Page 38 of Blind Devotion
“You mean…”
“Too much shit in too little time.”
“Oh.” She pursed her lips, chewing on the insides, and rolled her shoulders. Again, she grimaced, her hand going for the shot. “Seriously, what is this thing? Is this…Oh wow, heavy. I guess I can see how that would be effective, but that’s brutal. My poorface. Not a nice way to go. What’s it doing on the bed? Just leaving potential murder weapons lying around now, are you?”
I chuckled, surprised at the sound. She never reacted how I expected her to. I took the ball from her, noting a tremor in her hand. “If you must know, I took it off the field after strength training this evening.”
“Right.” From the slight quake in her voice, the omission hadn’t provided the comfort intended. She lifted her chin, acting so brave. My fingers grazed the curve of her jaw. When she leaned into the touch, I swore my heart stuttered. “Some assassin you are.”
“I’ll have you know I am quite adept in usual circumstances.”
“There are usual circumstances for murder?”
“I’m not sharing trade secrets.”
“Is that another joke? What’s going on with you tonight?”
I didn’t have an answer for her. I had spoken more with her over the last few evenings than I normally did with anyone but Erel. It was easy, simple. Dangerous.
All I could think about was the curve of her lips as she smiled. That mouth of hers, that sassy, bewitching thing, deserved to be filled, rough and hard, so she understood what her teasing did to me. The way her plump lips would fit around me. How deep she’d take me. How warm she’d be.Et merde, shit, that image was doing me in. I pressed a hand against my sweatpants and adjusted my semi-hard cock. These thoughts had no place between us.
“Sleep. No murders tonight.”
“Promise?”
I kissed her forehead above the bandages before thinking better of it.
“Yes,” I whispered against her skin. Just that small touch felt like too little yet too much.
Had she been healed, I’d have pulled her into my arms, holding her as I did the night she crawled onto my boat over three weeks ago when she asked me that same question.
“Stay with me?” she asked.
It was like she didn’t care who or what I was. That was fascinating in and of itself.
I grunted my acceptance and dragged one of the armchairs to her bedside. And when she reached out her hand to me, I didn’t hesitate to take it. Her thumb flitted over the backs of my scarred fingers.
For the first time ever, the scars—both surgical and trauma-induced—didn’t flare with electrical pain at the slightest graze. She must have felt the scars, but she didn’t ask what caused them. It made it easier to forget she shouldn’t be touching me at all.
Chapter 14
“Iheardarumor,”Alizé said as she sauntered into the gym, dragging my men’s attention away from their sparring and exercising with her ridiculously short athletic wear.
“Not bad, Alizé. Looking good,” Erel added with a wink. He crossed to his locker and retrieved his towel, only then catching my glare. “What?”
With a roll of my eyes, I shook my head at his flirtation, knowing full well there was no attraction between them. I kept my rowing pace on the ergometer. A chill zapped down my spine as the warm breeze from the open windows swept over my sweat-drenched tank.
“Eyes where they should be. Back to it.”
The men snapped back to their stations, the soft clink and clack of weights picking back up along with grunts and groans. Built off the main house, this gym was open to everyone on the estate for the required regular fitness upkeep I demanded of anyone who worked for me—family or otherwise. Sparring bonded even the most stubborn of men. It fostered mental and physical adaptability to tough situations while allowingfor a controlled emotional release. Something I didn’t take for granted.
The mats were one of the rare places I accepted touch from others. More than accepted, I thrived on it. The awareness of your partner, the strategy, the skill, the violence, the exercise. Everything about it was about being in control of yourself and your actions while also honing your skills and pushing past your limits if you so chose. You had a problem with someone, you took it out on the mats and dealt with it.
“So is it true?” Alizé parked herself in front of me, hand on her hip.
“Be more precise.” I huffed through another set of ten quick strokes.
“You and Tessa. Spending time together. Every night.”
