Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rowan
I’m drifting in and out of sleep, but I know something is wrong. I wrench myself awake as my hand slaps over the cold, empty space beside me. The room is dark, and panic grips me as I jump out of bed.
This isn’t real.
It has to be a nightmare.
“Addison!” I shout, my voice carrying through the open bedroom door. I don’t even think of grabbing my pants as I stalk down the hallway. “Sunshine—”
“Good morning,” comes her soft, amused reply from the office.
I halt in my war path, blinking the sleep from my eyes as I stare at her from the threshold.
She’s dressed in my old t-shirt, which she’s designated as her sleep shirt, while she perches on my office chair.
Her hair is mussed from sleep, and she smiles radiantly at me as her fingers stop tapping across the keyboard.
The morning light from the windows shines down on her in tendrils, making a glow surround her brown hair.
An Angel.
She looks like an absolute Angel.
“Um, good morning,” I mutter sheepishly.
She rests her elbow on the desk before propping her chin in her hand. “Where’s the fire, Assassin Man?”
I snort at the ridiculous nickname. “You weren’t in bed…”
“Aw,” she pouts, motioning me over. “Were you worried?”
I lumber over before she stands, and lets me ease onto the chair. She sits down on my lap with a happy wiggle that has my half-mast cock hardening beneath her. She rests her head back on my chest as I smooth her hair away from her face and kiss her temple.
“I always worry over you,” I mumble.
She smiles, taking the very breath from my lungs before she leans forward and captures my lips in a slow kiss. “Sorry. I was working.”
My brows jump as our noses brush. “Working? On what?”
She leans forward before pulling up the spreadsheet. It’s completely rearranged and color-coded. Everything looks far better than the bland and plain file I had before.
“I see,” I hum. “Looks great.”
“You have no idea what any of this is, do you?” She asks with a smirk.
“Not a clue,” I chuckle.
“Well…” she trails before sighing. “I’ve been thinking about your proposal.”
My heart thumps, but I keep my voice calm as I answer her. “You have?”
“Mhm.”
“And what do you think?” Is it possible for me to sound any more nervous? You would think I’ve never asked anyone to work for the syndicate before, but this is Addison. Her word could make or break me in seconds, and I’m not below dropping to my knees and begging.
“I think I would be an idiot to pass this opportunity up,” she replies, and my heart soars. “But, we need some ground rules.”
Ground rules?
I can’t think past waking up to her every morning. I haven’t felt this amazing since I was a kid, long before I started my training.
I school my features, putting on my best act as my brows furrow in concentration. “Okay. Lay them out.”
She turns to face me, and I feather light touches all over her—brushing her hair out of her face, tracing her jaw with a finger, and resting my hand on her propped knee.
Not touching her is pure torture, and I’m tired of being selfless.
I’ll be greedy with her until the day I fucking die, if my plans go accordingly.
Her lips twitch as she begins. “I don’t think I should live here.”
My hand twirling her hair stops as I scowl. “Why not?”
She gets a pensive look as she purses her lips. “Well…” She plays with her fingers in her lap, and I notice her hesitancy right away. As if our minds and bodies are in tune, I pick up on her cue.
“Are you nervous, Sunshine?” I ask gently. “Don’t be afraid to tell me what you’re thinking. Ever, Addison. I’ll hear you out.”
She slaps the tops of her thighs as if psyching herself up. “Okay, I just feel like it’ll be a conflict of interest, you know? I can’t live with my boss…”
“Sure, you can,” I shrug. “And I’m not just your boss.” I slowly close her hand around her throat before pulling her in for a slow, heated kiss that leaves us both nearly panting. “I’m your boyfriend too.”
Husband would sound much better, but I’m not trying to scare her. I’ve already let my crazy side slip enough, and if I want to keep her, I’m going to keep playing this by her rules.
She worries her bottom lip between her teeth as we pull away, and her eyes bounce between mine. “People will talk—”
“Those people have known me since I was a kid. I helped kill my own father. I think whether my finance consultant lives with me or not is the least of their worries, Sunshine.” I smile.
She motions to her chest with her hands, not relenting. “It’s a personal issue, then. What will my mom say?”
I hadn’t thought about that. Addison’s mom seemed easy about the moving situation. I don’t think she’ll put up much of a fight over this.
“Did you want to tell her about the syndicate?” I ask.
She lifts her hand to her lip before I take it in mine and intertwine our fingers. Her shoulders slouch as she groans. “I don’t know. She’s going to freak out. She’s got enough anxiety to last two lifetimes over.”
I rub my thumb over hers, offering some comfort in this time. “Then let’s ease her into it. Has she answered your texts?”
“No,” Addison shakes her head, looking slightly panicked. “That’s what worries me. She’s never one to ignore me. I tried to call this morning, but no answer.”
Hmm.
That is strange.
Addison knows her mom better than anyone.
“She’ll answer.” I decide, hoping my words can soothe her. “We don’t have to tell her right away, but maybe we can plan a visit? Have her come out here when you’re ready?”
She nods. “Yeah, because I can’t keep this from her. The woman is like a bloodhound. She can sniff out a lie from a mile away.”
I chuckle, glad that she’s easing up. This is a lot, and she’s handled everything with so much grace that it leaves me reeling. She really is the strongest woman I know. “We move at your pace, Sunshine. When you’re ready, so am I.”
She gives me a small smile. “So we’re boyfriend and girlfriend now?”
I pop a shoulder. “For now.”
“What does that mean?”
“We’re swamped with work today,” I grin, ignoring her question as I motion to the sticker-covered desktop. “There are reports I have to finish, and a mountain of emails—”
“Rowan Kingsley!” Addison gasps in mock horror. “Are you using work to get out of answering me? Where is Human Resources when you need them?”
I can’t keep the face-splitting smile away as I beam. “Right here, Ms. Bright. What can I help you with?”
She puts her hands on her hips as she grins right along with me. “Yes, I would like to make a formal complaint—”
“Denied,” I smirk before she bursts out laughing.
“You didn’t even hear what I was going to say!” She cries with joyful tears welling in her eyes.
“If you want to push the matter, you can take it up with the complaints department.” I reach under the desk, pull out my trash can, and offer it to her.
She slaps a hand over my bicep. “You’re ridiculous!”
Our laughter settles as she watches me read through reports. The whole time, her head rests back on my shoulder as I palm her side with one hand and use the other to flick through the files.
“Thalia dropped this guy off a roof?” She asks, bewildered, as we go over my sister’s CEO hit.
“Not her best work,” I frown at the small attached image file of a man splattered on a sidewalk, his skull cracked open and blood spewing from the wound. “Are you sure you’re okay with seeing this, Sunshine? I can handle the bloody stuff on my own.”
She doesn’t break her concentration as her eyes gloss over the gore. “This stuff never bothered me. I’ve been a horror fanatic all my life.”
I chuckle. “You and Alana will get along just fine.”
There’s a knock from downstairs. Well, it’s more of incessant banging that echoes through the house rather than polite rapping.
“That’s probably Thalia, if I had to guess,” I mutter under my breath.
“Lox said they were coming over today, but I didn’t know when.” Addison is up and out of my lap before I can reach for her. She bounds to the door before throwing a suggestive look over her shoulder. “Help me dress, Assassin Man?”
I’m following right behind her as if being tugged by an invisible leash. I wrap my arms around her waist as we walk into the bedroom to get dressed for the day.