Page 82 of The Tallest Tower (Underbelly Enchanted)

No, his biggest threat is currently sipping whiskey in his sitting room, and smiling at him the way a woman does a man she wants in her bed.

She’ll be the end of him. And he won’t even realize it till her blade is already nestled in his back.

19

FELIX

THE PERFECT SHADE OF GREEN

Iwander upstairs an hour after Savvy’s arrival, having caught up with my friend, discussed business, probed into each other’s lives, and ensured we were both making smart choices.

It’s what friends do. It’s what souls who hold love for one another do.

But now she’s gone, and though I focused on her the entire time she asked for it, half of my mind remained dedicated to monitoring the doors of my home. Making damn sure Christabelle didn’t slip out and leave me.

Fuck knows I’ve told her to go. But I’m not sure I’m ready for that reality yet.

I’m not sure I ever will be.

So I head upstairs in pants, still unbuttoned. Boots, unlaced. My shirt is missing, and my entire body aches—the best kind of ache—after a long day of work and a longer evening spent with a woman I’m not ready to see the back of yet.

Christabelle is jealous of Savannah; that much I can see. But I’m not sure why. There’s no competition here. There’s no trading one for the other.

I trudge up the final stairs and move along the darkened hall, pastsoldiers who have trained to give up their lives for mine. My phone is still in the dining room, and my brother… I have no fuckin clue where he is.

Dropping my hands into my pockets and pushing through my bedroom door, tension sits deep in my belly, which churns at the thought that Christabelle might’ve snuck out while I had my back turned.

I half expect my room to be empty. My bed, to hold nothing but dirty dishes. So when I stroll in and find Christabelle herself sitting in the middle, her legs crossed and her focus on the door, I expel a breath large enough to make my chest sink.

“Fuck.” Relieved, I kick the door shut and cross to the bed. “You’re still here.”

Her eyes are hard. Her face, stony. Her entire countenance, cold and distant—not at all how she was prior to Savvy’s visit.

“You don’t have to be jealous.” I place my fists on the mattress, then crawl closer until my lips touch her temple. “Savvy is my friend, Christabelle. She’s not my lover.”

She doesn’t speak. Refuses to open her lips. Refuses to even turn and meet my gaze.

“Hey? This jealousy act turns me on, Christabelle, so if you think it’s a punishment, you’d be wrong.”

“I’m not trying to punish you.”

“Then tell me what’s wrong.” I firm my hold on her face when she refuses to meet my eyes. Then I drop to the mattress, pulling her down and forcing her to rest on her side. We share a pillow. Her breath on my lips. Her stare burning into mine. “Have you checked your sugars?”

“I’ll do it soon.” She closes her eyes, stealing from me that glimpse into her soul. “I’m leaving in the morning, Felix.” Slowly, she flickers them open again. “First thing.”

“Because of Savvy?” I slide my hand along her thigh and down to cup the back of her knee, then tugging her leg up, I drape her across my hip and bring us closer. “Are you seriously this caught up about a woman I used to know?”

“I need to get back to my life.” She draws a deep breath, filling her chest until bursting. Then releasing it again, she nibbles on her bottomlip. “I need to go back to work. I need to spend time with my family. My father will want to know I’m okay, and?—”

“Youchoseto stay here tonight.” I pinch her chin between my fingers and pull her face up until our lips feather close. “You could have left hours ago, but you chose to stay. Now you’re on the way out the door, and the only thing that changed was a visit from my friend. So stop with the bullshit. You’re a grown-ass woman. If you have something to say, say it. If you’re not jealous, then tell me what your fucking problem is.”

“That woman is not good for you.” Her silver gaze flickers between mine. “I think your need to protect people extends too far sometimes, and your sense of loyalty will lead you down a dangerous path you might not survive.”

“My need to protect people? I thought I was a mafia bastard who does bad things and deserves no redemption. Changed your mind since we last talked?”

“Felix!” She shoves away from me, jerking her leg from my hip and her chin from my fingers. Then swinging off the bed, she leaves me lying here like a fuckwit while she paces my room. “I didn’t know you before. I knewofyou. I knew the things I was told about you, and I believed what I wanted to believe.”

Slowly, I push up on the bed and rest my back against the headboard. “And now?”

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