“I don’t remember.”
“Ansel.” She says my name like a reprimand and a caress at the same time. “You can’t take care of me if you don’t take care of yourself.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re running on fumes.” But she’s smiling now, gentle and knowing. “Go take a shower. Eat something. I’ll be here when you’re done.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“I won’t be alone. Breck and Enzo are here. Adam and half your security team are surrounding the building.” She smiles. “I promise I’ll be here when you get back.”
The shower helps. The food helps more. By the time I’ve changed into clean clothes, the sun is rising over the city.
I find Remy in the kitchen making coffee. She’s changed into leggings and an oversized sweater that keeps slipping off one shoulder. Her hair is damp from her own shower, curling at the ends.
“Better?” She hands me a mug, exactly how I like it.
“Better.” I take a sip, then set it down. “Where are my brothers?”
“Sleeping. I sent them to bed.” She leans against the counter. “We need to talk.”
“About Trent.”
“About you.” She holds my gaze. “About this… your need to control everything.”
My spine straightens. “That need is what will keep you safe.”
“I know.” Her voice is soft. “And I’m grateful for it. But Ansel, you can’t control everything. You can’t plan for every contingency. And you’re going to drive yourself insane trying.”
“I’d rather be insane than helpless.”
“Is that what you think you are?” She moves closer. “Helpless?”
“When my parents died, I was helpless. There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t fix our world falling apart.” The words spill out before I can stop them. “I swore I’d never feel that way again.That I’d never watch someone I care about get hurt while I stand by uselessly.”
Remy’s eyes glisten. “I’m not going to die, Ansel.”
“You don’t know that.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She reaches up, cupping my face. “We can’t live in fear of what might happen. We can be careful, we can be smart, but we can’t let Trent win by letting him control our lives.”
I close my eyes, leaning into her touch. “I don’t know how to do this any other way.”
“Yes, you do.” Her thumb brushes my cheekbone. “You’ve been doing it. Every time you let Enzo handle security his way. Every time you trust Breck with a negotiation. Every time you hire someone brilliant and let them do their job.”
“That’s different.”
“How?” she asks confidently.
“Because I can replace a brilliant analyst or negotiator. If they leave, I hire someone else.” I hold her gaze. “But there’s only one you, Remy. Your safety isn’t something I can delegate or replace. None of them is you.”
Remy’s breath catches, and when I open my eyes, she’s staring at me with an expression I can’t quite read.
“I know this is too much,” I tell her. “I know that I’m too intense and too controlling and?—”
She kisses me. Her mouth crashes against mine with enough force that I have to brace my hand on the counter behind her. She tastes like coffee, and when her fingers thread through my hair, thinking becomes impossible.
I’ve wanted this for months. Wanted her. But I held back because of Damon, because I am her boss, and because of timing. I tried to convince myself I didn’t want her.
