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She waited a beat for him to continue, then cocked an eyebrow. “Well?”
“My brother came by the Guild today.” Scowling at his glass, he swirled the ruby liquid before taking a sip. “He had a favor to ask of the Guild.”
“A favor?” Even if she hadn’t honed her instincts for a juicy story over the years, she had no doubt her radar would have been dinging like mad at that simple phrase. “What kind of favor?”
“He wants the Guild to sabotage the trade negotiations with Antini.”
“Seriously? Why the hell would he want to do that?”
“Because, if we open up trade with them, then his smuggled goods are suddenly worth far less on the black-market. Or they’ll at least only be worth fair market value. And since vanilla beans make up a good-sized chunk of his bottom line right now, he doesn’t want to see that happen.”
“Ah. That makes sense.” When he shot her a stern glare, she shrugged. “It does, in a criminal mastermind kind of way. I’m assuming you told him to go pound sand.”
“Not in so many words, but yes, I made it clear that the Guild would not be doing his dirty work for him.”
Good for you.“What did he say to that?”
“He told me I was making a mistake and he left.”
“That’s it?” Unease prickled at the base of her spine. “No threats, no ultimatums? He just…left?”
“Yes. I’m not naïve enough to believe it’s the last I’ll be seeing of him, which is why it’s more important than ever for you to keep your security detail.”
“I had a feeling you were going to say that.” But for the first time since he’d laid down that particular rule, she felt safe and protected rather than smothered. A man who made his fortune in the shadows like Adrian apparently did wasn’t going to back down without a fight with so much on the line. And she had no desire to be his leverage. “Don’t worry. I rather like being alive and with all my body parts intact.”
“Good. I happen to feel the same.” Reaching for her, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t think I could forgive myself if anything happened to you.”
It was a far cry from a declaration of love, but her heart skidded to a stop all the same. Was she an idiot, letting herself fall for a man like him? One who left a trail of broken hearts behind him wherever he went?
Well, in her experience, the best way to get the answers you wanted was to ask. Setting her glass on the coffee table, she climbed on top of him, the t-shirt she’d borrowed riding up her thighs as she straddled him.
“What are we, Cyrus?”
He blinked, obviously surprised by the sudden change in topic. “We’re…us.”
“Let me try this another way. Do you have feelings for me? More than just wanting to fuck me?”
“Yes.” The corners of his lips dipped down. “Is that a problem?”
“For me?” She snorted out a laugh. “No. But I thought it might be for DC’s biggest playboy.”
“I am hardly the city’s worst offender,” he shot back dryly. “Though I can’t deny having had my fair share of…affairs.”
“Mmhmm. I just assumed you were one of those ‘I don’t do relationships’ kind of guys.”
“I have been in the past, with other women. But those other women weren’t you.”
The simple truth ringing in his words knocked the breath from her lungs. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, that while the majority of them were pleasant companions, they weren’tyou. They didn’t have your strength, your curiosity, your compassion. They sure as hell didn’t challenge me the way you do. All of the things I adore about you and make you who you are.”
“Well. That’s a lovely thing to say.”
“I meant every word.” With his free arm wrapped around her, he leaned forward to deposit his glass on the table before shifting so they were lying on the couch with him stretched out on top of her.
“And you’re not just saying that?” Despite her promises to herself, she knew her heart would shatter if they were just pretty words, spoken to placate her until he tired of having her around.
“No.” Feather soft touches along the inside of her thigh had her arching up to meet him as he spoke. “I meant it when I said you were mine, Mina. But the opposite is just as true. I am yours, body and soul, for as long as you’ll have me.”
