“And if you need mine?”
“I will do the same.”
“Without hesitation?”
I nodded.
And she brought her lips to mine, but this time her kiss was gentle and quick. She moved back and looked me in the eye, seriously this time. “What’s your plan, Ethan?”
I smirked. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours. What are your secrets, Calliope?”
She didn’t answer—did that mean her secrets were part of her plans?
“Trust me, Ethan. No matter. Can you do that?”
No.
“Okay,” I lied. The Dolos in me didn’t let me trust anyone to such a degree. But of all the people I knew, I cared for, I did trust her the most. Despite all the things I’d already figured out about her and despite the secrets she’d withheld so far. I had almost finished piecing together her secrets even with her silence. So, I wouldn’t press her. Time would tell how we made it through this.
Maybe that was one of the reasons I loved her as much I did.
The danger, the darkness in her was thrilling.
What would happen when she was finally in my bed, our bed, in our home, in Chicago? Not in some random city, for some random “job?” What would it be like when I’d finally managed to get her where I wanted?
ETHAN
PRESENT
Like chaos.
She’d ripped through the house like the devil out of hell.
She’d left the family damn near broken.
And it was only her first night here.
And after all of that, she had the audacity to sit cheerfully at the bathroom vanity, dabbing cream on her face, dressed in a robe and a white towel over her hair. Gigi slept quietly on our bed with little to no issue, her favorite stuffed dolphin tucked in with her.
“Can I go sleep also, or are you planning on blowing up the house?” I asked her as I watched from a safe distance, whatever she’d drugged or poisoned me with from earlier still left me with a raging headache.
She spun in her chair and grinned widely. “Me, blow up a building with your family inside? Never.”
I merely rolled my eyes, pushing off the bathroom railing as I moved towards the bed. I kicked off my slippers before lying down carefully next to Gigi, trying to sleep. But, of course Calliope chose that of all times to come to me. And because she was who she was…she came and knelt directly by my bedside. Her elbows on the bed and her face right beside mine, I had no choice but to look to her as she grinned up at me.
“You’re so happy I am finally here. I can see it. You are bouncing on the inside,” she stated, even though I was lying still, glaring at her.
“Go to sleep Calliope. We have a lot of work to do in the morning.”
“Admit it.” She leaned in closer.
“Are you the child, or is Gigi?” I pressed.
“Fine. Don’t admit it.” She kissed my lips before standing back up. “But don’t regret it. Especially when I am not being this nice to you.”
I rolled my eyes before rolling over, placing my arm on Gigi and closing my eyes.
She was right. I was bouncing on the inside, happy she was here. They were both here. But I didn’t like greedily basking in my happiness as she did. Not when I knew this was only the beginning of our story. The worst was yet to come.