"You want me." She steps closer. I force myself not to back up. "I want you. We're both adults. What's the actual problem here?"
"The actual problem is that you're in danger." My voice comes out harder than I mean it to. "Someone's threatening you. You're keeping secrets. Meeting with people like Ronan. And I can't—" I stop. Take a breath. "I can't protect you if I'm distracted. If I'm thinking about... this instead of keeping you alive."
Understanding dawns in her eyes. Then hurt. "So I'm a distraction now?"
"That's not what I meant?—"
"It's exactly what you meant." She wraps her arms around herself. "You know what? You're right. This was a mistake."
She turns and walks toward her bedroom. Every step feels like a knife to the chest.
"Elena—"
"Goodnight, Marco." She doesn't look back. "Thanks for reminding me where we stand."
Her door closes. Not a slam. Just a soft click that somehow feels worse.
I stand in the middle of her living room, staring at that closed door. My lips still tingling from the kiss. My chest tight with everything I can't say.
I did the right thing. Vito trusted me to keep her safe, not to get involved with her. She's family. She's in danger. Getting emotionally compromised would put her at risk.
All true. All logical.
All bullshit excuses for the fact that I'm too much of a coward to admit that I'm already in too deep. That somewhere along the way, Elena stopped being an assignment and started being everything.
I walk to the couch and drop onto it. Pull out my phone and scroll through messages from my men stationed outside. All quiet. No movement.
But nothing feels quiet. Not with the memory of her kiss still burning on my lips. Not with the hurt I saw in her eyes before she walked away.
Tomorrow I'll focus on the case. On finding out what she's hiding. On keeping her safe from whatever threat she's too stubborn to tell me about.
Tonight, I'll lie here and try not to think about how right she felt in my arms for those two seconds before I ruined everything.
Because that's what I do. I follow orders. I maintain boundaries. I do my job.
Even when it means pushing away the one person I want more than anything.
CHAPTER 16
Elena
I wakeup early and go for a run, something I haven't done in years. But today, it feels necessary—like my body needs to move or I'll combust from sexual frustration.
Last night's kiss was earth-shattering. Heart-stopping. Heart-pounding. I can't believe I was the one who kissed him first. I was so angry, but there was this gravity between us, pulling me into his orbit like I had no choice in the matter.
I didn't think he'd kiss me back. When he did... God. I've never been kissed like that before. It was passionate and fierce, making my knees weak and my pulse race in ways I didn't know were possible.
The memory of his hands in my hair, the way he yanked me against him like he couldn't help himself, sends heat shooting through my body all over again. I pick up my pace, hoping the physical exertion will burn off some of this restless energy.
I spot the black SUV trailing me about half a block back. Marco. Of course he's following me personally. Can't trust his men to do anything right, apparently.
At the next crosswalk, I make a split-second decision and dart into Central Park. The SUV can't follow me through thepedestrian paths. I weave through the morning joggers and dog walkers, taking turns I know will make it impossible for him to track me by car.
My phone buzzes almost immediately. I don't need to look to know it's Marco, furious that I've given him the slip.
I slow to a walk near the reservoir, catching my breath. The park is quiet this early, just a few dedicated runners and?—
My phone buzzes again. This time it's a text from an unknown number:Bethesda Fountain. 5 minutes.
