Page 266 of Hateful Games

“Jealous?”

He gives a throaty chuckle. “No.”

The automated voice interrupts by informing us we’re a few minutes away from our destination. We’re driving down an industrial road, just on the outskirts of the city. What could he possibly have for me here? I’m utterly clueless.

So, I focus on my lap.

Remember when he said he has a Kindle in every car, it’s very much true. It’s what I’ve been busy reading for the last half hour or so as he drives me to my surprise.

“Although one thing about my morning routine has changed lately,” he says after a beat of silence.

“What’s that?”

“Watching you sleep,” he reveals shamelessly. “I always used to arrive first in the office. Now, I’m the last.”

I’m not the least bit sorry. “It’s a good thing you’re the boss.”

After a few minutes of driving on a stoned and hurdled road, Nova parks outside a temporarily bordered barren land. I’m frowning while trying to guess the purpose of our trip here. We both get out and he takes my hand when I round the hood to him.

“Where are we?” I ask.

“Come.”

We enter through a makeshift gate and there’s nothing but huge acres of land all around. I twirl in a circle and come up short of an explanation. Peering at a casual Nova, I quirk my eyebrow and say, “This looks like a place where you bring someone to kill, Nova. Getting rid of me already?”

He doesn’t laugh at my morbid joke.

Stepping closer, he cups the back of my neck and leisurely informs me, “The land is for you to build your dream shelter. I’ve set up a contract with Justin’s company for the construction and a team at mine to help with operations and anything you need to make this happen.”

It takes several seconds for his words to truly sink in. Even then, I stare at him open-mouthed, ensuring I’m not hallucinating. I don’t know whether to burst from joy or cry at the enormity of what he’s just offered me. I’m unable to express how I feel.

He bought me a piece of land overnight.

For a cause close to my heart.

Because he saw me upset yesterday.

A project like that costs a fortune.

I grab the lapels of his jacket, feeling like my legs will give out. Tears form in the corners of my eyes as I gasp, “Nova… this is too much.”

“It’s not really.” He brings me closer in the comfort of his strength. “But it’s a start to making a bigger difference. I saw the guilt in your eyes, Rose. But I also saw your passion. I don’t ever want you to feel like you didn’t do enough. Let me help you.”

“If I accept this, I can never repay you, Nova.”

“Do you really think so little of me that you think I’ll ask for it back?”

I shake my head, cupping his face. “Of course I don’t, baby. No one has ever taken me as serious as you do for my love for dogs. And I’m just overwhelmed at your sweet gesture. I also don’t want you to invest your hard-earned money on a project that may not give you a return on your investment.”

“I care about none of that, Rose. Money doesn’t matter to me. What does is never coming home to seeing you cry like you did last night. Not if I can fix it. I thought I feared nothing but then I realized my worst fear and it’s watching you fall apart. I can’t handle it, sweetheart.” His eyes are pained, haunted, with longing and awe as his thumb rubs back and forth on my bottom lip. Pushing a wayward tear away as he roughly says, “You have no idea what you do to me, Rose. All I know is, I never want to stop feeling this way. You said you loved my thoughtful gifts, and this is exactly that. So, stop arguing and say yes.”

Words don’t feel enough.

A simple thank-you isn’t enough to express the multitude of emotions racing through my chest. Lifting my hands to wrap around the back of his neck, I pull him down and press my lips against his.

Outside of our heated and passionate nights, I’ve never willingly kissed him.

Today, I can’t stop myself even if I wanted to.

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