Page 121 of Heroes & Hitmen
“You hungry?” he asks over his shoulder.
I shrug as I set the pot back on the burner and reach for the creamer. “I could eat.”
He starts pulling things out of the fridge– eggs, bacon, fruit– while I dump generous pours from both cartons of creamer into my cup until it’s the exact shade I like. I take a sip, humming in satisfaction when the sweet blend of vanilla, caramel, and coffee hits my tongue.Perfect.
Wrapping my hands around the mug, I watch as Ares starts organizing breakfast ingredients on the counter, the warmth of the ceramic seeping into my palms. “So, do you think it’s really over?” I ask hesitantly.
He pauses with one hand on the carton of eggs, swiveling to face me. “I got a message from him this morning,” he murmurs.
My stomach drops. “Alpha?”
He nods once.
I suck in a breath, sitting up a little straighter. “Well don’t leave me in suspense, what did it say?”
Ares pauses, brow lifting like he’s not sure how I’ll take it. “That I’m expected to finish out the remainder of my contract, but we’ll have limited direct communication going forward. I’ll mostly be interfacing with Commander Kane.”
I blink. “So… that’s a good sign, right?” I ask hesitantly, almost too afraid to hope.
He exhales slowly, then gives a casual shrug. “I think so. He said we’re to continue living here in the Tower for now, but once my contract ends…” his eyes dart toward the window, then back to me. “He wants us gone. Said he thinks it’d be best for us to relocate to Stillwater.”
I nod stiffly, fingers tightening around my mug.
“But in the meantime,” Ares adds with a crooked smirk, “he expects us to serve as a shining example to the pack of fate’s favor.”
“Of course,” I snort. “Because the second the narrative doesn’t work in his favor, he pivots and pretends it was his idea all along. He’s probably already got the press release written.”
“Alpha’s daughter conquers fate and forcibly civilizes savage outsider,” Ares intones in a mock-serious news anchor voice. “True love triumphs over adversity. All hail the power of family and loyalty and fate.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “You forgot at the direct and benevolent guidance of Alpha Gage Morgan.”
“Damn. Guess I’ll leave the hard-hitting journalism to you,” he grins. “And hey, since we’re stuck here for another ten months, you can actually finish your degree, graduate in the spring.”
My heart skips a beat. I hadn’t even let myself consider that, but dammit, Iwantit. A future, a plan that isn’t carved by someone else’s hand.
“So… you finish your contract, I graduate, and then we get the hell out of here?” I ask, my voice full of cautious hope.
“You’re cool with moving to Stillwater?” Ares asks tentatively. “Because we could go anywhere, really. Just say the word.”
“Honestly, I’m good with anywhere that isn’t here,” I say with a dry laugh. “Maybe we could take a trip sometime, you could show me your hometown.”
His dark eyes light up. “Seriously? Because I know you’ll love it. Small town, big trees, no drama. I can show you all my old haunts, we can pick out where to live when we move back. We could build our own little house with a porch…”
“A wrap-around porch,” I add, his excitement infectious. “And shutters and little window boxes with flowers.”
His grin widens in that way that somehow always manages to unravel me. “Done,” he says, snagging my pink apron off the hook with zero hesitation and looping it around his neck.
“Seriously?” I blink at him, unable to stop the laugh bubbling up my throat.
“What?” he asks innocently as he ties it behind his back with practiced ease. “Bacon grease is a hazard, babe. I’m just being responsible.”
I let out an unladylike snort, biting back a grin as I take in the sight of him. The apron barely fits across his broad chest, the delicate lace trim only emphasizing the solid mass of muscle beneath. It’s absurd. It’s hot. It’s hilarious. Muscle and swagger, wrapped up in ruffles.
“You look ridiculous,” I tell him, unable to hide the affection in my tone.
“You mean ridiculously handsome,” he shoots back without missing a beat, striking a pose and winking.
I shake my head, still grinning as I slide his coffee mug across the counter. “Drink up, domestic goddess.”
