Page 22 of The Villain

Rob and I turned to each other when Athena began to eat.Ray Ivans. Richard Iverson.We assumed he was using another alias with the same initials, and we were right. Blood pumped in my ears.

We were right.And we had a name.

“And what does he do?” Rob asked while I immediately fired off a silent message to Ty with the alias.

“He’s an investor and an art collector.”

And conscienceless doctor and jewel thief and murderer.

“Very nice. Charming,” Athena continued with a small smile. I hated that his memory made her smile when mine would surely bring her to tears.My own damn fault, I knew.“Kind. Generous. He wanted to invest in my art—a gallery even.”

Rob paused, giving Athena a break to take a few more bites of her sandwich.

“Were you going to let him?” I asked, earning a glare from Rob that practically shouted,Not important.

Except it was important to me.

“Yes—no.” She stopped, her brow furrowing. “I mean, I’m not even close to opening my own space yet, but I was happy to have investors in my work. I’m just starting over—starting out, so any support was welcome.”

“How did you meet him?”

“Actually”—Rob interrupted before Athena could answer and pointed a warning finger at me—“we just need to know if you have a contact number for him?

“Yes—no.” Athena’s shoulders slumped. “I had his number in my phone.”

Which was in the passenger seat of her car and completely eviscerated in the explosion.

“That’s okay. Do you know where he lives?”

“No—ahh.” She broke off with a small cry and reached for the side of her head.

I let out a low snarl in Rob’s direction;we’d asked too much too soon.

“It’s okay.” Rob moved around me. “Here, let me take your plate.” When she reached for the dish, she also placed acomforting hand on top of Athena’s, and when she squeezed, the tension melted from Athena’s face.

“I’m sorry.”

“Please, don’t apologize. You’ve been through so much and have been so helpful already. We’re done with questions for the night.” Rob shoved the plate at me like I was the problem. “We have your medications for you to take, okay? And then we’ll have to put the bandage back over your eyes.”

Now, it was my turn to shove something at Rob—the bandage. I’d touched…enough for one night—enough to fuel my fantasies for another couple of decades.God, just the feel of her soft skin was enough to have me crawling out of mine with desire.I thought years without had killed this hunger. I was so fucking wrong.

“Do you think…I’m sorry,” Athena started and then broke off with a shake her head.

Goddamn, I wanted her to stop apologizing.And then I wanted to kill whoever it was that instilled in her this idea that she was always at fault—always the problem.

“No, please.” Rob sat on the edge of the bed, still holding Athena’s hand, and I realized this was right—having someone to comfort her, to be able to be there for her, to be close to her—that was the right thing to do. Not having a man protect her who was tortured by every moment in her presence. “What can I do?”

When Athena replied, her voice was softer, and I could tell by the way her head turned and tilted that she wasn’t sure where I was standing and hoped it wasn’t close enough to hear.

“Would it be possible for me to take a shower?”

A shower.

Her.

Naked.

In my shower.

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