Page 47 of Ivory Ashes

Her hair is damp, twisted into a loose braid over one shoulder. She’s changed out of the swimsuit she must have been wearing, but the long-sleeved shirt she tugged on clings to her damp skin. I can make out the pucker of her nipple through the pale pink material.

Talking is the last thing I want to do.

But I nod and wave her in.

Viviana closes my office door and then stops a few feet away from my desk, her hands folded behind her back. She trains her hazel eyes on me and declares, “I’m not going to have sex with you.”

I’m tempted to glance down and see if there’s any possible way she can see the hard-on I’ve been wrestling almost nonstop since last night. But I resist.

“I don’t remember offering,” I drawl.

Her cheeks flush, but she lifts her chin. “We aren’t going to have sex, but you also can’t have any mistresses. I don’t want Dante to see his father treating his mother like she’s worthless the way Anatoly did.”

How does she know anything about Anatoly’s mother? That question slips through the cracks of the much larger thought in my mind.

“You’re accepting my offer.”

“I’m making my desires known before I accept,” she corrects, voice oddly formal.

“And do you have any other desires, Viviana?”

I don’t miss the way her neck flushes to match her cheeks. Her teeth tug on her full lower lip. “I don’t—I don’t think so. I think that’s it.”

“Okay. Then I agree.”

She frowns. “You do?”

She probably expected me to fight. To argue for my right to stick my dick in any woman I want. Little does Viviana know, that list is incredibly small. One name. The only woman who might tempt me to break my vow of celibacy is standing in front of me right now.

“I’ve already told you: I’m going to protect Dante. Marrying you and keeping you safe is a good thing for him. So, yes, I agree.”

Her mouth falls open. It might be the first time I’ve ever seen her too stunned for words.

“Anything else?” I ask.

She shakes her head slowly. “No, I mean… I guess that was… You really don’t mind not having sex? I thought that was going to be a sticking point for you.”

“I can control myself if you can.”

She ignores my insinuation and charges ahead. “And this is all for Dante? You’re willing to do all of this for him?”

I nod.

“Why?”

I know what happens when I don’t sacrifice everything for the safety of my family. I’ve lost one child; I won’t lose another.

“Because he’s my son,” I say flatly. “And you’re his mother. What other reasons do I need?”

Viviana studies me for a long time. I have the sense I’m being assessed for any signs of deception. Like she’s strapped me to an invisible lie detector test and is reading my responses.

Our eyes catch and hold.

There’s a physical weight to the tension between us. I have to fight against the force of it. If I don’t, I’ll end up across the room and between Viviana’s legs.

Where I belong.

“Also, I’m going to continue working at Cerberus,” she says in a rush.

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