Page 63 of Rivals & Revenge

A slow smile spread across his face. "Yeah. I do."

We got out of bed, and I pushed up on my toes, my arms high above my head as I stretched out my achy muscles.

Ahren rounded the bed, lacing his fingers through mine, not the least bit shy about the raging hard-on that was clearly visible through his sleep pants.

He brought my fingers to his lips, brushing a soft kiss against them. "Better idea. How about you go check on Connor while I make the tea and maybe some sandwiches? It's nearly noon. I bet she's starving. After we get her and the lads fed, then we can talk."

I laughed, amused by his gruff tone. "Adulting sucks sometimes."

"Sure as fuck does."

The dogs met us at the foot of the stairs, both tails wagging. Ahren clicked his tongue in irritation as they seemed to want to follow me to Larissa's room, rather than follow their master to the kitchen.

A high-pitched whistle sounded from the kitchen and they both took off, nails scraping against the hardwood as they raced for their breakfast.

Larissa was sleeping when I stepped into the room. I placed my fingers on her wrist, taking a quick check of her pulse. It was within normal range, stronger than it had been last night, so I dropped into the chair and waited for Ahren's return.

I had been dreading this talk with Ahren. But after spending the night wrapped in his arms, I was more convinced than ever that I wanted to see where this went. If I was understanding the signals he's sending, he wanted more—a relationship, maybe.

This conversation terrified me. Rejection terrified me. The mere thought of either was enough to steal my breath.

Hell, I structured my entire world so I wouldn't have to deal with betrayal or rejection, and here I was, opening myself up to both.

Logic said, if you were going to take that leap, your biggest rival probably wasn't the person you’d make it with. Yet, here I was, defying logic and reason...

He pushed the door open, handing me a cup of hot tea with a small plate holding a sandwich balanced on top. Turning to Larissa, he set hers down next to the sink, reaching to check her pulse exactly as I had.

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face at the tender moment. Once again, the big bad assassin showed his softer side, one I wasn't sure he was aware of.

He pulled the small metal table over next to her bed and set her sandwich and tea where she could reach it when she woke.

"Why don't we go sit in the kitchen?"

With a last look at Larissa, I nodded. "Sounds good."

My heart clenched, not sure if I should cry, scream or throw up as I followed him through the house, finally setting our cups down on the dining table. Now that I thought about it, this table seemed ridiculously oversized for someone who lived alone and shunned visitors.

"So." I said, picking at the crust on the turkey sandwich. "You wanted to talk."

"No." I shook my head. "It's wrong to drop it all on you. We need to talk." I clarified.

He nodded, lifting his cup to his lips and taking a long, noisy sip of the scalding liquid.

"You promised not to run. Remember that."

I bit into the turkey sandwich, hoping to give my teeth something to do besides grind against each other, and nodded.

"I overheard you talking to Connor. I would tell you I didn't mean to hear it, but let's face it, I never said I was the fucking good guy here."

He took another bite, his eyes pinning me to the spot, daring me to run from him. The predatory glint promised he would enjoy the chase and maybe I would enjoy being caught.

"I didn't mean to overhear, not at first anyway. But I did, and truthfully, I wouldn't change it if I could."

"Congratulations. You know all my secrets now." I retorted, unable to hide the bitter edge that seeped into my voice.

"It's not like that," he said quietly, his eyes dropping to the table. "I had my suspicions that you were—innocent."

"A virgin, you mean. Virgin isn't a bad word, you know."

---