Page 141 of Adrianos, The Greek Devil

"I love you," he repeats. "And I hate how much power that gives the universe to fuck with me."

I laugh, but the sound breaks somewhere in the middle.

"Very romantic."

"You chose me."

"I did."

"Poor judgment."

"Catastrophic."

His mouth finds mine. The kiss isn't desperate. That's the first thing I notice. There is no anger behind it, no grief, no need to prove something before the world takes it away. His hands move slowly around me, and when he lifts me, I wrap my legs around his waist without breaking the kiss.

We don't rush. There is nothing to outrun tonight.

Later, tangled beneath the sheets, I rest my head against his chest while his fingers move lazily through my hair. The damaged door is still visible from the bed. Beyond it waits an investigation that could tear five empires apart.

Tomorrow, I'll open my laptop.

Tomorrow, Adrianos will start giving orders again, and I'll probably argue with half of them. OB6 will still exist. Someone inside the Crown may still be working against us. Declan has disappeared after receiving a message none of us understands, and hundreds of millions have already funded something we haven't identified.

None of that has changed.

Neither have we.

Adrianos is still ruthless enough to kill a man because he believes the threat has outlived its usefulness. I still believe unanswered questions deserve more patience than he gives them. He will never become a good man simply because I love him, and I have no intention of becoming comfortable with every dark thing he does.

Maybe that's why this works.

I don't need to turn him into something easier to love. He doesn't need to make me easier to keep. His arm tightens around me.

"You aren't thinking about OB6, are you?"

I lift my head. "Absolutely not."

"You're lying."