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My chest rose and fell with a heavy breath as I stepped onto the tile. A cooking nightmare had happened in this bitch and it had nothing to do with the old cabinets and countertops that needed to be replaced. The putrid aroma of burnt cheese was strongest in here, my gaze snagging on the culprit. I’m sure it had at one point been some edible version of a lasagna but that disaster was going to see the inside of a trashcan today.
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I slipped it out, answering with my usual. “Stone speaking.”
“So formal,” Dmitri purred.
I instantly relaxed, glad to hear his voice. He’d been in the hospital and then on mandated bedrest due to our last job being a shit show so it was wonderful to hear him in good enough spirits to handle a phone. Then again, Dmitri wasn’t known to take breaks and the only way we had gotten him to rest was by knocking him out with sedatives. “Sorry, what’s up?”
“Just checking in on you. Valentyn says you were supposed to be at the house fifteen minutes ago.” His French accent thickened toward the end which told me he was worried. Unless he was fucking pissed or concerned, his accent was usually soft, just a slight twinge to his words.
I pulled the phone away from my ear to look at the clock, a slew of curses passing through my lips before I returned the device to my ear. “Yeah, shit. I got caught up.”
“No shit, Sherlock. Why are you back at your old place though?”
I bit my tongue before I said something I regretted. I always forgot that my partners had my location on their phones. Valentyn might have been our boss but it was Dmitri who fucking despised lies and half-truths. He’d kill me if I tried to worm my way out of this because they weren’tjusttwo people I worked with.
They might have had nearly ten years on my 28-year-old self but they were my lovers and my entire world. Open relationship as it was, Valentyn and Dmitri were home base, my everything. Our only rule? To never lie to each other. Just another reason why Rhys and I could never be. I had never told him who I truly was, that I was more than just a friendly neighborhood fuck. That the hands he loved so much were lethal and that my mere presence in his house could set a target on his back.
“I’m not,” I finally said. “I’m one house over.”
I had never told them Rhys’ name but they knew about him. They knew that Rhys had had a chokehold on my life and they were there when I told Rhys goodbye as I moved away to live with my ‘family’. Family was code for Valentyn, Dmitri, and our beautiful son, Paval. He was Valentyn’s nephew but when Paval’s parents passed away, Valentyn gladly took him in.
Those three men were my world and as much as I wanted Rhys to be a permanent part of it, I refused to bring him into that kind of danger without a conversation. So, I hid behind one-night stands and the loose label of friends with benefits to appease my need for him.
“Ah, having a little fuck before the day’s over? Valentyn will be thrilled you missed debriefing. Might even deliver a few spanks for that one.”
My cock throbbed at the thought but I ignored it. “No. His ex got in again and I found him in a heap. Just helping him clean up a bit and I’ll be right over.” My fists curled at my side as I tried not to think of all the wonderful things I could do to Owen to make him scream. Our job revolved around fixing problems, legal and those not-so-legal and I would have had no problem using Owen as target practice. Rhys just needed to say the word.
“You gonna tell him?”
“No.” I shook my head as I wiped down the counter and the microwave before grabbing Febreze from one of the cabinets and heavily dosing the kitchen and living room.And now itsmells like someone shit flowersin here…But at least it fixed the original problem. “I won’t do that to him.” I refused to bring Rhys into a mess that he never asked for. He thought he wanted me but I didn’t come alone. I came with the evil I enjoyed as well as three other men and while my men would accept Rhys wholeheartedly, I’m not sure that beautiful mathematician would be ready for what we had to offer.
Dmitri didn’t push it. “Call Valentyn before he decides to light up your ass. Literally.” The French bastard hung up, leaving me to my own thoughts. The shower cut off a few moments ago, a weary Rhys just now making an appearance, the man still trying to smile despite what he had gone through. His cheek was still red from irritation and while I wanted to ask, I knew he wouldn’t answer.
“Rest. You need it,” I said, leaving no room for argument. Sometimes he needed a gentle push and other times he needed rules. Right now, he needed to be told what to do and I was more than willing to ensure that he got the rest he so desperately needed.
His expression pleaded for me to stay and I knew I shouldn’t. I knew I needed to set a boundary between us but fucking hell, I couldn’t leave him alone. My little warrior had stolen a piece of my heart and the only thing I wanted to do was wrap him up in my arms and never let him go.
He bit his bottom lip, reaching for me until his fingers curled around mine. In that moment, he was a fragile shell of the man I knew and I just couldn’t walk out that door. I shot Dmitri and Valentyn a quick text before letting Rhys pull me into his office. I didn’t address the room we were in but I knew that Owen’s appearance must have really messed with him because Rhys didn’t sleep in here otherwise.
Rhys pushed me down on the couch before curling up against my chest, the cushions barely wide enough to hold the both of us. Still, I held him tight, wrapping my arms around him to shield him from the world he was desperately trying to hide from.
No words were exchanged but I heard the sigh of relief before he let himself relax. I was his safe space.
If he only knew what I did for a living.
Chapter five
RHYS
I woke to my face pressed into Gianni’s warm chest, his arms wrapped tightly around my back as if I might disappear into the cushions otherwise. I wanted to stay in this safe cocoon but one look at the clock told me that staying any longer would mean missing family dinner. And today would be the day that Mom wandered over to my house and I refused to have her in my space.
Untangling myself from Gianni was a chore, his heavy breath fanning against my cheek one moment and the next he was standing by the couch, helping me off the cushions. I stumbled into his chest, earning me a crooked smile. “You look refreshed.” His large hands moved to cup my cheeks, his fingers nearly wrapping around the back of my neck as he lowered his head to brush his lips over mine. I probably should have had a problem that he crawled onto my couch while sweaty but even that scent was better than earlier. “Family dinner, right?”
I frowned at him, pulling away slightly. “How-”
“Because I don’t forget things, babe. Thursday evenings are always family dinner. You just never go. I assume the way you jumped up means differently this time.”
I couldn’t even function right now. Despite it being nearly 6:30 p.m., I needed a cup of coffee and a donut. Actually, a raspberry danish. I could go for one of those right now.Focus!I took a deep breath and stared at him, wondering why I hadn’t tried to date and marry the man in front of me instead of motherfucking Owen Hall. “Yeah, I have to go,” I finally mumbled.
