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“Since when, Teo?” her breath was hot against my face.
“Since the day I realized I couldn’t live in a world where you don’t exist,” I said.
“Teo—“
“Every damn time you run headfirst into danger, you think I can just stand back?” My voice pitched with frustration. ”It tears me apart.”
“Teo, I—“ Sofia tried to interject, but I wasn’t done.
“Sam is my brother too, in every way but blood.” My hands flexed at my sides, itching to shake some sense into her or pull her close, I wasn’t sure which. “Because he’s your brother. Don’t you get it, Sof? And you, Sofia—you’re…”
“I’m what?” She stepped closer, her chin lifting defiantly.
I pressed my forehead against hers. “Everything. You’re everything.”
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and I could see the resolve in her eyes melting into something softer, more vulnerable. But thestubborn set of her jaw told me she wasn’t backing down—not from this fight, not from the mission.
It only made me love her more.
“Then understand this—I’m fighting for you as much as you are for me. I need to do this, Teo. Not only for Sam, for us, but because I refuse to be the reason you don’t walk out of this alive.”
“I don’t need you to protect me.”
“Yes, you do,” she replied simply.
“Fuck.”
I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulled her against me, and crashed my mouth into her. The kiss was hard and demanding, her lips pressing back just as fiercely as mine. Her tongue pushed past my teeth as she moaned softly against me, her hands digging into my shoulders. I felt the warmth of her body seeping into mine, melting my anger away until all that was left was need and desire. She was right; she wasn’t some damsel in distress who needed protecting, but damn if I couldn’t resist trying to shield her when she insisted on going after her little brother. It didn’t matter what it took, what it meant for me. I would always try to protect her.
My hands slid up her back, fists tightening on her shirt. “Then let’s make a deal,” I said against her lips. “Whatever you do, I’ll be right beside you. But we’ll do it my way. We’ll use our heads and not our hearts.”
Sofia pulled back, her eyes searching mine. “I can accept that. As long as we’re fast.”
“We’ll be fast,” I said.
“I’ll hold you to that, Teo,” she said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever let you down. I don’t intend to start now.”
Before she could answer, I pressed another kiss against her lips. This one was more intense, gentle, slower. Her fingers traced my jawline, and I could feel the intensity building between us. She was panting when I pulled away from her.
“You never have,” she said. “But Teo, I’m so scared.”
“I know, sunshine,” I replied. “And my men are working on it. We’re all working on it. Nothing scares me more than losing you. So let me just...take a minute, take your mind off it while they’re talking about what to do next.”
I traced up her back with the tips of my fingers. Sofia shivered under my touch, her eyes meeting mine and her pupils expanding. God, she was so fun to look at.
And I wanted to do more than look.
The room was silent but for the sound of our heavy breathing. We were standing so close now, our bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces. I could feel Sofia’s heart racing against my own, the heat from her skin seeping into mine. I wanted to take her right there, flush against this wooden door. “We have to go back downstairs,” I said. “We need to keep planning.”
She nibbled on my lower lip for a second. “You said they’ve got this,” she said. “And you promised to distract me.”
I couldn’t deny the truth in her words. I promised we would make a plan; I promised to protect her; I promised to distract her. But I wasn’t sure I could keep the last one. Not with her eyes locked on mine like that, her breath quickening with every passing second.
“I can think of a few ways to distract you,” I whispered against her lips, feeling the heat of her breath against my skin.
“Prove it then,” she said, her tone daring me to try. And then we were kissing again, our bodies melting into each other, our hands exploring each other. Sofia’s breath was warm and sweet against my skin, her touch sending shivers down my spine.
