“You could have asked me,” Keira says, her voice quieter than I expected. Not fury — something closer to wounded. “That’s all. You could have just asked.”
“Keira—”
“I’m not angry that you want to keep me safe.” She wraps her arms around herself, my shirt slipping off one shoulder. “I understand that. After everything, I do. But you went behind my back, Cyrus. You didn’t give me the choice.”
“It’s not about choice,” I say, the growl in my voice softened by the look on her face. “It’s about keeping you alive.”
“I know that.” Her eyes hold mine, steady despite the emotion in them. “But so is trusting me enough to be honest with me.”
Ace steps forward. “Kozlov’s men are watching you. They’ll use you to get to us?—”
“Then tell me that.” Her gaze moves to him. “Tell me, and I’ll listen. I’m not fragile. I’m not going to fall apart because the situation is dangerous.” A beat. “But I need to be part of the decision. Not just the thing you’re deciding about.”
The distinction lands harder than any argument could have.
“I survived before you,” she adds softly. “I just don’t want to feel like I’m invisible now that you’re here.”
Something inside me shatters.
“I’mscared, Keira.” The words tear out of me raw and unguarded. “For the first time in my fucking life, I’m terrified, because if they take you?—”
I can’t finish. The words jam in my throat. My hands shake as I reach for her, the tremors betraying everything I’ve spent a lifetime keeping locked down. I’ve never been afraid — not facing death, not pulling the trigger, not even when Handler Seventeen took me from Ace.
But I’m afraid now.
The moment Keira sees my hands trembling, something shifts in her eyes. The anger melts away, replaced by a softness that undoes me completely.
“Cyrus,” she whispers, stepping forward and taking my unsteady hands in hers.
I crash into her, my mouth claiming hers with desperate need. The relief of her body against mine, warm and alive, drives me to deepen the kiss, my tongue demanding entrance. She opens for me with a moan that vibrates through my chest, her fingers digging into my shoulders.
“I can’t lose you,” I breathe against her lips. “I fuckingcan’t.”
She answers by yanking my hair, pulling my head back to expose my throat. Her teeth find my pulse point, and I groan,lifting her against me. Her legs wrap around my waist as I carry her to the desk, scattering papers and tablets to the floor.
From the corner of my eye, I see Ace leaning against the doorframe. His eyes have darkened, watching us with hunger as he palms himself through his boxers. The shirt Keira wore—my shirt—is pushed up around her waist, revealing she’s wearing nothing beneath. I slide my fingers between her thighs, finding her already slick.
“You like fighting with me, don’t you?” I growl against her ear.
She bites my lower lip hard enough to draw blood. “Shut up and fuck me.”
I hear Ace’s sharp intake of breath as he frees himself, stroking slowly while his gaze locks on us.
I thrust into Keira without warning, swallowing her cry with my mouth. Her nails rake down my back as I pin her to the desk, each drive of my hips making her gasp my name. Ace’s breathing quickens, his hand matching our rhythm.
I pound into Keira with savage force, each thrust slamming the desk against the wall. Her cunt grips me like a vise, wet heat pulling me deeper with every stroke. The fabric of my shirt bunches around her waist as I grab her thighs, spreading her legs wider.
“Look at my brother watching us,” I growl against her throat. “Look at how fucking hard you make him.”
Keira’s head turns, her eyes locking with Ace’s as he strokes himself. Her inner walls clench around me at the sight.
“That’s it, baby. Show him how much you love my cock splitting you open.”
I grip her hair and yank her head back, exposing her throat. My teeth sink into the delicate skin as I slam into her harder.
“Whose cunt is this?” I demand, circling my thumb over her swollen clit.
“Yours,” she gasps. “Both of you.”
