Page 96 of The Lieutenant

“Did you forget something?” He placed the cuffs on the nightstand, immediately throwing back the covers to the end of the bed.

“Sir. Sir!” I laughed, but could tell he was serious. When I patted the bottom sheet, he lifted an eyebrow but sat down, immediately handing me a drink.

“I should spank you again.”

“No. Oh, no. Please, sir. Just be with me.”

He sighed, but allowed another smile.

“To answer your question, Kara. Yes, being cautious, always concerned about what enemy might crawl out from under a rock does get old. But it’s a life I was born into and the reinvented business does allow me to feel pride.” One leg was bent at the knee and he seemed more pensive than before.

I brushed my hand down his arm. “What you and your brothers have amassed is impressive. I just don’t see any happiness in your eyes. Boats. Cars. Jets. Your apartment cost several millioneuros. You have everything you could ever want, but to me, it seems as if you’re destitute.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because you have nothing personal. Yes, you’re close with your family, but I’ll venture a guess you grow weary of them, enjoying your own space.”

He huffed. “More than you know.”

“But are you lonely?”

His expression softened. “From time to time. I’ve thought about having children before I’m too old to teach them to sail or play soccer, but my concerns over safety outweighed my paternal needs. Those same concerns outweighed my romantic needs as well. That is until you came along.”

“I’m not certain what that means.”

“It means you talk too much. We’re enjoying spending time together. Yes?”

He pinched my chin between his thumb and forefinger, leaning over until he could press a kiss against my forehead.

His intoxicating scent scintillated my senses all over again. “Yes, absolutely.”

“I have one question. Did you leave the fucker who didn’t deserve you?”

“As soon as we returned, I moved out. That was when I could no longer work for the same company. I never looked back. It’s funny. I was devastated by the betrayal, even hating my editor for buying the asshole could come up with the idea. But I learnedso much from the experience. I decided to take lemons and make lemonade. That’s something my mother always told me.”

“Your mother sounds like a carbon copy of you.”

I allowed my thoughts to drift to her. “More like the other way around.”

“If you tell me the jerk’s name, I’ll handle it.”

“Not a chance, Havros. That was years ago. I’m older and much smarter.”

He sucked in and held his breath.

“We have business tomorrow, the meeting very important to the advancement of our legitimate businesses. The clubs are our babies. The three of us are very proud of the creation. The thought of someone attempting to destroy us from the inside is pushing me into a rage. But you don’t need to see that.”

“I’m your partner.” I batted my eyelashes on purpose and sipped my drink.

“I never fully agreed to you helping me with this mess.”

I threw out my hand for a shake. “And I’m not leaving. Get that through that pig head of yours. I’m here for the long haul. In other words, you can’t get rid of me. So make a deal with me and I’ll be the one to make you proud.”

Havros looked down at my hand before slowly bringing his gaze back to my face. “As long as you do everything that I tell you to do. I’m not fucking around with this, Kara. I can’t keep you safe if you don’t follow the rules. Do we have a deal?”

I stuck out my arm even further, offering him my hand. “We have a deal. But…”

“Always a but with you.” His eyes twinkling, he gulped part of his drink, thudding the tumbler on the nightstand and giving me a stern look.

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