She shakes her head. “Oh, no. He would never. Or else Elaine would have tried to make me feel better about getting cheated on.”
 
 That makes sense. Elaine does seem to care about her a lot.
 
 Which is unsurprising, considering how kind, and clever, and cute, and—there just aren’t enough words to describe her accurately.
 
 “You’re really good in bed,” I say, because, well, that naturally comes to mind after what we just did.
 
 Helena chuckles softly. “I can’t take credit for that. Team effort. We just… fit.” She snuggles her head against my shoulder and I pull her close. “Sometimes those things just come naturally.”
 
 “We got lucky then,” I conclude and place a kiss on her forehead.
 
 She goes quiet for a beat, her fingers tracing lazy circles on my chest. “So what about you? Why do you have an imaginary girlfriend?”
 
 “Had. We broke up when Alexei insisted on meeting her.”
 
 Helena laughs. “Was he worried about you being alone too?”
 
 “Yeah,” I say, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
 
 We both fall silent for a moment. It’s that kind of silence. The one weighing heavy on your chest. The kind where everything almost gets said.
 
 But I don’t say it.
 
 And neither does she.
 
 Instead, I tilt her chin up and kiss her. Slow this time, gentle. Like an apology—not for how I just tried to break her in half out of sheer, unadulterated need. It’s for what we’re doing right now. For the fact that it can’t last. And I think she knows it too. Still, she kisses me back with that same softness.
 
 Eventually, I pull away slowly, savoring her taste. “We should get you home,” I say. “There are things we need to do.”
 
 “Oh?” Helena raises a brow. “More sex? You know I’ll have to make you beg for that, right?”
 
 “Of course you will, Panda,” I say, giving her bare ass a sharp smack that echoes through the RV. “But first, I’ll run you a bath. A proper one. You deserve to be cleaned with devotion and very expensive bubble soap.”
 
 She pretends to consider this. “I mean, I guess I wouldn’t complain about getting treated like royalty for once.”
 
 A grin spreads across my face. “Good. I’ll treat you like a princess first. And like a naughty little whore afterwards then.” My hand lands on her ass again, my cock already eager to pick up where we left off. “I promise neither will involve any guillotines though.” I swing my legs over the side of the bed, pick up the painting she did of my beheading, and hang it back on the tiny wall. It must have fallen down earlier, along with a mug that’s broken into two pieces. I toss her a T-shirt of mine so she can put on something comfortable. Once I’m dressed as well, I scoop her up with the blanket, bundle her into the passenger seat, shoot a quick text to Sienna, and drive us back to our safe house.
 
 When we get to the apartment, Sienna has placed a set of fancy soaps and shampoos outside our door.
 
 Helena looks visibly surprised when she sees it. “How did you?—”
 
 “I’m very rich and powerful,” I tease, leading her to the bathroom and starting the water. Once the tub is half full, she gets in. I slide in behind her, the heat of the water melting the tension from our bodies. It’s intimate, familiar. I can’t help pressing soft kisses on her shoulders as I wash her hair, rub her back, and trace invisible patterns down her spine with my fingertips. She leans into me like she’s always belonged there.
 
 No rush. No heist. No lies.
 
 Just this.
 
 Just us.
 
 Afterwards, I carry her to bed and tuck her in like she’s something breakable. Then I slide in next to her, our mouths finding each other again—this time unhurried, but no less hungry.
 
 Still, our second time is nothing like the first.
 
 The second time is slow, and deep, and impossibly tender. Even the inevitable ass spanking, the nails in skin, the hair pulling, and the relentless pounding I give her from behind is. Somehow, it’s all tender. It’s considerate, and caring, and achingly intimate.
 
 And when she comes again, breathless before me, I turn her to face me so I can watch—see her, see what I’m doing to her. I want to marvel at her unravel, want her to feel the way she makes me feel.
 
 Mere moments later, I come inside her.