Page 152 of Bossy Hero

Aside from his reactions to my injury, deeper issues are at play.

The overprotectiveness, for one thing. From him. From Leo. Hell, even Sawyer hovers more than usual.

And vengeance consumes them. They’ve taken it upon themselves to rid the world of this filth. Not only to avenge me but Lettie too. Thankfully, most of the men who hurt her are dead or in jail. Yet the need for revenge against the rest of the Lenkov Bratva hasn’t subsided. If anything, it’s gotten worse.

By declaring war on the mafia, my loved ones have exposed themselves to grave danger. While I consciously know it’s not my fault, the guilt persists. And I don’t know how to rid myself of it.

As if all of that isn’t enough to make me wish this wound away, there’s my captivity.

I feel like an animal at the zoo. There’s life beyond my cage, but it’s not something I’m allowed to experience. So I make the most of what’s available to me inside my area of confinement.

As I ruminate on this, maybe it’s not a desire to hide the wound from everyone that’s plaguing me. Instead, it’s a fervent wish that it never happened to begin with. Life, as I knew it, is gone.

I officially lost my job today.

I’ve lost track of how long it’s been since I’ve been at my home.

And I’m relegated to sleeping on a pull-out sofa with Alan in his office, which is where I am now. Staring at the ceiling and battling my resentment.

Alan’s wearisome sigh distracts me from my melancholy.

I roll from my back to my side to offer him my comforting touch. “What now?”

“Can I take this call from bed? I don’t want to get up. And I’m not getting dressed and going down there either.”

I smooth my palm over his pecs, relishing the feel of his chest hair. I love twirling my fingers through it. Same with his beard. “I didn’t hear your phone ring.”

“Text messages.”

“Who is working at this hour?”

“Tomer.”

“That boy.” Itskand roll my eyes. “Go ahead. Call him. And you might as well put it on speaker because I’m curious about what’s so urgent in the middle of the night.”

Alan lengthens his neck to offer me a kiss. “Thanks, babe. I’ll try to make it quick.”

A flirty thought hits me out of the blue, making my brows waggle. “Why? Is there something you want to do once you’re done with the call?”

Perhaps some spicy time will improve my sour mood over our house arrest. Well,headquartersarrest, I suppose I should say. And it’ll certainly perk up Alan.Wink, wink.

Air hisses through his teeth with a sharp inhale, layered with a rumble in the back of his throat. “Is that an offer?”

Rather than answer, I roll to my back, toss off the covers, and slip my panties down my legs.

“Shit. The call can wait.”

Through a subdued laugh, I scold him. “No, it can’t. If he needs you, he’ll come up here when you don’t answer. I’m not in the mood to frantically search for my clothes while he knocks repeatedly on the door.”

“Even Tomer knows better than to...” His words trail off, and he clenches his jaw. “You’re right. He might not know better. I’ll call him first. Don’t start without me.”

“I’ll consider your request. No promises. It’s been a while, and I’m feeling frisky.”

A gruff sound emanates from deep in his chest. He skims his hand down the front of my body, over my breasts and stomach. Once he gets to the apex of my thighs, he cups my entire pussy. “This is mine, and I’ll take good care of it when I’m done. Save it for me. I want all your pleasure.”

Gulp.

“You make a compelling argument.”

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