found his brother leaning against the wall, waiting for him.
    “Done?” Roberto asked.
    “For now, yes.” Diego walked past his brother, who fell in step beside him.
    “What do you mean, for now?”
    “I mean there are no guarantees that I’m going to stay away from her while onboard the ship. There’s no way in hell I’m letting another man take what’s mine.”
    “Die—” his brother started.
    “Don’t start. I finally found a woman I can be myself with. I’m not letting her go entirely. I understand the ambassador’s life is at stake, and we’ve been charged to protect him. I do remember that. On the other hand, if my path crosses with Ana’s, then I won’t push away the hand of fate.”
    “This is a bad idea, Diego. You could get hurt.”
    “So?”
    “I don’t like seeing you in pain.”
    “Pain is part of life, my brother.” They arrived at the bank of elevators and stepped into the empty cab. “Besides, when she’s worth it, then what’s a little heartache and blue balls now and again?”
    He began to laugh and so did Roberto.
    They made their way back to Diego’s apartment to prepare for what they had to do. The first thing he had to do was change his appearance. He headed for the bathroom, stripped out of his shirt, and stood in front of the mirror. With his mind, he accessed the nanites running through his blood. His thick, wavy hair flowed past his shoulder and turned to a burnished gold color with pale-blond highlights. His scars disappeared, and his eyes became a rich sapphire blue. The small machines couldn’t change his bone structure but anything superficial could be altered.
    Reluctantly, he took the black barbells out of his nipples. Just in case he did lose control around Anarrae and they ended up in bed together, he didn’t want to risk her recognizing his piercings or tattoos. Taking out the barbells was easy; altering his massive tattoos was not. It took great effort and concentration to change the tribal markings on his arm and the right side of his body. The artwork morphed, flexing, curling, changing, until they became a large sun on his arm and swirling, coiling spirals and stars over his chest and down his ribs.
    His skin burned in the aftermath and a dull ache throbbed its way up his side and down his arm. Diego blew out a breath. He looked so different. In the past, he’d had to change his appearance but not by much. As he gazed at himself, his reflection disturbed him. Even though she had never seen his face, he couldn’t help but wonder if in this new guise she would still recognize him. It was ridiculous and yet the thought wouldn’t go away.
    Doubts began to cloud his mind. Should he pursue Anarrae or not? He wandered out of the bathroom to find his brother sitting on the small couch in the living room