Jesus. Just like that, I’m hard again.
Instead of fucking her mouth like I want to, I stalk to the other side of the bed and fall back onto the mattress. I take hold of my gun and shove it beneath the pillow, then throwing an arm across my face, I let out a tired sigh.
“Are we going to talk?” Tess asks. I hear her move but couldn’t be bothered to open my eyes.
“No. I’m going to nap, and you’re going to keep quiet.”
I feel her lie down beside me. “Will we ever talk about this?”
Not if I can help it. “Later.”
“When you wake up,” she demands, which is really cute. She thinks she can tell me what to do.
Blindly searching for her hand, I take hold and pull it to my chest. I flatten her palm over my heart and slowly take a deep breath.
Her touch is so fucking soothing, I fall asleep before I can try to process what she’s doing to me and how I’m going to handle it.
Waking up in Tess’ bed, the sun’s already starting to rise.
Fuck.
I shoot up and glance around the room before looking at the sleeping woman beside me. Tess is curled up on her side, and she looks peaceful and not like the goddess of mischief and defiance she really is.
Checking the time, I calculate that I slept a total of nine hours.
This has never happened.
What. The. Fuck.
Slipping off the bed, I discard the towel and quickly get dressed in my suit. As I button my shirt, I stand and watch Tess, wondering what I’m going to do with the little problem.
I didn’t plan on fucking her last night. I just wanted to scare the shit out of her so she’d fucking listen.
But instead, you were balls deep inside her.
Christ, I’ve slept with my fair share of women, but none of them can hold a candle to Tess. She was exquisite.
I shrug on my jacket and step into my shoes. Adjusting my cuffs, my eyes find the sleeping siren again.
What am I going to do with her?
We can’t do this again. She’s a distraction I seriously can’t afford with the Sicilians breathing down my neck.
I walk closer until I’m right next to the bed, and placing my hands on either side of her head, I lean down and press a kiss to her forehead. My eyes drift shut, and I take a deep breath of her. She still smells like us.
Like me deep inside her.
Tipping my face down, I press a kiss to her lips, savoring the softness of them, then I grab my gun from beneath the pillow, and pulling away, I stalk out of the bedroom.
Last night I came in through the fire escape. It was way too easy. I need to have more security added to Tess’ apartment.
Leaving the building, I glare at James and Grant. “If you lose her again, you’re fucking dead.”
“Yes, boss,” James answers while Grant just stares at me.
“I’m sending over two more men. Arthur and Michael.”
“Yes, boss.”
Walking to my SUV and seeing Loukas instead of Gregory, guilt threatens to slither its way into my chest. Andreas is standing by the other SUV with my guards.
Gregory’s probably dead by now.
When I reach Andreas, he gives me a stupid fucking grin.
“Shut up,” I warn him.
“You look rested,” the fucker remarks anyway.
“Any word on Gregory,” I pop his bubble, his face instantly becoming somber.
“Yeah, he was dropped off at the office just shy of midnight.”
Nodding, I let out a sigh. “We’ll bury him.” My eyes rake over the quiet street. “Then it’s fucking war.”
Heading to my SUV, I climb into the backseat. “The office.”
“Yes, boss.”
As I’m driven to the other side of the city, my thoughts return to Tess. I have to do something about her. Like I said earlier, she’s a distraction I can’t afford.
A muscle starts to jump in my jaw as the realization of what I have to do settles bitter in my stomach.
I have to arrange a marriage for her. Christos, my cousin, would be the best option, and it would put Tess on a different continent.
Where I can’t get my hands on her.
Where she’ll be safe.
Closing my eyes, I rub over my forehead, still tired as fuck even though I had a good night’s rest.
I’m going to arrange a marriage for Tess, and that will be the end of it.
Chapter 19
Tess
I wake up to an empty bed, the only sign that Nikolas was here, the ache between my legs. Thank God I have an IUD, or I’d have to get a morning-after pill.
My whimpers and moans cling to the walls, driving me out of my apartment and to the nearest Starbucks for coffee.
I notice two new guards but don’t bother with them because I’m too consumed with what happened last night.
Nikolas and I.