Page 65 of Not Your Hero

“That smile is the one I want to see all the time,” he tells me.

“I’m getting there.” His hands come to rest on my shoulders, massaging them lightly.

“I know you are, and I can’t wait to have you all the way there.”

“Why is this so important to you?”

“I want to see you happy, Em. I want to see you smile.” I look at him over my shoulder when he leans in and kisses me. I let him.I let him kiss me like he owns me, and maybe there’s a part of me that likes it. No, there is no maybe. There is a part of me that likes it. The way he makes me feel, like I’m secure and safe in his arms. I’ve never felt like that before, not with Brandon, not with anyone.

Gannix pulls back but wraps his arms around me as we look out the window together.

“What is that?” I ask, nodding toward the shrubs I see out there. It looks like … a maze.

“It’s exactly what you’re thinking it is.”

“A maze? In your backyard?”

“Yeah. Some days, I just want to get lost, and that’s where I go to do it,” he explains.

“But once you find your way out, you know how to get through it.”

“I have my gardener change it up every couple of weeks to keep it new. Some of it isn’t real. He can move the fake plants around and create a new maze.”

“And does it help? Getting lost out there?”

“It does. You’re welcome to try it,” he offers. I spin in his arms and gaze up at him.

“You’re letting me out of the house?”

“As long as you stay on the property, I don’t see an issue.” My smile grows bigger by the second. It feels like a win to me. Not that I care if I never leave the property. I’m content here.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now get dressed.” His hand slides down to my ass, squeezing it before he presses a kiss to my forehead and pulls away. I watch him leave the room before I move to the closet. I grab my clothes and hurriedly slip them on before making my way into the bathroom, where I clean up and finish getting myself ready.

When I’m done, I head out of the room to find Gannix, and when I do, he’s with another man who I don’t remember seeing before.

“Hello.” The man smiles at me. I look to Gannix as he nods at me once.

“Hey.”

“I’m Ren. I work for Nix,” he says, offering his hand. I walk over and reach out, taking it in mine.

“Emerson.”

“I know who you are, Emerson. And I’d like to say it’s a pleasure to meet you face to face.”

“You know who I am?”

“Gannix speaks highly of you often. And like I said, I work for him.”

“So you helped him stalk me?” Gannix chokes out a laugh as Ren smiles brightly.

“Something like that.”

“Are you ready, Em? Ren is going to keep an eye on the house while we’re out,” Gannix tells me, pulling my attention to him. I knew he had people working for him, but helping him stalk me? The thought should make me angry, yet it doesn’t.

“Yeah. I’m ready.” Gannix nods, and I follow him to the front door, where he holds it open for me. We walk out, and he opens my car door, ushering me inside before he walks around and climbs into the driver’s seat.

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