“But you're still sleeping with me, so what does that say about you?”
“That I have terrible taste in men, apparently.” He crossed to where I was standing. “And terrible timing. We just had sex for the first time less than twelve hours ago and now we're dealing with this shit.”
“To be fair, someone's been trying to kill us for weeks. The sex was inevitable.”
“That's one way to look at it.”
I grinned up at him. “You got a better explanation?”
“Not really.” He grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me closer. “But I'm not complaining.”
I kissed him right there in the kitchen with Dmitri upstairs and security on the way and a sniper somewhere out there who might still be watching.
Declan kissed me back like he meant every word he'd just said.
When we pulled apart, I rested my forehead against his. “You're an idiot for staying.”
“Probably.” He smiled but there was fear behind it, worry he was trying to hide. “But I'm your idiot now. So deal with it.”
“I can deal with that.” I kissed him again, quick and hard, trying to memorize the taste of him in case this was the last time I got to have it.
Dmitri came back down the stairs with heavy footsteps. “Bedroom is fucked. Glass everywhere. Both shots hit headboard. If you had been sleeping, you would be very dead.” He paused and looked at us standing close together. He grinned. “But you were not sleeping. You were down here doing other things. This is good timing, yes?”
“Dmitri,” I warned.
“What? I am just saying, morning sex saved your life. Is romantic in terrible way.” He pulled out his phone. “Security team is three minutes out. They will set up perimeter, watch approaches.”
“What are they going to do exactly?” Declan asked.
“Watch. Wait. Make sure nobody else takes shots at you.” Dmitri shrugged. “Standard security procedures.”
“You say that like it's normal.”
“For us, is normal.” Dmitri's phone buzzed. He checked it. “Security is here. I am letting them in. You two stay away from windows.”
He headed for the front door.
I grabbed Declan's hand and held on tight.
“This is insane,” Declan said quietly.
“But we're still here.” I squeezed back.
We stood there in his kitchen, holding hands while Dmitri let armed men into the house. While our morning got turned into acrime scene. While the life we had been trying to build together got shattered by violence neither of us had asked for.
But we were still here. Still breathing. Still together.
That had to count for something.
Even if I didn't know how long we'd get to keep it.
SEVENTEEN
UNDER WATCH
TROY
Declan left two hours ago. He'd grabbed his keys off the counter and walked out the door like someone hadn't tried to put a bullet through the bedroom window this morning.
