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“I—” Damien cut off with a grunt when Sparrow and Serenity took that moment to barrel into him so hard we were both knocked back against the silver car. “I know, girls, I missed you, too.”
“Hey, what about me?” I asked, brushing tears off my cheeks.
“I thought of you every minute I was away from you,” Damien replied fervently, attempting to kiss me but thwarted by our dogs’ exuberance. “Do you think I could kiss my wife?” he asked the twins, amused and frustrated at once.
“I think that’s a no,” I said when they kept jumping all over him, making a constant riot of noise and excitement.
A whistle split the air. Sparrow and Serenity startled, whirling around to see the source.
“What the fuck?” Damien demanded of Jonathan, who ordered the girls to sit—successfully.
Jonathan shrugged. “They can sense an alpha.”
Damien could not have rolled his eyes harder. I snorted.
“Let’s go home, okay?” I asked, unable to take my hands off my husband, scared he’d vanish if I released him.
Damien dropped a kiss on my head and settled his arm across my back, guiding me towards the now-empty lift. The car park had been full of sound and chaos a minute ago, but evenwith the twins wagging their tails aggressively, it was subdued now. Calm.
“I’ve called Eli,” Jonathan told us when we strode into the lift, me holding Sparrow’s butt so she didn’t get her tail stuck in the metal doors. “He’ll take over tonight. I need to fucking sleep. Do you know you’ve had me working thirty-six hours?”
“How have you not passed out already?” I asked, eyeing him worriedly. It was hard to tell he was tired since his beard covered most of his face, but his eyes were heavy, deep-set.
He shrugged a big shoulder. “Stamina.”
“Stubbornness,” Damien corrected.
Jonathan glared; Damien glared back.
“I can’t think why you’re friends,” I said dryly, taking a step forward when the lift doors slid open but pausing before I could take a second step. I wasstartingto remember I needed a guard to exit first, but it was still strange to hold back. I didn’t like Jonathan risking his life for mine. Not that there were any threats here.
“Thank you for pointing out my impressive stamina,” Damien said, his arm slung around me as we crossed the hallway to the door. I punched in the code, getting a thrill when it opened. I had a home, and freedom, and a family.
“I was talking about your impressive stubbornness,” I quipped. “Will you be okay outside until Eli gets here, Jonathan, or do you want to come inside for a drink?”
“I’d rather not get an eyeful, thanks,” he replied with a grin. “Enjoy your night, Saint, Vasilisa.”
I flushed with warmth, but he was probably right about us getting naked. I was still jittery, still couldn’t let go of Damien. I needed him as close as physically possible. Closer.
The twins made a beeline for the sofa, jumping up and snuggling together with deep, matching sighs, like they had the weight of the world on their thick shoulders.
“The whiskey’s open,” I said, grabbing the bottle and surprised when he squeezed my hip and led me past the sofas and onto the balcony. “Damien?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he assured me even though I hadn’t asked. “I just want to decompress.”
“It’s okay if something is wrong,” I said, not fighting when he sat in the chair I occupied earlier and pulled me onto his lap. “There must be a part of you that was worried you wouldn’t get out, too.”
He made a noncommittal sound. “It’s not that. Mostly. I knew I’d get out, I just didn’t know if it’d be too late.”
I stayed silent to coax more words from him, setting my gun, phone, and the whiskey on the table so I could stroke my fingers through his golden hair and down the back of his neck. Each pass seemed to eat at the tension holding him so stiff until he expelled a deep breath.
“Part of me was convinced I’d get out and you’d be gone,” he said finally, his voice low and his hand flexing on my thigh.
“I wouldn’t leave you,” I said gently, pressing a reassuring kiss to his lips.
“You could have been taken,” he murmured, his eyes pinched with worry as he stared at the city arrayed around us. “In the gallery or here or somewhere in between.”
“With thirty guardsandJonathan?” I raised an eyebrow, stroking the back of his neck with my thumb. “Artur’s dangerous but he’s one man.”
