Page 115 of Always Yours

Elli looks over at him. “I think she already decided that.”

“Yes, but I want her to be my GM, and if that means dealing with this, I will.”

Austen laughs. “I have no intention of going back on my word,” she says, threading her fingers through mine. “I don’t want to work for you because I feel if I do, I’ll be unable to be around you as my grandfather.”

I squeeze her hand. “You sure?”

“Yup,” she says without looking at me.

“Austen, let’s talk about this,” Davenport urges, but I can tell she has no interest in doing that.

“There is nothing to talk about. I will not put myself back where I was before I came to you, and that’s what you just did. You’re trying to control me, who I love, and I will not stand for it.”

“I’m trying to protect you,” he insists, but Austen doesn’t agree.

“I don’t need anyone to protect me. I’ve been doing it my whole life.”

I want to fist-pump with pride for my girl, but I don’t think it’s an appropriate time, and more than likely, she’ll scold me for it. Instead, I kiss her palm once more, and her gaze is so full of love and admiration for me.

“I cannot believe you are doing this, Austen. I am so disappointed in you,” he barks, his voice booming in the room.

Before I can tell him to eat shit or something along those lines, Elli’s voice comes out of nowhere. “Well, I am proud of you for following your heart,” she says to Austen before sliding a stack of papers down to her. “This is a contract from the Assassins.”

Austen’s brows knit as Shelli adds, “We’d like to hire you as our player coordinator, which does not have any stipulations regarding romantic involvement with anyone in the organization, including the players.”

“Mrs. Adler, this is not what we discussed,” Austen’s grandpa says, but Elli doesn’t seem to care.

“As much as I respect you and as excited as I am to work closely with you in the future, I respect Austen’s wishes, and I also know what an asset she will be to my team.” Elli then looks at Austen. “If you’ll join us.”

Austen’s eyes meet mine as her lips curve up in the most beautiful smile. “Where do I sign?”

As her grandpa storms out of the room, Austen signs the contract before sliding it back to Elli. “We’re excited for this opportunity for you, Austen,” Elli says, and Austen beams at her.

Then a stack of papers is slid toward me from Shelli. “Here is your real contract.”

My brows pull in. “Excuse me?”

Shelli holds up the other one they had given me and flips through the pages. They’re blank except for the top one. “I wasn’t sure how this would play out, but I knew you wouldn’t need this contract.”

I almost laugh. “So, it was all for show?”

Shelli shrugs. “We did what was asked, but we knew it wouldn’t hold up. We knew what you’d say, Dimitri. Thankfully, it played out the way we wanted.”

“I knew you didn’t want to be a GM,” Elli says to Austen, holding her gaze. “Not after all I saw on that tablet and the joy it brought you.”

Austen grins. “What if he retaliates?”

“Then we’ll deal.” Elli shrugs. “But at the end of the day, I got my player, and I got my new player coordinator. I’m sitting mighty pretty.”

“Thank you,” Austen says, and I nod.

“Yes, thank you, guys.”

Elli winks, and Shelli waves us off. Then Posey says, “Let’s take a break, shall we? I’m sure everyone could use a snack or a drink, and Austen will need a moment.”

I stand when everyone gets up to leave. As the room goes quiet, I gaze into her eyes and get lost in the honey depths of them. She licks her lips, and I almost come at the sight as she plays with the string around the waist of her dress.

“Should I climb over the table to get to you, or are we going to meet in the middle?” she asks, and I’m already moving around the table to get to her. She does the same, meeting me midway, and we embrace. Our lips meet almost instantly as I thread my fingers into the back of her hair, holding her tightly to me. I feel her heart beating, I feel her body warm against mine, and I know—fuck, I know—I will love her for the rest of my days. She brushes her fingers down my jaw, holding me tightly before running her tongue along my lips. I open them, our tongues dancing together as our hearts do the same.

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