I waited.
She looked at me again.
“Is she going to do that to you, too?”
I let out a quiet breath.
“Fuck no.”
The relief in her face was immediate.
“You sure?”
“I’m positive.”
I reached for the glass in her hand and set it down on the small table beside us.
“My life doesn’t work like that.”
She studied me for a moment.
“Sometimes I feel like there’s a lot about your family I don’t understand.”
I brushed a strand of hair from her face.
“That’s on purpose.”
“You’re always protecting me.”
“Always.”
She stepped closer, resting her forehead against mine.
“You’re a good man, don’t ever forget that.”
I kissed her again.
This time slower.
Gentler.
I lifted her easily, setting her on the edge of the outdoor couch.
Emily laughed softly under her breath before pulling me down with her.
For a little while, Monaco didn’t feel like a battlefield at all.
CHAPTER 40
Ares
“They Should’ve Aimed Better”
Ihad already been awake for four hours by the time the clock hit eight.
Sleep never lasted long for me. Too many things moving. Too many plans sitting in my head waiting to be executed. And this had been the longest I had gone without a woman fucking my stress away. So the next best thing to do was to work out.
I pulled on my running gear, tying the drawstring on my shorts before slipping into my shoes.
