Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
VIOLET
By now, I had worn a path into the hardwood, pacing from the door to the window, from the window to the edge of the bed, pivot, turn, repeat. I knew every corner of this bedroom in a foreign country that also happened to be my one-night stand’s home.
And still, I had no idea what to do.
The promise I’d made to Aria sat heavy in my chest, pressing against my ribs like something alive.
I had given my word. I wanted—and needed—to keep it.
Years ago, I made a decision to protect my baby.
Today, I was making a decision to remain in her life.
However, Lykos was still a married man, and I refused to be the other woman in any relationship.
And then there was the fact that if I was to be in Aria’s life, I would have to rip her away from everything she’d ever known?
I didn’t think so. I’d known better than most that stability was extremely important in anyone’s life, especially for children.
And then there was Lykos, a force of a man who would never stand for it.
Lykos’s earlier words came rushing in, stinging my soul.
Of course, he would think I walked away from Aria of my free will.
Years of my silence made it appear so, and unfortunately, that wouldn’t work in my favor.
Any court would see that Lykos provided for Aria, he’d given her a stable life, took care of her and raised her.
And I… I hadn’t been there at all.
The thought twisted painfully in my chest, because no matter how fiercely I loved her and she was my flesh and blood, a part of me feared that if I made a wrong move, I would lose the privilege to even talk to her and I couldn’t allow that to happen.
I’d stay around Lykos despite the fact that the man tempted me with every breath, because it meant being in the vicinity of my daughter too.
A shudder rolled down my spine and I wished it was that of disgust, but I feared it was the opposite.
Staying here was dangerous. It felt like stepping too close to the edge of something steep.
He was gravity, pulling me closer, and it was impossible to ignore it.
He was a temptation that hummed quietly, waiting patiently.
It was as if he already knew how this would end, and that terrified me more than anything.
Because part of me wanted to let him and this attraction rope me into its embrace and keep me there.
Except, there was a wife. His wife.
The madwoman who had tried to kill her own husband and son, tried to kill Aria.
The thought of what she was capable of slid cold fingers around my heart.
I’d dealt with psychopaths, narcissists—hell, I grew up with my father as one, and sociopaths, but what I’d seen in Amara Costello’s eyes was entirely different. It was unhinged and animalistic, but also calculative. She saw more than she let on, and it seemed like she was waiting to pounce.
She was a threat, not only to Lykos and me, but also to the children. And that was something I couldn’t simply overlook.
“Can I really do it?” I whispered, my voice fraying at the edges.
I stopped at the window, pressing my fingertips against the cool glass to steady me. The view was vast. Outside, Athens stretched under the golden, early evening light.
It called to me with the possibility of an escape, but I couldn’t take it. I could barely see it, because all I thought about were consequences.
My thoughts tangled and collided, weighing every choice that splintered into a dozen possible disasters. Stay, and risk losing myself. Leave, and lose the chance to reclaim the piece of me I’d been chasing for so long.
Leave now, my reason urged in a whisper. Leave while you still can.
But my heart refused. It clung to two fragile souls, burning within my heart.
This might be my only chance.
Somewhere in this mess—between Lykos, my promise, and my fear—was a piece of me that I wasn’t ready to lose again. In fact, I was almost terror-struck at the horrible feeling of solitude that haunted me if I were to turn away this chance.
Then a sharp knock split the air, like a call for a final judgement, and I stilled. Did I imagine it? But then it sounded again.
“Coming,” I called out as I made my way to the door.
When I opened it, Lykos stood on the other side, his attention like a brand.
“Hello,” he purred, and I did a double take at the teasing expression on his face. His mood swings rivaled those of teenagers.
“Hello,” I said slowly, trying to gauge him. His housekeeper brought me meals throughout the day for some reason, and checked up on me while I furiously searched medical journals for any similar cases to Amara. There were none.
Lykos took a deep breath and let it out. “We’re having dinner in thirty minutes… if you’d like to join us.”
“Do I have a choice?” I retorted dryly. “Because so far you haven’t given me any.”
He stepped forward, stopping dangerously close to me. His familiar scent occupied the space between us and I fought the urge to close my eyes, inhale his scent deep into my lungs, and let myself reminisce.
Thankfully I didn’t, because I was stronger than that.
“You always have a choice with me,” he said, all velvety smoothness. “It’s a risk that might… pay off greatly.”
Was he flirting with me?
My defenses lowered and I tilted my head.
“Be specific,” I finally said, playing along even though it was probably the dumbest thing I could do.
Lykos made a strangled noise, bringing his hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I should push him away, take a step back. Instead, I held my breath and relished his closeness.
“Can I talk freely?” he asked, and I nodded. “You and me… we have unfinished history, and it’s time we brought it to a close.”
The double meaning was there, and we both knew it. The problem was whether I was deciphering it the way he meant it.
“And how are we going to do that?” I said lightly, although my pulse was thudding in my ears—and unfortunately between my thighs.
Lykos’s voice dropped, making heat curl low in my belly.
“I’m going to show you exactly what I’ve been thinking about for the past ten years.” Again, that could be taken in so many different ways. But then he clarified. “I’ll have you shattered into a million tiny pieces.”
My fingers curled into fists while the flush crept up my neck as I recalled our passionate night together. The slide of his lips on my neck, his fingers inside of me. His cock inside of me.
“I can’t decide if that’s a promise or a warning,” I rasped, my voice wobbling.
“Oh, golden one,” Lykos murmured, “I don’t do warnings.”
God, his nickname for me after so many years still made me melt.
His intoxicating scent, sandalwood and expensive cologne, invaded my lungs and had every fiber of my being throbbing with an aching need.
Push him away, my mind whispered, but my hands refused to obey.
Instead, I leaned into his hard body until we were flush, letting his heat consume me. Years of loneliness and arousal were at war within me.
His gaze burned through me for too many seconds, almost as if he were waiting for me to push him away. When I didn’t, he lowered his head. The moment his lips brushed against mine, all reason scattered.
He brought his hand around my nape while he skimmed his mouth over my jaw and down my neck. A shudder traveled down my spine.
I should have stopped him. This wasn’t professional at all, but it was time to admit that all professionalism had disappeared as soon as I realized whose home this was, who my patient was, and what she had attempted to do.
My eyes fluttered shut and a deep sigh escaped my lips. He nipped my bottom lip, then licked it slowly, his tongue dragging a soothing path in its wake.
My heartbeat thundered frantically in my chest, threatening to burst.
I hadn’t been intimate with anyone in ten years. It was such a long time ago. A different lifetime.
His free hand roved over my body, and I finally stopped fighting it. This man’s touch made my body hum to the tune of his fingers as he slid them toward my inner thigh. All the while his lips devoured my neck, sucking, licking, and biting the sensitive skin.
God, I needed this release, needed to feel desired.
I was so wet there was no possible way he’d miss it through the thin material.
I will stop this in a second, I whispered to myself. I just needed a bit more to get me through the lonely nights.
When his fingers slid under the lace, touching my most intimate skin, any remaining thoughts fled.
I tilted my head back with a breathless sigh and gripped his shoulders, wanting more.
“Oh my God,” I breathed out when he teased my opening. My fingers curved, digging into his shoulders while my hips ground against his hand. “God, please don’t stop.”
“There you are, calling me God again,” he rasped, his breath hot in my ear.
His lips were on mine again, his tongue tangling with mine as I moaned into his mouth.
The sound of a door slamming broke through the haze of lust, and we both froze.
He took a step back, his dark gaze remaining on me, burning with everything I felt and setting me aflame.
“Dinner is waiting,” he said. “And so are the children.”
I feared that if I wasn’t careful, Lykos Costello would be the death of me, and I was really too young to die.