She lifted her gaze to look into mine for a few seconds before she took them, placed them against her nose to smell them, and she closed her eyes as she inhaled the forgotten scent of summer. Wordlessly, she grabbed a vase from underneath the sink and filled it with water before setting it on the kitchen island. Then she arranged them, making them good enough to sit in the window at a flower shop.
I watched her, feeling my heart grow for her every time I looked at her.
She walked around the kitchen island and came up to me, that look in her eyes the one I loved to see, like she wanted me with her mind, body, and soul. Her hands pressed into my chest as she stepped into me, her lips crashing hard to mine, like she wanted me then and there, didn’t want to waste a second by speaking.
My arms held her close, pulling her petite frame tight to my chest, kissing her with the same urgency, our mouths breaking apart and joining again, a sexy exchange of tongues and breaths. My hand moved into her hair, and I told her I loved her without actually saying it.
She tugged on my shirt then yanked it over my head, barely pausing our kiss because just a few seconds without me was too long. She hopped up on the counter so we could be eye level, so she could undo my jeans and push them off.
“Fuck, baby.” My hand dug into her hair, and I kissed her hard, lost in the combustible chemistry that lit us up like a display of fireworks. I couldn’t get enough of her, couldn’t get my boxers off quick enough, could get her shorts off fast enough so I could be inside her, where I belonged.
She grabbed my hips and yanked me inside her, releasing a moan so loud, it was like she’d never had me before.
I stilled too, breathing against her mouth, panting with indescribable desire.
We breathed together, paused for a long time, before we finally started to move.I picked up the bag from the floor and carried it into the vault, grimacing slightly because anything heavy still made my ribs ache. But I hid my expression from the men, kept quiet, and ignored the pain.
Steel set down his bags. “What happened to you?”
I turned around, keeping a blank expression. “Meaning?”
“You’re moving like you’re injured. You were fine just a few days ago.”
I held his expression and considered my response. “You know, boxing too hard.” I rubbed my hand over my stomach, touching the opposite side of where my healing ribs were located.
Steel didn’t call me out on it, but he didn’t seem to believe me.
I walked away to grab the next bag.
“Still doesn’t explain why you can’t lift more than fifty pounds.”
I stopped and turned to Ian, the only witness to the conversation. “Leave us.”
Ian dropped his bag and walked off.
I shut the door behind him then turned to Steel. “If you want to say something, just say it.”
He faced me, squared his shoulders like we were enemies rather than friends. “I know Balto took your place.”
I guess he wasn’t as stupid as the rest of them. I came toward him, getting close to his face. “Why would you say that?”
“Because I worked with Balto for years. I know his tells. You guys are completely different in every way but appearance.”
“Do the other men believe this conspiracy?”
“I don’t know. Never asked.” He stepped back, proving his loyalty by keeping his mouth shut. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I didn’t keep up the lie anymore. “I couldn’t.”
“What happened to you?” He turned back to me, standing in the sea of bags that still needed to be placed in the vault.
“Got hurt—bad.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, his head tilted. “And why is that something to hide?”
“Because I was practically a corpse.” It had been hard to look in the mirror and see the beating I’d taken without fighting back. It was difficult to see my punishment, even if I’d deserved it.
His anger started to fade. “Who did this to you?”
“It was a personal matter, so had nothing to do with our organization.”
He raised both eyebrows. “Someone kicked your ass, and your response is to do nothing?”
“I deserved it,” I snapped. “And this is exactly why I didn’t tell you. The men would want justice for what was done to me, and if I didn’t do something myself, they would question my leadership. And if Vox saw me in my weakened state, he might have taken the opportunity to replace me or finish me off. It was easier this way.”
He was quiet for a long time, staring at me with his arms still crossed over his chest. “You still could have told me. I could have helped.”