Page 66 of The Fox

Fuck.

CHAPTER 44

Rhodes---Compromise

I hear the front door close, and Lennon leaps from the kitchen island with a chirp. Amelia murmurs affection at him before kicking off her shoes, and padding into my view. She’s wearing a pair of slacks and the deepest green blouse that highlights her curves. Lennon is curled up in her arms, and I want her curled into mine.

“Hey,kochanie,” I say as I place the slotted spoon on the spoon rest. I’m making borscht for dinner. I’ve been slowly introducing Amelia to Polish food, and my mother’s recipe is fool-proof. I walk toward the pair, scratching Lennon’s head before kissing Amelia deep and slow. Feeling her melt into me, I thread one hand into her hair, pulling it from whatever twist she’s wrapped it in, and my other snakes around her wide hips. I squeeze the flesh there, pulling her into me as Lennon angrily jumps away. Amelia chuckles against my lips, and I see a slight smile dance on her mouth.

“Hey. What’s for dinner?” Her voice is soft and it makes my brow furrow. I take a step back, keeping my touch on her body as she follows me into the kitchen. Leaning against the counter, I watch as Amelia starts to drop the armor she’s worn today from her frame. Those strong shoulders soften, her chest softly rises and falls in a relaxed way. “It smells delicious.”

“Zurek.” She spins, facing me with a look. “It is a classic Polish recipe—one that I think you’ll like. It’s white borscht, one of my go-to comfort meals as a kid.” I see her peer back into the simmering pot, the scent of the creamy and peppery soup wafting up to her.

“What’s in it?”

“Potatoes,” I say with a wink. Amelia rolls her eyes and waves her hand for me to continue. “Good kielbasa, root vegetables, and rye bread. Mama would make it with this super sour rye starter, but I didn’t have that so I snagged a loaf of rye on the way home to use instead.”

I move to the kitchen sink where a bowl of hard-boiled eggs sit, cooling in an ice bath. Plucking one, I start to peel them. Amelia moves to stand beside me, the gentle scent of her lotion wrapping itself around me.

“What are the eggs for?” There is suspicion in her voice, and it isn’t unwarranted. She has discovered that Polish food isn’t always the most straightforward.

“You pour the soup on top of them.” I chuckle as Amelia nods her head, trepidation radiating from her. “It’ll be good, I promise. Now, go sit your fine ass down and have a cup of coffee, yeah?” She’s a creature of habit and her after-work decaffeinated coffee is one of those habits that she will not let go of.

I hear the scraping of her mug against the countertop and it makes me smile. It’s the little things. “How was work,kochanie?” There is silence for longer than I like, so I turn to face her. Amelia’s face is buried in her arms, her hands wrapped around the mug tightly. I lean across the island, resting my palms on the back of her hands. “Amelia?”

She lifts her face and I can see that she doesn’t want to answer. Unfortunately, I am not backing down. Sometimes, Amelia forgets that she is no longer alone. “Do I have to talk about it?” she whispers.

“No, you don’t. But, I do think you’ll feel better once you do.” It earns me a roll of her eyes, but she takes a deep breath and meets my gaze.

“I am meeting Medina next week.” Those grey eyes are firm in her statement. “Alone.”

Yeah, fuck that.

“No,” I growl. “You will not.”

“He threatened Parker.” I pause, understanding that he hit her right where she is most vulnerable, the fucker. Anyone who has been around the two of them knows that Amelia and Parker are a package deal. They will be loyal to each other until death. Likely beyond that, honestly.

“Amelia.”

“He threatened you.” Amelia’s voice is cold and resolute. I hear the tremor in it, buried deep within her strength.

The world stops spinning on its axis. Medina going after Parker was smart. Him going after me meant suicide. Amelia Conte has denied herself happiness for so long, and the second Medina caught wind of it, he decided to rip it from her. The woman before me is calculating, cunning in the most devastating way. She will not allow him to get to me.

She’ll sacrifice herself first.

“I will not lose you, Ro.” I round the island, yanking Amelia from the stool and crushing her against my broad chest. She nestles into that place between my pecs, the one that feels like it was made just for her. I place a kiss atop her head, my long hair shielding us from the outside world. I will be her fortress, her refuge. My arms will always be a safe harbor for her weary heart.

“I can’t let you go alone,kochanie.”

“I have to.”

“Amelia.”

She pulls back from me, tilting her head back and I brush the hair from her face. “I don’t have a choice. I’ll have my blades, and Duncan will be nearby, but I cannot enter that room with anyone else.”

“I don’t like it. I don’t trust him.”

“You don’t have to like it, Ro. I love you, but I need you to trust me. I am not afraid.”

---