Page 462 of Dark Love

Hope, the sweet little girl in front of me, a sniper?!? Those two don’t seem to go together. “Your grandfather just handed you a gun?”

“No, that would be stupid. Gun safety is a real thing in my life. Are you safe? Because I could teach you how to use one. Or tell my dad to get rid of that guy.”

Why can’t people see through the slightly scary façade that Vex puts up?

“You just looked up at the stairs.” Hope gapes at me. “He’s here. Vex is here. And you’re in your pajamas.”

Lie. Lie like you’ve never lied before. “Um.”

“I knew it. He’s up there standing guard, isn’t he? Don’t even try to lie to me. I know he’s there.”

It’s official. I am the worst liar in the world, and I don’t even need to say anything to give myself away. “Want to come in for some breakfast?”

“Breakfast was hours ago. So are you two—" She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

This is not happening.

This is a horrible nightmare. I’m still in bed cuddled up next to Vex… but when I'm with Vex I never have nightmares. “Hot chocolate. I need cocoa.”

“Cocoa sounds good.”

Ditching social niceties, I head to the kitchen without checking to see if she’s following me. Like I could get rid of her that easily.

“So are you to living together or are you just having sex?”

WHAT? I stumble to a stop, almost tripping over my own feet.

“He’s hot, so I totally get why you’re sleeping with him. Though my aunts won’t understand.”

Her aunts. It is too early in the morning for this. “I need cocoa.” Skip cocoa. I need a strong shot of hard liquor in a triple espresso and six aspirins. That would cure everything… or kill me… It would probably definitely kill me.

Thankfully, there’s still cocoa left from the pot that Vex made yesterday morning. I pour it into two mugs and pop it into the microwave without speaking. Hope gives me a few minutes of peace.

As I slide the whipped cream and cocoa powder topped drink over to her, she asks, “So what’s it like?”

“Huh?”

“Sex,” she whispers. “What’s it like having sex?”

No.

No.

No.

Tell her it’s wonderful. Tell her it’s terrible. Tell her that the only time sex is enjoyable is when you’re married to the man of your dreams. “We aren’t having sex.”

“What? But he’s here. He stayed the night. I might not be eighteen yet, but I know when men spend the night at a woman’s house, they’re having sex.”

Usually. “Vex and I aren’t having sex. We haven’t even kissed yet.”

Her mouth drops open.

Great. Just wonderfully, horribly, amazingly, terribly great. I set down my untouched cup and lean forward on the bar so that we’re almost eye to eye. “Sex isn’t love. When you love someone, you wait until they’re ready. It’s not about satisfying your carnal desires. Love is about so much more than that. Real love is when a man sees you, hears you, cares for you, and protects you. It’s when he doesn’t need to be told you aren’t ready, because he took the time to get to know you. It’s when he cooks you vegetables because he wants you to be healthy.” Or helps you sort out your library because it overwhelmed you. Vex loves me. He hasn’t said it yet, but he loves me.

Hope sighs. “No one is ever going to fall in love with me. My dad’s going to kill them before they can fall in love with me.”

Literally? No. Vex had to be kidding when he said the Vincentis were part of the mafia. “When the right man comes along, he’ll stand up to your dad—”And grandpa.“—and fight for you.”

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