Page 47 of Rivals & Revenge

"Why Larissa?"

"Hmm?" he hummed distractedly.

"I mean, me. Obvious. I piss people off on the regular. You too."

"Occupational hazard," he shrugged.

That earned him a smile. "Maybe. Larissa is a little snarky, but she saves lives. Who could have a beef with her?"

"It's not about her. It's me they want. Hell, I am starting to wonder if your attack was to get my attention as well."

I snorted, barely holding back an incredulous laugh. "Why would killing me—" I froze, the answer hitting me like Ahren's killer right cross. Roses.

His eyes remained hard and focused, his jaw chewing possibilities he wasn't ready to share.

"Who all knew about the roses?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

A dry laugh escaped him. "Just me and the lads."

I nodded, not really sure how to follow that thread. If someone attacked me trying to get a rise out of Ahren, that raised questions I wasn't sure either of us were equipped to answer.

He pushed out a heavy breath, dropping the photo to the table and turning to face me. "Maybe they were watching to see who came and went. It's not like I have a lot of visitors."

My head bobbed, nodding in agreement. It was a reasonable explanation. Something told me we were still missing something.

"How often does Larissa visit you?"

His brows pinched together, confusion darkening his eyes. "I don't know. Every few weeks maybe. It's not like I get injured all the time like I did when I was younger."

"Mmm," I hummed, a picture starting to emerge, and not a good one.

"About the same for me. Once a month, sometimes six or eight weeks. "

"What are you getting at?" He said, his tone flat but his brows drawing together in suspicion.

"Well, either someone spends all their time on your property line with a pair of binoculars, or—"

"Or someone has tapped into my security feed," he growled, a feral gleam lighting his eyes.

"Yeah."

He paced the length of the kitchen, prowling back and forth like a caged tiger, working himself into a frenzy with every pass.

I brushed my palms down my thighs, straightened my spine and stepped into his path. Any other circumstance and I would have nerves of steel. Even staring down the cold fury in his eyes didn't scare me. But the thought of my awkwardness wrecking whatever this thing was between us before we got the chance to explore it—thatterrified me.

For the first time in a very long time, there was a flicker of possibility I wouldn't spend the rest of my life alone. I couldn't bear the thought of snuffing it out, but he needed someone to calm him and that task was left to me.

My palms pressed against his chest, the heat of his body warming my hand through the thin layer of his dark tee shirt. His eyes settled on me, the weight crushing as I willed the words to come.

"Maybe ask Jax to check your system. See if he can find where someone tapped in. Trace it back, maybe."

He nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket.

I brushed my hand along his jaw, tangling it in his hair as I pushed myself up on my toes to reach him. Just before our lips touched, I whispered. "Assume you're being watched. Don't let them see you weak."

Our lips moved against each other’s, softly—much more tenderly than I would have thought either of us were capable of. He pulled away the tiniest bit, still close enough to share a breath.

"Thank you," he breathed, offering me a small smile.

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