Page 108 of Our Radiant Embers

“And I suppose you’re just the guy to certify me?” A twitch of humour around Adam’s mouth belied his dry tone.

I gave a sage nod. “That’s right. For the record, a blowjob might speed up the process.“

“Quite the bargain.”

“The Morgan family is known for reasonable conditions and ambitious timelines,” I stated with the smarmy air of an ad narrator. Adam’s laugh glowed like the sunlight that tangled in the bedsheets.

“And as a true Harrington, I know an excellent offer when I see it.” His mouth softened. “Okay, but here’s an actual thought—you take care of breakfast, and I start looking through the first book for anything that could hint at your great-grandfather. Unless I’m wrong in thinking that you’re not too keen on doing it yourself?”

The question pulled me up short. He wasn’t wrong, must have read the reluctance I hadn’t even been aware of until he pointed it out. Yes, I’d been tired last night—but I’d pushed through worse when truly motivated.

“I want answers. It’s just…” I hesitated. “After what Nan Jean told us, I guess I’m also a little wary of what they might be.”

“I get that.” Adam’s eyes were warm and steady. “But it’s just us, for now. If you don’t like what we find, it won’t ever have to leave this room.”

Just us.

“One more secret?” I aimed for a lighter tone that Adam didn’t mirror, his voice serious.

“Yes. But it’d be me protecting you, for a change.”

I frowned, somehow thrown. It made sense, didn’t it? Yeah, it did. But…

“If things with you and Cassandra don’t work out the way your families expect…” I pressed my lips together, staring at Adam for a beat. “Alaric Hartley might lose interest in the Green Horizon Initiative, right? Even torpedo it?”

“I don’t think he’d go that far.” Adam sounded unconvinced by his own claim, and yeah, well—Hartley hadn’t risen to the top by being lenient with people who slighted him. Then again, he’d pushed for the Initiative, so maybe he’d be more subtle about it, would try to get Adam and his family off the job.

I couldn’t do it alone.

“You’ve thought about this already.” I swallowed another mouthful of coffee that suddenly tasted bland. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I’m not exactly looking for more reasons why things between us are...” Adam fell quiet, gaze sliding away.

Impossible.

“Complicated,” I said.

“Complicated,” he agreed.

Neither of us spoke for several seconds. I wanted to reach out and trace the line of his jaw, wanted to hold on to him while I could.

I didn’t move.

It was Adam who ended the silence. “Breakfast?” he asked softly, with a quirk to his mouth that almost passed for a smile. Ignoring the tap-dancing elephant in the room didn’t solve anything, was only delaying the inevitable—but I’d take all the time I could get.

“I’ll handle it,” I told him, “if you’re up for taking a first look at those books.”

His features relaxed just slightly. “Deal.”

“Hey.” I leaned forward to touch his shoulder, my voice far more steady than I felt. “We’ll figure it out, okay?”

He watched me for a beat that thrummed in my fingertips, then he covered my hand with his own and nodded. “Yeah. We will.”

Would we? When I cared too much and he was only half mine? Maybe it was safer this way—tucked out of sight, stolen touches in the dark. Maybe this was as far as we could go before anyone got hurt.

I shoved my doubts into a dark, dusty corner of my mind and drew him in for a kiss. He folded into me as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

20

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