The admission warmed something in my chest, easing a tension I hadn't realized I'd been carrying. My arms tightened around him, drawing him closer in the privacy of the car's interior.
"We've known each other less than a week," Connor murmured against my neck, a note of wonder in his voice. "How is this even possible?"
I had no logical answer for him. By all rational measures, our connection defied explanation—hastily married strangers who had become each other's fiercest protectors in a matter of days.
It wasn't just the physical chemistry, though that remained as potent as it had been that first night in the hotel. It was something deeper, something that had made me install a tracking device in my body to match his, something that made me ready to fight one of the city's most dangerous men to keep him safe.
"I don't know," I admitted, the honesty easier in the cocoon of the car, with rain drumming on the roof and Connor's warmth against me. "But I'm not questioning it anymore."
Connor shifted slightly, his eyes finding mine in the dim light. "Promise me something," he said, his voice taking on an edge I hadn't heard before. "Promise me you won't sacrifice yourself to protect me. Promise me we really do this together, not with you throwing yourself between me and Harris."
The request caught me off guard. In my mind, protection had always been unidirectional—me shielding Connor from harm. The idea that he was equally concerned about my safety hadn't fully registered until this moment.
"I promise to try," I offered, unwilling to make a promise I might not be able to keep if it came down to his safety or mine.
Connor seemed to understand the qualification, his eyes softening. "I guess that's all I can ask from the great Julian Montgomery, CEO and professional control freak."
I laughed softly, the sound strange in the serious atmosphere. "I prefer 'strategic protector.'"
"Of course you do." Connor smiled, a real smile this time, though it didn't completely erase the worry in his eyes. "So what's the plan? Besides these fancy new accessories?" He tapped his bandaged arm lightly.
"We go home," I said, the word 'home' feeling different with Connor beside me. "We increase security. We prepare for Harris's next move, both against you and against the company.And we don't let him separate us, which is undoubtedly his goal."
Connor nodded, settling more comfortably against me as the car continued its journey through the rain-slicked streets. "Home sounds good," he murmured.
Through the tinted windows, the city passed by in a blur of lights and shadows, mirroring the uncertain future ahead of us. Harris was out there, plotting, leveraging his considerable resources against us.
The trackers in our arms were warm beneath our skin, a technological tether connecting us to each other and to the safety net Jake had created.
Would it be enough? Against a man with Harris's wealth, connections, and utter lack of moral constraints, would any precaution ever be truly sufficient?
I pushed the question away, focusing instead on the weight of Connor against my side, the steady rhythm of his breathing, the trust he'd placed in me despite having every reason to trust no one.
Whatever came next, we would face it together—not just as a hasty legal arrangement, but as a united front against the storm gathering around us.
As the car turned onto the private road leading to my building, I made a silent vow to myself. Harris might target my company, my reputation, even my life, but he would not—could not—take Connor. Not while I had breath in my body and resources at my command.
Some wars are fought in boardrooms, others in dark alleys and hotel rooms. I was prepared to fight this one on every front necessary.
For Connor, for us and for the unexpected connection that had become worth protecting at any cost.
Chapter Ten
~ Connor ~
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows in Julian's penthouse, watching my own reflection ghosting against the city lights below. In just a matter of days, my entire life had been flipped upside down.
I'd gone from a struggling college student to a married man with a tracking chip under my skin and a team of billionaires fighting to protect me. The universe had a weird sense of humor—my own family had tried to sell me, but these strangers were willing to wage war to keep me safe.
Behind me, Julian's luxurious living space had transformed into something that looked like a scene from a spy thriller. The elegant furniture had been pushed aside to make room for workstations, computer terminals, and multiple screens displaying data I couldn't begin to understand.
The marble dining table where we'd eaten just days before was now covered with maps marked with red pins that I assumed represented Harris's properties or trafficking routes.
Jake D'Amato stood at the center of it all, directing his tech team with the confident authority of a general commanding his troops. His usual easygoing demeanor had been replaced by something harder, more focused, as he pointed at screens and barked instructions that sounded like a foreign language to my ears.
"I need those server logs decrypted yesterday," he said to a woman with bright pink hair who typed furiously at her laptop. "And someone get me a direct line to Senator Williams."
Across the room, Lucas Kincaid paced back and forth, his expensive Italian shoes clicking against the marble floor as he spoke rapidly into his phone.
