Page 71 of Sunrise

“Yeah, I do.” I poke him on his arm this time. “And if we’re going for full honestly here…” I poke him in the neck. “I’m a little glad no other man can touch you.” I poke him in the forehead. “You’re mine, Alex.” I push my finger against his bottom lip and drag it down. “I’d hate to have to commit more murders if someone else got to touch what’s fucking mine.”

He makes the best little noise ever.

Sliding my hand along his jaw, I hold his face. “Tell me how to stop loving you, so I don’t set fire to the next thing that threatens us.”

He shakes his head. His chest heaves with every breath he draws. “I don’t want you to stop.”

“No?”

He shakes his head again.

I lean in, inching my way to victory. “Are you sure?”

“I want you to burn this whole world down for me.”

My smile makes me feel psychotic. “All you have to do is ask.”

I kiss him hard and hope like hell I’ve finally shattered the glass his two sides are always screaming behind.

Chapter 22

Sophie

I can’t stop smiling. At this rate, my colleagues are going to think I’ve huffed rocket fuel fumes. Zipping the sun necklace along its chain, I saunter down the hall with a folder tucked under my arm. My current mood is a far cry from the one I had yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that.

“Someone’s zesty today,” James teases by the coffeepot.

I cheese it up and pour myself a to-go cup.

“Wow.” He leans against the counter and stares. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this before.”

“Like what?”

“Happy.”

Ouch. “I’m always happy.”

His right eyebrow lifts in awho are you trying to foolkind of way.

“I’musuallyhappy.”

I swear it arches higher.

“Okay, I’m occasionally not irritated.”

“Bingo.” He dumps an ungodly amount of sugar into his cup. “Does he have a name?”

“There is nohe,” I lie.

“She, then?”

I’m diligent about keeping my private lifeseparate from my work one. It’s hard enough being a woman among a sea of men, most of whom don’t like to work with me. I’m a hard ass on my best day and a control freak. James is one of the few who happily puts up with me barking commands and asking him to put in long hours. I don’t know where I’d be without him on my team. That doesn’t mean I’ll ever tell him about my personal…interests.

“Thank fuck it’s Friday,” I say, sending our conversation in a new direction.

“Amen to that.” He takes a sip of his coffee. “Any luck with Bill?”

“We have a lunch meeting today.”

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