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Surprised, she blinked at his profile. “You’ve done that?”
“Sure helped,” he said. “That’s why it’s important for us to be at our peak. For us to be ready any minute for anything… These internal arguments, the politicking, it slows us down. While we’re not at efficiency, things are being missed. Sometimes we’re just collecting dirt on some politician with dangerous ties, but it could be we’re responsible for averting a terrorist attack. When we don’t do our job people suffer, people die.”
Her muscles relaxed. “And here I am, telling you it’s okay to walk away from it.”
“Little Red…” he said, twisting to lay a hand over hers. “There’s no one else I’d consider doing it for. But Harry…” He breathed out a laugh. “Last week I was so angry I couldn’t wait to punish him for agreeing to Zulu…”
“You were angry, but you understand why he’s important… Why you’re important.”
Petty animus aside, they were a unit. The men of Olympus, for whatever reason, hadn’t believed Zeus was being faithful to their organization’s aim. Understanding the scale of their project helped Tess to understand why they were so quick to put their personal feelings aside. Each of the men in Three’s house had worked with or under Harry for a long time. They’d been in the field together, in battle together. Of course there would’ve been bumps and the latest one with Zeus was a big one. But none of them would’ve signed their life over to Olympus if they didn’t believe in its purpose. Being that the group was a secret, these men couldn’t have family or friends snooping into their intentions. All they had to rely on was each other.
As her chin drifted to the side, he put a hand on her face to bring her focus to him. “You’re important. My primary mission will always be to keep you safe.”
She shook her head. “Olympus is your primary mission. I understand now. What you do, what all of you do, it’s selfless. You give yourselves over to the cause completely. You can’t afford distractions, can’t afford to put anything ahead of your objectives. You need to help Harry, to train your men, to get back to your purpose.”
Tess didn’t know what she felt for Daire. She hadn’t known the truth of him for long enough to trust her emotions. Whatever they were.
With Danny, things had been so easy that there was no urgency or need to put names to whatever they were. Daire was the kind of man who liked specifics. He liked labels because they were clear. Good guy. Bad guy. Kill or be killed. Stand up or take cover. Advance or retreat.
His life meant something. People talked about wanting their life to be important, to make a change or have a significant impact before they shuffled off their mortal coil. No one would ever know Daire’s name. He wouldn’t have medals or commendations, but she didn’t doubt him for a second when he told her the truth of what he did. He saved people, their lives and from suffering. He gave himself to humanity. Put the greater good ahead of individual desires.
She touched his jaw. “Can I ask you one more thing?” He nodded. “What’s your last name? Your real last name.”
He frowned. “Canon,” he said. “Two ns, not three. Why?”
“I want to remember your name,” she murmured, mesmerized by how his stubble felt beneath her fingertips. “You won’t ever be Ares to me. I don’t want you to be Danny or anyone else with me. Just be Daire, just be you, whatever the honest you is in the moment.”
He leaned in a little closer to mumble, “The honest me would have you on your back a lot more than the restrained me does.”
First a smile and then a whisper of a laugh. “Yeah, I’ve got to admit, I’m sort of sorry I won’t find out where Daire’s sex drive falls on the scale.” Still wearing her smile, Tess put a hand to his shoulder and swayed forward to rest her forehead on it. “Though I guess I know how you always had the energy for it now.”
Being a super-agent required him to be in tip-top condition. By any regular person’s standard, Daire was way beyond fit. By Harry’s standard, Olympus standard, they were all out of shape.
His mouth disappeared into her hair. “Assume where you’re concerned, it would be infinite. I can’t imagine not wanting you. For even a single second.”
Raising her head from his shoulder, she didn’t move away. “You’re better in bed than Danny.”
The sight of his smile released a flood of delight inside her. When he laughed, Tess thought she might burst. Her smile stretched to a grin that made her cheeks ache.
“I don’t even know how to take that, babe,” he said, catching a quick kiss.
“It’s a compliment,” she said, sitting back on her feet when he stood up to go to the closet. “Danny was incredible in bed, always satisfied me, more than satisfied me… Daire gave me more than something physical.”
He closed the closet door to look back at her. “And you can keep it, because I won’t give it to anyone else.” Turning around, he opened the fridge to grab a bottle, which he offered to her. “Want a beer?”
The question harked back to the first time they’d been intimate. “Is it cold?”
He came over and touched the side to her cheek. “Yep.”
Tess curled her fingers around the bottle. “Share it with me,” she asked as he twisted off the cap.
“Can’t,” he said, handing it over. “I’m on Omega.”
As Tess took her first mouthful, his head tilted on a frown. “What?”
“Don’t know the rules of sex on Omega… I thought I knew all the rules.”
“Rigorous exercise,” she said, curling her fingers into his jeans pocket. “You didn’t break a sweat, but I’m sure I got your blood pumping.”
