Page 44 of Sly Like a Fox
I cross my arms as I loom closer.“Isn’t it?You’re making calculations about my safety without considering my opinion about what risks I’m willing to take.”
“Because I love you.”
The words stop me cold, not because they’re unexpected but because of the raw emotion behind them.My anger doesn’t dissipate, though.If anything, it intensifies.
“And I love you, too, which is exactly why you don’t get to make decisions that affect our future without including me in the conversation.I don’t want to be the reason you don’t finish your goal.”
Fenton runs a hand through his hair, clearly struggling with emotions he’s not used to processing.“Jenna...”
“No.Listen to me.”I pace to the window, looking out at the city lights while trying to organize my thoughts.“For three years, you’ve been planning to destroy the man who killed your parents.You’ve built your entire identity around this mission, and now, when you’re finally close enough to achieve complete victory, you want to walk away because you’re afraid something might happen to me?”
“I want to walk away because losing you would be worse than letting Anklor escape perfect justice.”
I nod and face him again.“That’s not your choice to make alone.”
The argument escalates as we circle around the fundamental question of trust and partnership.Am I his equal partner in this mission, or am I someone to be protected from its dangers?The emotional intensity builds until we’re both raising our voices as suppressed fears and frustrations pour out in accusations and counter-arguments.
I finally stop pacing and face him directly.“You’re being condescending.You’re treating me like I don’t understand the risks or like I’m not capable of making informed decisions about my own life.”
He closes his eyes, looking genuinely pained.“I’m treating you like someone I can’t bear to lose.”
I don’t deny that, waiting until he opens his eyelids again and is looking at me before speaking.“I’m treating you like someone whose dreams and goals matter to me.This isn’t just about revenge, Fenton.It’s about justice for your family and every other family he’s destroyed over the years.”
“Justice doesn’t matter if you’re dead.”
We stare at each other, both breathing hard from the emotional intensity of our confrontation.The silence stretches between us, weighted with everything we’ve said and everything we’re still afraid to say.
It suddenly hits me that I’m being…unreasonable.I want him to have the justice he’s pursued, but his protective instincts come from love rather than condescension.He’s not trying to take over or diminish my agency.He’s terrified of losing the person who’s become more important to him than his quest for revenge, and I’m terrified of being the reason he abandons everything he’s worked for.
I move toward him, my voice dropping to something softer.“I’m scared, too.I’m terrified that accepting this invitation will get us both killed, but I’m also terrified that declining it means letting Anklor win through intimidation.”
“So what do we do?”
Instead of answering immediately, I close the distance between us.The space feels charged with electricity from our argument but also with something deeper and more fundamental.Love, yes, but also trust and partnership and the recognition that we’re stronger together than apart.“We stop trying to protect each other from choices that affect us both.”
He reaches for me, his hands settling on my waist.“Jenna...”
I reach up to cup his face, noting the way his pupils dilate when I touch him.“We figure this out as a team.Not you making decisions for me, or me making decisions for you, but us making decisions for us.”
The kiss starts as comfort, a way to bridge the emotional distance our argument created, but it quickly becomes something hungrier and more desperate.The heated argument about trust and partnership has left us both raw and needy.
He whispers against my lips between kisses.“I love you.I love you so much that the thought of losing you makes me want to abandon everything else.”
I nod, my lips still touching his.“I love you, too.So much that I want you to get the closure you need with Anklor.”
He strips off his shirt I’m wearing and inhales sharply when he sees I’m wearing nothing beneath.He steps back to look at me, his voice carrying wonder.“You’re so beautiful.I imagined this, but I couldn’t see how perfect you were last night in the linen closet.”
I touch his bare chest, tracing a finger around one areola.“So are you.I love how strong you are, but I also love how tender you can be.”
This time, our intimacy is different from the desperate coupling in the closet.It’s slower and more exploratory without the pressure of immediate danger or a timeline driving us toward quick release.We take time to truly connect, mapping each other’s bodies with thorough attention to every sensation.
He carries me back to his bedroom, laying me on the bed before joining me with reverent touches that make my skin burn with need.When he traces the side of my breast with exploratory fingers, I arch into his touch with a soft moan.
His voice is rough with desire.“I want to touch you everywhere and memorize every inch of you.”
I moan my approval.“Then touch me.I need to feel your hands on me.”
He spends long minutes exploring my breasts with his lips and tongue until I’m writhing beneath him.When he takes my nipple into his mouth, the sensation shoots straight through my pussy.
