Page 70 of Resurrection

“I’m surprised Sean was fine with handing over that much equity.” I search her face. “He give you any resistance?”

“The legal side of the exchange. He’s not keen to go to jail for aiding you.” She winks at me. “I told him a broke Finn was an angry Finn with nothing to lose.”

I smirk and glance away. That’s not true anymore, but I can understand how her argument would be persuasive.

She kneels between my legs, and my chest aches at the sight of her. Shouldn’t giving into these emotions have stabilized me or at least not made them worse? My desperation to keep her safe, to keep this closeness forever, has peaked. Anyone who hurts her will suffer my wrath.

I smooth a piece of her hair behind her ear. “When does Ekaterina arrive?”

“Two hours.” She undoes my jeans and gazes at me under her lashes. “I wonder how we can pass the time?”

I slide my hand up her leg and under her skirt to caress her ass. She’s not wearing any panties.God, I love her. “You want to see the stars?”

Her smile is wicked as she frees me from my jeans. “I love mapping the constellations.”

Cupping her ass with both hands, I lift her onto her desk. “Well, who am I to deny you?”

Her laugh gets swallowed up when my lips descend on hers.

There are still rooms in the chalet I didn’t realize existed. We’re in the boardroom above the garage. I thought the door into here was a closet. Architecture is not my forte. Lena is showing Ekaterina through when she arrives. While we wait, I make a mental note to revisit this space. The wooden table stretches across most of the room with rolling chairs at regular intervals. Table. Chairs. Projector wall. I want every nook, crevice, surface in this house to remind her of me, of us, of how good being with me is. No matter what Eric’s got planned, she won’t be able to consider anyone or anything other than me. She’s mine, and I have no problem playing dirty to keep her.

“Finn.” Carys grabs paper off the printer. “Did you hear me?”

Her voice brings me out of my head, and I raise my eyebrows at her in silent question.

She frowns and finds an imaginary hair to stuff into the complicated braid. When it’s the two of us, she wears her hair loose around her shoulders. The braids and buns and whatever else she designs seems to be part of her defense against the rest of the world. Every day I discover something I didn’t notice the first time.

With a sigh, she sinks into a chair a few seats away from me. “At the risk of being the girliest-girl, what were you thinking about? I haven’t asked any of the other times because I’m not sure I want to know. But maybe I should know. Whatever it is, it’s bothering you.”

“It’s nothing.”

She lets the lie sit between us for a beat, and I can’t meet her gaze. “A week ago, I said I wanted a partner I could trust, and then I said you were always honest with me, even when I didn’t want to hear it. That’s the guy I love. That one.” She frowns. “I love this guy too.” She swirls her finger at me in a circular motion. “Who is lost in his own thoughts. But I prefer the other guy. The honest one.” She gives me a pointed look.

I wince. Except she isn’t the person who doesn’t want to hear it, it’s me. My jaw tightens, and I glance toward the door. “Just something I overheard Eric say.”

Carys rises and steps around the chairs between us to roll my seat back and perch on my lap. “Tell me.” Her fingers stroke my furrowed brow.

“He seems to believe that whatever he and your dad have cooked up, it’ll bring you and him closer together.” I clear my throat. “You’ll pick him.”

She grins and wraps her arms around my neck. “Never in a million trillion years. There is nothing he could say or do to make me leave you and go to him.”

“He seemed very confident.”

Her lips quirk up in derision. “That’s his thing—he’s confident even when he’s wrong. One of his worst qualities.” Carys’s gaze focuses above my head. “Heisa win-at-all-cost sort of person, though.” Her expression morphs into one of determination. “I wouldn’t be with him even if he threatened to kill me.”

I tighten my arms around her at the suggestion. “He’d never get a chance. He’d be dead as soon as the idea entered his head.”

There’s a sharp knock on the door. She tries to stand, but I increase my grip on her. She brushes her lips against mine, and her hand rests on my chest over my heart. She skims my earlobe with her teeth, and she whispers, “I’m yours. Just yours. Always.”

I move my hands from her waist to frame her face. There’s another knock on the door, but I pull her into a kiss anyway. When whoever knocks again, I let her go with a sigh, trailing along whatever part of her body I can connect with before she gets too far away. She glances at me over her shoulder.So fucking sexy. I can’t wait for this meeting to be over. A tug on the thighs of my jeans shifts the tightness enough to make it bearable.

Carys opens the boardroom door, and instead of Lena, she’s met with Jay and Ekaterina. I ignore the new woman and stare at her bodyguard. He has one fucking job—guard the front door. What’s he doing in here?

He tips his chin at me. The urge to throttle him causes my hands to clench.

“I hired more security. Got two guys on the door.” He reads my mind.

I’d ask if they are competent, but Jay’s idea of apt security and mine aren’t even close. I grunt and rise to offer my hand to Ekaterina. Her dark hand slips into mine. She scans me with hermidnight eyes. She’s little and round, but she carries an air of confidence and authority.

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