“She’s notsomething, asshole. She’s someone.”
“To me she is.” Lucien nodded. “To Whisper she is. But to you and those you work for? I’m not so sure.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means—”
“Lucien.” Pressing my mouth to his ear, I whispered, “You’re smoking.”
With a soft growl, Lucien clung to me as if I could dampen the fire threatening to break out of his skin.
Dillon’s temper landed on me. “You know what...just tell me what you’re hiding, Rook. I know something’s happened.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re wary of me. And...I feel like I’ve let you down. Do you hate me because I wasn’t there to protect you?”
“She had me,” Lucien snapped. “Iwas there.”
“Yes, and that’s the problem.” Dillon narrowed his eyes. “You’rethe problem.”
“How do you know that pear wine you’re drinking isn’t poisoned?” Lucien smiled.
Dillon scowled at the bottle then drank again as if he was too tired to care.
I thought I could do this.
I thought I could be brave but...
“Can I trust you, Dil?” I asked quietly.
He sat bolt upright. “What sort of question is that?”
“We’ve been together for over a decade. Are you loyal to me or are you loyal to Snowflake Corp?”
“YouareSnowflake Corp.”
“Just answer the question.”
Lucien burned again and my body sent an automatic blanket of snow his way. He pressed a gentle kiss against my neck, shocking me stupid.
Dillon scowled.
I caught Lucien’s eyes andeverythingcaught alight.
Our first meeting.
Our first conversation.
Our first touch, first kiss, first thrust.
He’d freed me from so much pain.
Captured my heart with so much belonging.
I could do this.
If Dillon hurt me, Lucien would heal me.
I would be brave.
Twisting on Lucien’s lap to face Dillon, I focused entirely on my bodyguard. “I’ve trusted you like the grumpy brother I never had. I secretly loved having you chase me because I knew that no matter where I was or how bad the pain got, you were only hours away to help me. You’ve held me through some of the worst attacks. You’ve travelled with me to some of the most remote locations. And I’ve never once felt like I was just a job to you. So I need you to tell me the truth, Dil. I need to know whatever it is that you’re hiding because...the thought that you’ve been lying to me all this time hurts far,fartoo much.”
