Page 17 of Bound By Darkness

A sharp chime breaks the moment, and I snap my head toward the door.Damn room service again.

“Saved by the bell,” she teases.

I grunt, straightening and running a hand through my hair as I move to answer the door.A young attendant wheels in a tray topped with two pizzas and a bottle of wine.He glances once at Eve, his gaze lingering a fraction too long on her bare legs and my body tenses.

Another one.It’s the same as yesterday.The same lingering look that stirs something dark and territorial in me.If every man here keeps staring at her like that, I might have to start making examples.I can’t kill every bastard on this island before we leave, but the thought isn’t entirely unappealing.

“Right there,” I say, my voice clipped as I gesture toward the table.

He places the tray carefully, muttering a polite, “Enjoy your meal,” before retreating.My eyes follow him until the door closes, the tension in my chest easing once he’s gone.

“Territorial, are we?”Eve quips from behind me, her green eyes bright with amusement as she saunters over to the table.

Grabbing the wine, I pop the cork.“Just making sure people know their place.”

“Mhmm,” she hums, picking up a slice of pizza and taking a bite, her expression turning blissful.“You might have just earned a few points with this.”

“Only a few?”I ask, pouring two glasses and handing her one as she settles onto the plush sofa.

She grins, patting the cushion beside her.“Guess you’ll have to work for the rest.”

I shake my head and sit next to her.The pizza isn’t half bad, but the way she digs into it, making a satisfied hum, makes it taste even better.

“See?”she says, pointing a slice at me.“Pizza solves everything.”

I chuckle, shaking my head.“I’ll give you that one.”

While we’re eating, Eve grabs the remote and begins searching the guide on the big-screen television.“Do you watch movies?”she asks, scrolling through the options.

“Not often,” I admit, leaning back and nursing my glass of wine.

She pauses, glancing over her shoulder at me.“What kind of person doesn’t watch movies?”

“The kind with a lot of responsibilities,” I say.“But I’ll let you pick.”

“Careful,” she warns.“I could make you sit through a rom-com.”

“Try it,” I say, my tone low, teasing.“And I’ll make you regret it.”

She laughs, finally settling on a classic action movie.“Compromise,” she says, tucking her feet under her.

She dims the lights as the movie starts, and I expect my mind to wander back to work, back to the Callahan’s, back to anything but this moment.But it doesn’t.Instead, I find myself drawn to her laugh, the way she reacts to the explosions on the screen, and her teasing commentary about the absurdity of the plot.

At some point, she leans into me, her head resting on my shoulder.It feels natural, her warmth seeping into me as I drape an arm around her.

“You’re quiet,” she says softly, glancing up at me.

“I’m just enjoying the moment,” I reply.

Her lips curve into a small smile, one that feels more genuine than anything I’ve seen from her before.“You’re full of surprises, you know that?”

“You’ve mentioned,” I say, smirking.

Halfway through, her phone buzzes on the table.She picks it up, shielding the screen slightly as she unlocks it.Her expression softens almost immediately, her lips tugging into a small, wistful smile as she scrolls through whatever has her attention.

I glance over.“Should I be jealous?”

“It’s just some family stuff,” she says quickly, locking the screen and setting the phone down.

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