Chapter 43
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
ORION
After finishing my second plate of lomo saltado , I felt like the luckiest man alive. “You should cook for me every day.”
She smiled. “It’s gonna cost you.”
“Name your price.”
“Well, if you consider lunch and dinner, that’s two meals a day, five days a week.” She ticked off each finger. “Weekends, we order out. So the cost of the food plus my labor. If you add love to it, it’ll be around a hundred thousand dollars a week.”
I choked on my tea. “Wow, you’re some negotiator, Sunshine. That’s a hefty price.”
“I forgot to add in the dandelion tea with my special ingredient. That’s gonna be an additional twenty thousand dollars.” She lifted a shoulder. “I guess I learned from experience—how to inflate money to benefit me.”
I sensed a tinge of sarcasm and sadness in her voice.
“For you, I’ll allow the scam. Know that I intend to get my money’s worth. These meals must come with happy endings.” Smiling, I wiggled my eyebrows, which earned me a sexy eye roll.
I reached for her hand. “I have good news to tell you, but let’s clean up first.”
“There should be more good news in the world. I’ve got some ideas lined up for Musepaper. Wanna hear about them?”
“Absolutely.” I brought the plates over to the sink, loving this casual dinner with her.
I could do this every day with Elena—coming home to her after a long day of work. Her presence was like a calming bath after a strenuous workout, or the gentle breath the body takes during a peaceful sleep. But she was also a powerful jolt that invigorated me. When I lost all hope or energy, I just had to think of her.
The more I fell in love with her, the more terrified I became. My enemies were everywhere, and they’d figure out how important she was to me sooner or later.
I needed to take action to protect her. But right now, all I wanted was to spend a peaceful evening without thinking about danger or death.
“Wanna watch a movie with me later?” she asked while washing the plates, after sharing all the ideas she had planned for Musepaper.
I helped her dry the dishes, noticed a rotting wooden plank on her back deck, and remembered she wanted to update things around the house. “When are you going to hire the contractors to repair the back deck?”
“I’ll call them tomorrow and see if they’re available.”
“I know someone perfect for it.”
“Great, thank you!” she said and then gasped as she looked out the window. “Oh my gosh, look!” She toweled off her hands, dragging me out to the porch. “I’ve never seen the Aurora Borealis. I thought I had to go to Iceland or Alaska, but it’s right here in my backyard!” Her face beamed with wonder and love. “How’s that possible?”
“There’s been a lot of geomagnetic storms lately. It changes the magnetic field around the Earth. Things that were once impossible are now possible.”
She turned to me and smiled. “I like achieving the impossible. It makes me think that I’ve accomplished something magical.”
“My team has been reading the Schumann resonance from thepowerful solar flares bursting from the sun.”
“What does that mean?”
“The Earth is changing, and so are we. Everything is energy, and with this continual bursting, we have to adapt to a massive energy influx. But there are those who would use it to carry out their agenda.”
“How?”
I loved how curious she was. “Potent geomagnetic storms have the power to disrupt or even wipe out the electricity on the Earth, which means people could lose power instantly. Think of it this way. If you have gigantic lightning bolts hitting the Earth all at once, what do you think will happen?”
“Everything we depend on will be obsolete. No more social media, no more TV, no phones, hospitals, banking . . .”
Fear swam in her eyes, and I didn’t like it. “Why would people do that?”
“To prey on fears and to instill control.” I embraced her. “But I have ways to counter that. My team is working hard to develop several energy sources that could sustain a pandemic like this.”
“Seems like there are many people with control issues.” She drew back and stared at me. “There’s so much going on that I don’t know about.”
“You don’t need to know. It’s a . . .different playing field—a long game that requires careful steps.”
“Which adds more anxiety to your already stressful life.”
“But I have the most powerful source of energy with me—you. Sunshine is all I’ll ever need.”
Smiling, she looped her arms around me and offered me the most beautiful smile. “Guess what, thief?” She rubbed the back of my neck, loosening the tension in my muscles.
Her smile stole my heart while her sneaky hands tucked it away safely.
“What?”
“Empty your pockets, sir. You’ve stolen something from me.” She narrowed her eyes at me.
I lifted my arms, loving how she could switch my mood instantly. “Not sure what you mean, Madame Sarcasm. You plan on interrogating me?”
“Indeed.” She lifted my T-shirt and ran her hands over my shoulders, biceps, and abdomen. “You’ve taken my sanity.” She dug a hand into my pants pocket and yanked out a fist of air. “Thief, you’ve stolen my heart and now you must pay for it.”
I chuckled. “What’s the punishment?”
“Teach me how you do it.” Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “How you steal. The process intrigues me.”
“Are you serious?” I arched an eyebrow. “You want to be my protégé?”
“The best way to write about something is to experience it, correct?”
If only she knew what I had planned for her tomorrow.
“I want to learn from the best. I’m an outstanding student.” She tugged at the button on my pants. “You said there was something you wanted to tell me.”
“You’re now a millionaire.”
She paused, then gasped, and finally grinned as I told her about Carlos’s agreement.
Her eyes gleamed with gratitude. “I should ask how you managed that, but I won’t tonight. Right now, I just want to love you for turning an awful situation into something incredibly wonderful.”
It was best she didn’t ask. I didn’t want to describe the violence in the convenience store. Violence and danger had to stay away from her.
“It’s best you don’t ask, Sunshine.”
She looked at me, and understanding gleamed in her eyes. I was truly the luckiest man alive to have a partner who could read me.
“I know what kind of world you dwell in, Orion.” She touched my face. “Your success demands certain things I won’t understand. This world is a cruel place, and sometimes you have to be worse so you can protect yourself.”
“How do you know me so well?
“From paying attention to everything about you. Most of all, it’s because I love you.” She palmed me, and I lost my breath. “When you love someone or something, you have this invisible connection to them.”
Then she dropped my pants and boxers. It felt strange and sexy as hell, standing naked in her house while she was fully clothed.
“If you want to be my protégé, then you must pass the test first,” I breathed.
“Okay.” She offered a sly smile. “I’ve got some ideas. You let me know how many points I get. I plan on scoring well tonight.” She dropped to her knees and loved me with her mouth, tongue, and hands.
Holy fuuuck.
I swore our lovemaking lured in the Northern Lights because I’d never seen colors and stars flickering in the kitchen like I just did.