Page 52 of Rivals & Revenge

"That's the last one." He said, blowing out a harsh breath, raking his eyes over my body, before looking away.

"Let me guess," I said, pulling my shirt over my head, dropping it in the dirt. "Our clothes should go in too."

I shimmied out of my pants, letting my panties drop with them. With my eyes locked on his, I summoned every ounce of courage in my body, then borrowed a bit more from the angels as I reached around and unhooked my bra, letting it fall to the ground—leaving me bare before him.

"Fuck." he whispered reverently, his eyes raking appreciatively over my body, giving equal attention to every curve.

His hands moved quickly, reaching behind him and tearing his shirt over his head. Eyes locked on mine, he jerked at his buckle, ripping his jeans open, dropping the remainder of his clothes.

"I want to kiss you." He murmured, closing the distance and dragging the tips of his fingers down the side of my face.

"Then do it." I answered, my hand coming up to cover his.

Emotions quietly warred between his eyes, his head shaking softly. "I want to fuck you more than I want to breathe. If I kiss you now, I'm not sure I can stop myself."

I opened my mouth to object, but his fingers covered my lips.

“You're not ready for me. Soon—I hope. For now, let's get cleaned up. Then maybe I can kiss you while we make dinner.”

I nodded shakily, unable to formulate a coherent reply. His every word was too much for me to process, so I turned and headed inside to shower. Dangerously aware of his eyes watching my every step.

Chapter 29

AHREN

The acrid smell of charred flesh hit my nose as I tossed our clothes into the fire, closing the heavy door to seal away the flames.

I closed my eyes, willing my racing heart to slow. The heat on my skin wasn't from the incinerator, but the tiny Hellcat sauntering through my house—naked. Temptation didn't quite cover the moment. My desire for her was a living fire snaking through my veins, threatening to devour us both.

That was a conversation we should have sooner rather than later. I could feel the innocence in her touch. A strange dichotomy, to be sure. Guileless in that, I could feel she would give me every piece of herself, not just the broken parts. Something that should not be able to exist in someone so jaded—someone who knew enough about humanity to shun it completely. A walking contradiction—yet there she was.

I needed her to know I was trying to protect her, not reject her. The fact we were both covered in the blood of our enemies was not a deal breaker. If anything, it only called to mind obscene images that made turning her away harder.

She may confuse the fuck out of me and the situation we found ourselves in was absolute bullshit, but the one thing I knew as sure as I knew the beat of my own heart—she was mine.

"Fucking hell." I groaned, wondering not for the first time, when I became that guy.

I made my way through the house, ignoring the lads whining for my attention as I walked through the kitchen, not stopping until I stepped into the shower. Lost in thought, I recoiled as the icy water hit my skin. I spun the knob nearly all the way in the red and waited for steam to fill the room.

I needed to get a handle on these feelings I had for her. Tonight wouldn't be the first time I relieved myself in the shower. Probably wouldn't be the last. But hopefully it would lower the temperature enough that we could talk this over.

Twenty minutes later, I slipped on a pair of dark sweats and headed downstairs. The fire in my veins had been dialed back to a more manageable level, but it still simmered just below the surface.

The savory aroma of toasted garlic and beef wafted through the living room, meeting me as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I stoodback, savoring this moment of domestic bliss as Tierney chopped the carrots and onions we left on the cutting board earlier. She made thin slices, rather than the chunks I had cut. She removed the steaks from the pan and scraped in the slices of vegetable, adding a bit more butter as she stirred them.

Apollo limped over to me with a whine. "I know. I know. You want dinner." I said absentmindedly, reaching down to scratch between his ears. Only then did I notice a note wrapped tightly with rubber bands around his leg.

I growled. Shit like this was why I never went anywhere without a knife.

"Tierney!" I called out. "Bring me a knife."

She rushed into the room, Zeus hot on her heels. Her footsteps slowed as she took in Apollo's leg. Her hands moved faster than my eyes could track, pulling the knife from the sheath on her thigh and offering it to me.

My fingers shook with rage. Once again, someone had touched something that was mine. The delicate bands snapped one by one, releasing his leg and dropping a slip of paper to the floor.

I rubbed my hands over his stomach, hoping it reassured him. I liked to grumble about the lads being useless guard dogs, and they were—but they weremyuseless mutts. Zeus flopped down between us, bopping his nose against my hand as if to say 'my turn'.

"Yeah. You too. Useless mutt." I rubbed his stomach, just as I had for Apollo, and gave them both a quick scratch behind their ears.

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