Page 62 of Whispers of Fire

Fuck no .

I'm in a nightmare, running from the flames, and I can't get out without losing my girl.

Damn it, why did I have to get attached?

Putting my hands on my face, I groan loudly. I'm so fuckin' pissed. A few other guys of the club could have gone to Seattle to open the new warehouse and make a few visits to share the news of our arrival in town. But Ares chose me. His fuckin' loyal soldier, always ready to go to war for him. Always.

But not this time.

Not now that there's another reason for me to stay. Her gorgeous face flashes in my mind like a constant reminder of what my life could be.

How can I protect her when I'm on the other side of the country?

I won't be able to just watch her through my app. She's like a drug and I need a fix every single damn day or I know I'll lose it. Light footsteps come from the staircase, makin’ me fuckin’ smile despite today’s news.

My girl.

Barefoot as always.

I shake my head with a stupid smile on my face. Her tiny silhouette stops at my doorway, her cheeks flushed a charmin’ pink shade.

Damn it, why does she have to be this fuckin' adorable.

“Hey, you,” I say, raising myself to a sitting position on my bed.

“Hey,” she mouths, biting her lip with a light smile.

I'm surprised she came up here, and I think she is too from the blush rising in her cheeks. I like how daring she's being, stepping inside my house like she owns it. And I have nothin' to object to that statement.

She can fuckin' walk inside the bathroom while I shower and I would be the happiest bastard in the world.

I gawk at her, making her blush even more.

God, I love to torment her.

She's watching the place next to me with intensity, like she wants to join me but doesn't want to admit it.

“C’mon, come here, sweetheart,” I say, patting the place next to me.

Just wanna hold my girl after this shitty day and get what rough men like me can only have from sweet girls like her. Just a bit of solace before going back into the darkness.

Rose doesn't hesitate and jogs to the bed, spreading her beautiful body next to mine, her curves barely concealed under her awful long nightgown. She turns to face me and nestles herself in my arms, her face resting on my chest with one of her legs straddling one of mine. I don't know if she can feel my heart pounding like a racing horse under my ribs.

If that’s heaven, then I can’t fuckin’ wait.

I close my eyes, pretending for a second that this is real. Us. That we're just an average couple, cuddlin’ on the bed.

A couple? Seriously, Vox?

But reality crashes back in, reminding me that we're far from an average couple. I can't ignore the weight of Ares' orders pressing down on me, pulling me further from the life I could have with Rose.

Since when did I picture a future with her?

No fuckin' clue but each day that passes tattoos her deeper into my flesh and bones. I bury my face in Rose's hair, inhaling her sweet vanilla scent, trying to memorize every detail of this moment before it slips away. I hold her tight, her breaths quickenin’. She stirs in my arms, like she knows somethin’s off, and lifts her head to meet my gaze.

Those eyes–those fuckin' gorgeous blue eyes that would make any man fall on their knees.

I can tell she's trying to read me, but I’m not ready to tell her yet. We stay like this for a while before I hear her stomach growl. Chuckling, I kiss her hair, strokin’ her cheeks.

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