Page 45 of Cruel Love

“Whoa…” I murmur.

Lucy leans into the stretch and exhales a soft moan. “That’s it…”

“What is?”

“Shh.”

I smile and stay quiet. I look from her big, closed eyes and down her throat to her neckline. Her cleavage is just barely visible over her shirt. My left hand wanders from her hip to her outer thigh and I feel the toned muscle just beneath the skin. She smiles as my hand drifts.

“Think you can get the other leg up, too?” I ask, joking.

She chuckles. “You already know I can.”

I laugh as she slides her leg down to the floor. “You’re getting stronger.”

“I’m getting back to what I was before,” she says, reaching for her cup again.

“Still stronger,” I say.

“Still not strong enough to be useful.”

I frown and sit on the edge of the bed. “Who told you that?”

“You did,” she says, pulling her leg back to stretch her thigh.

“I did?”

“You’re too green,” she quotes me. “We have two assassins, a bounty hunter…”

I sigh. “Lucy.”

“And a ballerina.”

“You know what I meant. Just because you’re not a fighter doesn’t mean you’re not useful. You serve another purpose.”

“Like what?” she asks. “Keeping your bed warm?”

“You know,” I lean back, “in some cultures, the lovers of warriors are treated like queens.”

“You gonna buy me a tiara?”

“If you want one.”

She chews on her lip. “Hrmm.”

“Lucy, I’m all muscle,” I say. “I shoot first and ask questions later. I don’t think more than one move ahead. You do. You’re smart, level-headed, and quick. And we need more of that.”

“So, I’m the brain of the Hart family?”

“You definitely are.”

“Guess that’s not so bad.” She shrugs. “Okay. Apology accepted.”

“What apology?”

“Quit while you’re ahead, Mr. Hart.”

I hold up my hands. “All right.”

---