Page 66 of Bitter Arrangement

I stiffen, surprised at the deep emotion in his voice. Alexan’s usually so cold and reserved, but every once in a while, I get a glimpse of real passion. Right now, I can practically feel it burning me.

“Can I admit something?” I ask quietly.

“Anything you want.”

“I was really impressed by your driving.” I glance up at his face, smothering a smile.

He sighs, shaking his head. “That’s some dark humor.”

“Yeah, I know. You like it, right?”

“I love it.” He bends down and kisses me lightly. “I promise, Riley, I’m never going to put you in a position like that again.”

“Never say never.” I push myself up and sit straighter. “I mean, it was kind of fun.”

“That’s not the word I’d use for it.”

“You weren’t in there. When I was sneaking through the office and picking those locks—” I take a deep breath as the adrenaline hits me again. “God, I was alive.”

“Glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“Right up until I got caught.”

“That whole operation was a nightmare from my point of view.”

“Come on. Don’t you like that stuff?” I nudge him with my elbow gently, careful not to get near his wound. “There’s a reason you do this, right?”

He hesitates, staring across the room. His face tugs down into a frown, and he glances at me like he’s considering something.

“This is all I know,” he says finally, stroking a piece of hair from my face. “I joined the Brotherhood at a young age. Before this, I was drifting. I had no purpose, no real friends, no real future. The Brotherhood changed that.”

“Look at you now. Married to a beautiful Irish lass.”

“With a new bullet scar too.”

I grimace and look away. “Don’t remind me.”

“It’s okay.” He pulls me back and kisses me gently. “Really, I mean it. You did nothing wrong. You were great in there.”

“You really think so?”

“Honestly, I genuinely do. With a real team, you could pull off any heist you wanted. I mean that.”

I perk up, grinning widely again. “Fantastic. Can’t wait to tell my brother. Maybe we’ll plan something together.”

“Don’t get excited.” He pushes himself out of bed and shuffles over to his desk. The computer hums to life. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you out of my sight anytime soon.”

“Let’s be real. We both know you don’t have control over me.”

“Not yet, I don’t.” He looks at me over his shoulder, and his gaze is pure, possessive lust. “But give me time.”

I don’t know why that makes me blush.

He sits down at the computer and starts typing. I go into the other room to grab the watch for him, and he gets everything plugged in when I return. From my perspective, it looks like he’s just typing a bunch of random stuff into a command prompt while information scrolls past at blinding speed. Somehow, he seems to absorb it all.

“Ready?” he asks once the system finally seems to settle.

“You’re unlocking it now?”

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