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“A’ight,” he said as Aella chuckled. “Fuck around and get someone killed if you want to, Elle.”
“I’m sorry, it was just a joke,” she snickered, covering her mouth with her free hand.
“Joke my ass. If I ever find out you have a side piece, I’ma skin his ass alive and hang him in the Town Square for everyone to see.”
“You are so violent.”
“And yet, you continue to provoke me to anger.”
“You’re just sensitive,” she teased.
“Only when it comes to you,” he said before sighing. “But seriously, Elle. I’m sorry about putting you through all that earlier. I hate that I’m the reason that your life has been flipped upside down.”
“Well, technically, the whole kidnapping situation happened before we crossed paths, so I’m the one who flipped your life upside down.”
“True,” Cassius agreed. “You should’ve come with a warning label. But given the choice, I wouldn’t do anything differently. No matter how we got here, you’re stuck with me.”
“What are your thoughts or feelings on kids?”
“Why?” he looked down at her again. “You pregnant?”
“No fool,” she rolled her eyes. “I just asked because if I do have a child, I don’t want their lives to be like ours.”
“If and when that day comes, we can try to shield them as much as possible, but eventually they’ll find out who their family is. We can’t hide that forever. And I’d honestly prefer them to know early to help increase their awareness. I would never force my child into this lifestyle, though. They’re free to be whoever they want. This mafia shit stops with me.”
“Now on that, we agree,” Aella rested her head against his chest.
Cassius’ phone lit up on the arm of the couch, and he picked it up, quickly looked at the screen, then placed it back down while releasing a deep breath.
“What?” Aella questioned.
“That was Kenyon. The money just hit. So game on.”
“What’s up, Princess?” Cassius’s voice floated into Aella’s office, blanketing her with an immediate calm. She looked at him in surprise, unaware that he planned to drop in on her.
“Hey, you. Everything okay?”
Avoiding eye contact, Cassius stepped around her, moving to the crystalline, floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city. “Damn, this is a hell of a view.”
“And you are a hell of an avoider,” Aella quipped, noticing the tension in his shoulders. After closing her office door to ensure her conversation remained private, she joined him at the window and laced her fingers through his. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to see your face and check if you’ve eaten yet. If you hadn’t, I figured we could go to lunch.”
“So, in addition to being an avoider, you’re a lousy liar,” Aella tittered, her shoulder brushing his arm.
“You think I’m lying about wanting to feed you?” he teased, dropping his gaze to her.
“I think you’re lying about nothing being wrong and using food as a distraction.”
“Is it working?”
“Not at all,” she beamed. “Spill it.”
“It’s nothing we can’t discuss later. Right now, I want to sit in the peace of our world.”
As badly as she wanted to pry, Aella felt she’d catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. So, she went a different route.
“Well,” she squeezed his hand. “To answer your question, no, I haven’t eaten yet, and I’m starving. I can’t leave the office any time soon, though. A major project I’m heading is at risk of being flushed down the drain if I can’t find a way to turn it around.”
