“More than you know.” He said with a wink, then rolled out of bed as he reached for his sweats. I gazed at his body, losing myself again in how perfect he was, with a physique like a star quarterback.

He was right, though. I was far too tired from our, shall we say, physical expression of our grievances with each other to do much else. I wanted to stay in his bed all day, soaking up his scent and relaxing after we’d worked out our differences in the back of the SUV. After a few minutes, I decided I was not going to accomplish anything today. I had way too much to work through with this new development.

I grabbed my phone and privately reached out to my hair stylist, letting her know I couldn’t make it to the appointment. But I left my calendar alone. My uncle, and the rest of the company, didn’t need to know I was taking a day off to sleep in the enemy’s bed.

Soon, Liam returned carrying a tray with a cup of tea and a small selection of pastries. Without a word, he climbed into bed beside me, the mattress dipping slightly under his weight. I blinked in surprise, watching as he unfolded the tray’s legs and settled it between us. Then he picked up a pastry, offering it to me. I took it, still unsure what to make of his sudden gentleness. He must’ve caught the confusion in my expression, because he gave a casual shrug.

“I figure, in for a penny, in for a pound.” His words made me grin as I took a bite of the pastry, my eyes rolling back at the delicious taste of strawberry filling and sweet glaze.

“We definitely got the pound part in,” I replied as I chewed the flaky breakfast. Liam’s eyes went wide, then he quickly rolled me into him, wrapping his arms around my body as I gave a weak protest at being pulled into a cuddle position.

“We certainly did.” He said, breathing into my neck and getting a hit of my scent. “Not that it means we are on the same side or anything.” He added, and I nodded, taking another bite of the pastry.

“Of course not. You are, after all, blackmailing me.” I said sagely.

“And you are the woman who sabotaged my company, although I can admit that some of my assumptions might have been a bit overblown.” He countered, and I noticed a hint of concession in his voice. “Regardless, what we did was strictly a biological response to our urges, nothing more.” He said resolutely.

“Of course,” I said, my voice steady. “Nothing more, just sex. And we should definitely not do it, ever again.”

His breath fanned hot against my neck as he leaned in again, inhaling like he couldn’t stop himself - like my scent was something he craved deeper with every breath. If he kept doing that, it would only make him want it more. And now that I could feel his massive body pressing against me so perfectly, I knew that it would, in turn, make me want him more.

“Never again.” He agreed, his hands gently running along my skin.

I felt him get hard against my back, and despite our sex marathon just hours ago, I felt my body respond.

Crap.

We were going to do it again.

Chapter 28

Dante

I’d been in the gym all morning, alternating between taking out my frustration on the punching bag and lifting iron, avoiding Liam like my life depended on it. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if I saw him - if I could even look at him without letting my anger boil over. Vigo and I noticed they never returned from their date last night, and when we checked on him he texted that they were fine and he’d explain later.

Bullshit.

There was only one reason I could think of that they were out all night. Being out that late wasn’t in the plan. She got to him. I was sure of it.

If he fucked her… I was going to tear him to shreds, or worse.

The door opened, and I whipped my head around, setting down the weights I’d been lifting. Vigo strolled in, tossing a water bottle toward me. I caught it mid-air and guzzled down the cool liquid like I’d been stranded in a desert.

“You gotta take it easy. You’ve been in here for hours. Any more, and you’re going to tear a muscle.” He drawled, leaning against the wall as he assessed me with those knowing eyes of his. I knew I must look haggard. I’d barely slept, pacing the house as I wondered what my pack mate was up to with that witch.

“Just practicing,” I muttered, grabbing a towel to wipe my face. “I’ve got another match in a few months.Ifthings ever calm down here.”

Vigo hummed in amusement, pushing off the wall. “Yeah, yeah, I know. You and your obsession with fighting. If I had a dollar for every time you tried to put one of us in a hold just for ‘practice,’ I’d have retired already.”

A reluctant smirk tugged at the corner of my lips, but it was fleeting. Back then, when our pack was just starting out, I used to practice my martial arts moves on them. We were just teens when we all met, but I knew right away we’d form a pack. Besides Elijah, they were the only people in my life who I'd ever trusted.

We’d all practiced together back then. Training in back-alley gyms, sparring after long shifts, bruised knuckles and sore ribs, but alwaystogether. Even though I was the only one who still fought competitively, they always supported me. We were a team. At least, until Celeste showed up and made them lose their minds.

“I see Liam hasn’t come out of his room yet. Wonder why that might be.” I said with a scowl.

Vigo acted casual, but I could tell he was concerned about me.

“Look at the bright side. Elijah had all that additional time to dig through her stuff.” Vigo remarked with a raised eyebrow. He was right - Elijah had spent hours trying to break into her laptop while Liam kept Celeste occupied. He’d had a small breakthrough when he was able to get her linked to our internet. We still needed her password to get any further, and all the software we tried so far still hadn’t cracked it. I knew we’d probably need to find a hacker who could work for us, but hiring one on the black market would be risky, especially one who was taking on Harringday’s data. They weren’t easy, and the ramifications would be severe if caught.