Page 213 of Vicious Temptation

The teasing falls away as our eyes meet.

“Thiago…”

His phone vibrates in his pocket before I can say anything else.

“Go ahead,” I tell him. “After today, who knows what kind of fresh hell has taken over Philly?”

He pulls out his phone and lets out a breath as he reads the screen.

“It’s Ryan. Letting me know the commander was pulled overseas for the next several days.”

“Oh.” I feign disappointment. “I’m sure everyone will miss her.”

Thiago chuckles, tosses his phone onto the coffee table, then grips my ass with both hands and stands, taking me with him.

“You still owe me a movie night, chama.”

“It’s a good thing I restocked on popcorn and lollipops.”

“Perfect.” He carries me down the hallway. “But first, we’re washing this day off us.”

“Agreed.”

He makes it a few steps before stopping.

“You definitely locked Clarice’s enclosure, right?”

I’m too busy laughing to answer.

Fifty-Two

thiago

Pai,

I think I'm falling in love with her.

Ihaven't said it out loud yet. I don't even know if I'm ready to. But I wake up thinking about her. I go to sleep wishing she were beside me. And in the middle of all this shit I've gotten myself into, she's become the one thing that feels right.

You'd probably tell me I already know what that means.

Maybe I do.

I stare at the words for a long moment before closing the notebook I left open on my nightstand for three days.

Admitting it to a page is one thing. Saying it to Remi is another.

I stumble into the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. Lack of sleep is written all over me, which isn’t surprising, since I didn't get home until just before sunrise.

We were called in late last night for a downtown barricade. A bomb threat and a handful of hostages turned what should’ve been a routine operation into an all-night ordeal. I could’ve slept longer, but summer festivities are in full swing across the city, which means longer shifts, more overtime, and less time with Remi.

The commander being overseas is a welcome relief. Not having to answer to her directly for the next few days gives me some breathing room, even though I know it won't last.

As if thinking about Remi were enough to summon her, my phone vibrates on the nightstand. The ringtone I assigned to her number reaches me from the bedroom, and whatever exhaustion I felt a second ago takes a back seat.

I cross the room and grab my phone.

“Fera.”