I scrub my hands clean before taking in my reflection in the distressed mirror.
There’s blood soaked into my shirt. I didn’t have it on when the action hit, but I didn’t wipe down before throwing a clean shirt on when we were in a rush to leave.
The door opens and I’m quick to grab the gun on my belt, my heart beating fast, but it’s only Bianca. She’s slow to put her hands up. She’s got a medical kit in one hand that I recognize from the car and a change of clothes for me in the other hand.
I lower my gun as she nervously licks her lower lip and looks down at the ground. I can practically hear her heart racing. Fuck, I should’ve known it’d be one of them.
“Sorry,” I tell her beneath my breath as I tuck the gun back into place. “I’m sorry,” I repeat and raise my voice so she can hear me, and walk toward her. She seems so small in this room, I’m practically towering over her.
She shakes her head with her eyes closed and tries to say something, but she doesn’t get a word out. I brush my hand against her arm and then her hand, collecting my clothes. Her skin’s so damn soft, and my gentle touch makes her eyes snap open.
I force a small smile for her, the feeling of failure nearly consuming me as I say, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She was almost killed because of me. My heart clenches in my chest.
“I should have knocked,” she says softly, her eyes looking over my body and then stopping on my shirt. On the blood. On the reminder of what happened.
I turn away from her and rip the fucking thing off, brushing it down my chest to clean up the residual blood, setting it aside to put in the truck. We can’t leave evidence around. It’s fucking freezing in here. I talk with my back to her, dropping my pants on the edge of the sink and turning off the running water.
“You alright, honey bee?” The nickname that Damon gave her slips between my lips without my conscious consent. I pause when I realize what I've said, but I can’t take it back. I watch her in the mirror as a sweet smile slips into place and she walks over to me, setting the medical kit on the opposite edge of the sink. It balances precariously as she answers, “I’m shaken up, but I’ll be okay.”
Her small hand touches my bare skin and I’m quick to pull back enough to get away from her touch and slip my shirt on, pulling it over my head and turning my shoulder toward her.
Off limits. I repeat it over and over in my head.
She bites down on her lower lip and looks toward the door. I don’t want her to leave, but she needs to. I’m not right in the head and the only thing I can think of are the sweet sounds she’d make cumming on my dick.
But she doesn’t go. She squares her shoulders and clears her throat and says, “Let me bandage your hand.”
“I’ve got it,” I’m quick to say, grabbing the kit with my left hand. There are a few cuts on it and my knuckles are bruised, but it’s only my right hand that needs any tending to. It’ll be hard to do with my left hand, but it won’t be the first time.
My sweet little honey bee rips the kit from my hand and makes an offended huff before telling me, “Knock it off and give me your hand.” Her voice is so fucking strong, almost pissed off.
I stare down at the little brunette, wondering if she’s serious.
“Please,” she says and her voice cracks as she sets the kit on the edge of the sink again but this time it topples into the basin, the faint pinging sounds filling the room. Her eyes glass over and it fucking shreds me when she adds, “I need to focus on something. I need something, Maddox.”
I don’t say a damn word. I just hold my hand out to her. I can give her that. A soft and pleased look grows on her face. “Thank you,” she says and sniffles a bit as she opens the kit.
“You lied to me.” I can’t help that the words slip out. She said she was okay. My mom used to say that too, and then one day she was just gone. I’d rather people just tell me the truth.
Bianca doesn’t even stop moving, snapping the kit open and taking out a bottle of antiseptic as she answers, “No I didn’t.” There’s so much confidence in her voice, I’m taken aback.
She squirts the antiseptic over my knuckles, leaving a sharp sting to travel through my hand. I hold still for her, my eyes focused on her expression as she goes to work.
“You said you were okay,” I say.
“No I didn’t.” She grabs the antibiotic and adds, “I said I’ll be okay,” as she places a small bit of the cream, I don’t know what the hell it is, onto her finger and then dabs it carefully over my split knuckles.
My eyes dart to the dirty linoleum floor and then back up to her. “Are you sure?” I ask her. I need to know. It’s stupid, but right now I need to know she’s going to be okay. As if her telling me will make it true.
Her expression softens and she stops everything, searching my face for something, I don’t know what. But she must find it there, because she relaxes her stance and nods her head.
“I’ll be alright,” she says and smiles softly, “just don’t leave me, okay?”
Her answer knocks the wind out of my lungs. Never. Never. “I’ll be right here, honey bee; I’m not leaving you.” I say the words with enough conviction that she really believes it.
I watch her the entire time she busies herself with tending to me. I should be tending to her, this sweet little thing who just wants to help me. I should be the one helping her.
“Thank you,” I tell her. My eyes move slowly from my hand and then to her face. When her eyes reach mine, there’s nothing but lust shining back at me.
She visibly swallows and then nods slightly, seeming to not trust herself to speak. Instantly, the air is thick with sexual tension.
I can’t do this. I know I can’t. I need to back out and let someone else watch her. But I don’t trust anyone else. She’s mine.
“Maddox,” she says and her soft voice grips my attention, but when I look at her, waiting for more, I know right then she doesn’t want to talk. She wants something else.
“Honey bee,” I say quietly, my heart racing.
“Maddox,” she whispers my name again, her eyes shining up at me through her thick lashes. She slowly closes them, tilting her chin and lifting her lips to me. I don’t move, but I don’t have to.
She stands on her tiptoes until her lips touch mine, and it’s everything I thought it would be. It feels like a shock is running through my body, heating me and making me feel alive. It’s so intense, so powerful, even though the kiss itself is nearly innocent. I spear my hands through her hair and deepen it. My dick twitches at the sound of her soft moan, her lips parting and letting me in.
Fuck, I take a step toward her, wanting more. I can’t get enough of her.
I open my eyes at the sound of the door creaking open, my hand on my gun. But I hear the faint tap, tap, tap. Our cue. It’s Damon.
I try to back away before he comes in, but he saw. The door opens, and I know he saw.
His eyes rip away from mine, deliberately avoiding me as I back away, leaving Bianca there, leaning forward slightly with her eyes still closed. My heart thuds painfully as she slowly opens them and looks up at me and covers her shy smile before turning toward the door.
“Oh,” Bianca lets out a small gasp and takes a short step back when she sees Damon standing there.
He’s quick to put on a charming grin and ask her, “You ready?” Her cheeks are a gorgeous shade of pink as she nods and walks out with him, turning back to look at me. I give her a nod, realizing how much I just fucked up. He doesn’t say a single word to me. Doesn’t look back at me as the door closes, leaving me alone.
Fuck! I run my hands through my hair before bracing myself against the sink. Shit! That wasn’t smart. Not in any fucking way. My chest feels tight as I clench my jaw. Stupid! I slam my hand against the porcelain sink. Fucking stupid. The one she bandaged. The one she took care of.
One rule. Don’t touch the target. One fucking rule I knew I had to follow.
I close my eyes
knowing this can really backfire on us.
But her lips were so soft, and her sweet smell so tempting. Like honey. Our honey bee.
I lift my head, staring at myself in the grimy mirror. I know better. She’s not going to stay with me after this. She’s a Russo.
And touching her can get me killed. Us killed.
My head hangs low as I grip the sink harder.
That was a mistake. A big fucking mistake.
Chapter 10
Damon
We have problems.
Big fucking problems.
And the one I can't get off my mind is that kiss Maddox planted on Bianca's lips. I was torn, senses pulling in every direction. Should I have dragged him off her? Gotten in on the action? In the end, I stood there and watched. The flash of the image is burned into my brain. Their bodies pressed against each other, Maddox's hand buried in her hair. I'm so distracted that I almost miss the turn onto the gravel road where the cabin's property starts.
Maddox side-eyes me from the passenger seat, but he doesn’t say a word. He hasn’t said a damn thing since we got back on the road. Neither has Bianca.
Fuck.
We aren’t in any position for this shit to happen. I’m still ringing with adrenaline and the need to beat the fuck out of those assholes. I look at Maddox from the corner of my eye, but he hasn’t fucking looked me in the eye since it happened.
He crossed a line that he shouldn't have, and if I do the same, it won't be a case of two wrongs making a right. It'll be two ingredients in a recipe for utter fucking disaster. She’s not meant for us. He fucking knows that. We both do.
And after what happened back there at the Russo safe house, fucking our little honey bee is the last thing he should be trying to do. We need to fucking focus.
I grit my teeth and twist my hands around the steering wheel. They could’ve fucking killed her. We could all be dead right now.
After another mile of dense brush and mature trees, I park in front of the log cabin. Maddox exits the car and helps Bianca out. This time of year, most of these seasonal properties are deserted, so it's perfect. Seclusion, an elevated view, and a vantage point of any approaching vehicles or intruders. We'll be tucked away, and with no one else here, there's no chance for the rat in Russo's crew to figure out where we are.
Maddox turns in my direction. "Help her settle in and see if there's enough firewood," he tells me without making eye contact. "I'll get the gear set up and check the perimeter."
"Sure," I answer. I won't question him right now. Not with Bianca right here. Something needs to be said though. Judging by the way he doesn’t look me in the eyes, he knows it, too.
"I'll help," Bianca adds. She really shouldn't have. Maddox shuts his door a little harder than necessary.
"No!" Maddox shouts in her direction.
Bianca recoils, taking a step away from him. She doesn't say a word in response. But there’s a heat in her eyes that he doesn’t even see. She’s pissed.
Grabbing Bianca's bags, I show her up the steps, splaying my hand on her back and moving her along.
She walks a bit faster than me and gets out of my hold, crossing her arms and keeping her shoulders squared. God help me, but it makes me smile. I fucking love how she doesn’t want to put up with his shit.
The door unlocks with a click and I open the door for her. It's a modest cabin, smaller than Russo's safe house that we just left. It’s more of a rustic cottage. From our spot in the threshold the open concept main room has a kitchen on the left, the living area with a stocked fireplace on the right, two bedrooms straight ahead, and a bathroom in between. Bianca's lucky we had a few friends over last year and used some of our downtime installing indoor plumbing and a water heater.
"This is it," I announce, stepping inside after her.
She looks around, losing a bit of the steam she had and relaxing some. "Oh, okay,” she says, nodding her head. “This looks cozy. I like it."
Her acceptance makes me smile. We don’t have much, Maddox and I, but I have a lot of pride in this place.
"You should take the bedroom on the left.” I point to the left and keep moving, turning on the light switches and taking a good look around. “It has a queen bed, but you'll need to grab some linens from the closet in there. We haven't been up here for a few months."
She has a small smile on her lips as she turns to face me and says, "No problem."
"The place also gets pretty cold. I'll get to work on the fireplace."
She disappears into her room, and once I have a fire going, I use the time to unpack some priority pieces of equipment and weapons. All the while thinking about how we fucked up at the Russo’s place, not doing our rounds and setting up a perimeter. We won’t make that mistake here. It’s set up already anyway. But we can’t let her distract us from doing our job.
It doesn’t make me want her any less though.
It doesn’t take long for Bianca to return to the living room, carrying her laptop. The fire’s roaring to life and it’s good and warm out here.
"Hey," she greets me. She seems tense, forcing a smile onto her lips and looking as though she’s not sure if she should even be out here.
"You hungry?" I ask her. Mostly just to make her comfortable.
She takes a seat in the armchair closest to the fireplace, sitting cross-legged and leaning back as she pulls her hair over her shoulder. "Not really.” She looks like she’s got something else to say, although I’m not sure what. Could be about fucking anything at this point. I hold her gaze until she finally asks, “By any chance do we have internet access all the way out here?"
My brow furrows as I ask, "What for?"
"Do you really need to know?" she asks.
I nod, keeping my expression hard. "After those men who showed up, yeah, I do."
"I just want to check emails and catch up on a few things," she answers.
"And none of those things include giving this location to your uncle or anyone you know, right?" I keep a threat in my voice, and all it does is make her shake her head at me like I’m the idiot.
"Of course I won't," she says. It eases something in me.
“You okay?” I ask her. I need to know. She was so shaken up before, I can’t imagine how she’s feeling. Maddox and I are used to this. But she’s not, and she shouldn’t be. I hope she never gets used to a life like this. If she were with us, she wouldn’t have to.
She takes a deep breath, shifting in her seat before looking up at me. “I’ll be okay.” She gives me a soft smile and adds, “Promise.”
I clear my throat and stretch out a hand toward her. "Pass me your laptop. We have encrypted access, with an untraceable router… for safety reasons."
Getting to her feet again, she takes the spot beside me on the sofa, flipping open her laptop and placing it on the coffee table in front of me. I swallow hard as her arm brushes against mine, that same spark from before shooting through my body. Proximity isn't a good idea. Which is exactly why Maddox is making himself scarce.
He still hasn’t said a word to her or to me really.
As I set up her internet access, Bianca heads over to the kitchen to my left, her bare feet padding across the floor as she peeks out the window. My fingers tap across the keyboard, the light clicking and crackling of the fire the only noises in the whole damn cabin. Her gaze doesn’t move from whatever she noticed outside as I push the laptop across the coffee table and closer to where her seat is.
Maddox must be on the porch out there. The way she stares outside makes me wonder whether I was an idiot for telling her a thing about him. The last thing I wanted was for her to think less of him, to give him sympathy and… fall for him. That’s not what I’d intended. That can’t happen.
"Is your room comfortable?" I ask, if only to force myself out of my head and get her attention back to her computer.
She finally turns from the window, spotting the computer and giving me a sweet smile as she says, "It's fine, thanks."
&n
bsp; "Good," I say simply, focusing on the fire.
"I feel much safer here for some reason,” she says as she walks back across the open space to her seat. “Must be the quiet."
"Or the fresh air." I nod toward her laptop as she retakes her seat. "You're all set for emails."
"Great," she answers, crossing her legs but not reaching for the laptop.
She chews on her lip a moment, staring at the fire. I’m facing it, but I'm not watching it. I’m only watching her.
“Maddox likes bossing me around,” Bianca utters out of the blue.
“He doesn’t.”
“Well he sure acts that way. Or he just can’t make up his mind what he thinks of me.”
“Just give him space. He takes this work seriously.” I stretch out my arms a bit and crack my back, looking back at the crackling fire and watching the burning embers glow and fade to black. “Those guys snuck up on us. It’s probably on his mind.”
“I don’t think so.” She turns from the fire, pensively looking down at the floor.
“If it’s not that, then he’s probably letting things cool down.” I take a deep breath before addressing the real issue. “He knows he shouldn’t have crossed the line by kissing you.”
Her gorgeous eyes flick up to me, her mouth parting slightly. They’re filled with so much emotion, a mix of embarrassment and excitement. Maybe intrigue, too. And desire. Or maybe I just want to see that.
“You saw us?” she asks, her voice low as she picks at the hem of her shirt.
I nod. “It’s okay. What’s done is done.” My eyes won’t leave her, waiting for her reaction. Her breathing is coming in shorter, and her chest rises with each breath.
“It just happened,” she whispers, her eyes darting to mine.
“I know,” I tell her. I’m waiting for her to give me more. I need to know where her head’s at.
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