I chuckled, warmth blooming in my chest.
I loved her playful side. It was something I hadn’t seen much of. I got the feeling this was who she was before Victor. A woman who found a reason to laugh and smile every day.
And maybe this was who she could finally be now that he was gone.
“You were right.”
She threw her head back and cried out, grasping onto the table, as if in the throes of ecstasy.
“Careful, Ariana. You keep doing that and I’ll give you something to scream about.”
“Promise?” she asked in a husky voice.
“You should know by now I’m a man of my word.”
She leaned toward me, her mouth a breath away. “Again.”
I didn’t have to ask to know what she wanted.
Hell, what we both wanted.
I curved toward the crook of her neck. “You,” I began, touching a featherlight kiss to the spot below her earlobe. Then I moved toward her other ear. “Were.” I pulled back, my lips scraping against hers. “Right.”
Her entire body shuddered as another whimper escaped. This time, I wasn’t sure if it was because of my words or because she was getting just as turned on as I was.
I had a feeling it was the latter.
“Ariana,” I murmured, threading my fingers through her hair. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?”
Her gaze dropped to my boxer briefs, mischief dancing within before her eyes met mine.
“I think I have a pretty good idea.” Straightening, she reached for the buttons on her shirt — my shirt — and slowly unfastened them, allowing the material to fall onto the table. Then she spread her legs. “But why don’t you show me?”
That was all it took for me to jump to my feet and push down my boxers, all thoughts of Blake and Chandler Meadows disappearing as I thrust into Ariana.
Chapter Ten
Henry
When I walked into Blake’s hospital room later that morning, he looked much more alert than yesterday. Color had returned to his complexion, replacing the gray pallor. There was a spark in his eyes as he curved toward the nurse by his bed, flashing an easy grin and winking.
A pinkish hue immediately fell over the nurse’s face as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
One thing was certain. Blake knew how to charm people.
Yesterday, I may have overanalyzed it. Wondered how much of it was real and how much was an act.
I refused to go down that path again.
Ariana was right.
If it weren’t for Blake, we might never have uncovered the truth about what Victor was involved in. From the moment I suspected a connection between Sarah’s supposed suicide and Victor Kane, Blake had been relentless. Focused. Loyal. His actions weren’t those of a man who was playing both sides or who had ulterior motives. Hearing the word “chosen” simply reminded him of Chandler Meadows. Nothing more.
And the brand on his chest was irrelevant.
In our line of work, everyone had secrets. I’d never told him the story behind the welts on my back. I couldn’t expect him to share what that brand meant or how he got it.
“How are you feeling today?” I asked once the nurse left, the door clicking softly behind her.
