The Art of You

Barcelona, Spain

“I was expecting a creepy old bomb shelter or something, not a five-star hotel for a safe house.” I looked around the fancy suite, my eyes finally settling on Roman. “Since your name is on the building, I’m guessing you have strong ties to the place?”

He casually lifted a shoulder. “It’s a long story. But this place is safe. We have the entire top floor to ourselves. No one will breach this property, trust me.”

Somehow, even in my tired and shocked state, I did trust him. It was now after nine in the morning Barcelona time, and so much had happened since we’d taken off from New York. My brother nearly being killed in an explosion none of us saw coming had certainly heightened all of our emotions and our wariness.

An hour before our plane had landed, I’d spent some time talking to Maria, trying to calm her down. I couldn’t imagine being pregnant with twins and learning the father of her babies almost died.

Right now, Enzo was en route to Charlotte, deciding he needed to be with his family and protect them in case someone was targeting all of us. And my father doubled the security at his place where Callie was staying. I knew it killed Alessandro not to personally protect her.

We had to leave the rest of the investigation Stateside up to Adelina for now, and she was working remotely with Sydney to try and help piece together what was going on.

“Anything from Alfie yet?” Constantine asked Hudson, drawing my focus back to the hotel suite.

I went over to the kitchen area, needing to keep myself busy so I didn’t relive that call with Enzo. It would be too easy to drown in the fear of what-ifs. I could’ve lost another sibling . . .

“No, but I let Alfie know I’m local. Hopefully he makes contact soon,” Hudson answered.

I lifted a Nespresso pod in a silent question to the room to see if there were any takers. Everyone nodded but Hudson, his eyes still trained on the floor.

He stroked his jaw, continuing his staring contest with the carpet, probably working through his own what-ifs. “I’d really hoped Jesse was going to tell me Alfie worked for the Agency, and he’d been at the party undercover.”

Yeah, me, too. Him being our hero alongside that road Friday, and on our side in this whole mess, would move mountains in making me feel better, even in the midst of so much uncertainty.

“Since we ruled out Alfie being Agency, that could mean our mystery person pulled him into their revenge plot,” Alessandro commented while setting a weapons bag on the couch in the living room.

“To fuck with Hudson?” Roman asked.

“Probably.” Hudson finally looked up, catching my eyes. “The asshole behind this has done such a bang-up job leading us in so many different directions, I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“But they must all lead to one place somehow, I’m sure of it,” I offered, sharing my thoughts as I waited for the machine to warm up.

“And it’s brought you to those two Marines. To Rose and John,” Roman reminded us.

Rose and John. Two innocent people who should’ve been alive. I still had no clue how they were tied to us, though.

The guys quietly began unpacking, turning the suite into our command center, and I went back to work on making everyone coffee.

A few quiet moments later, Hudson joined me in the kitchen. He rested his hand on my forearm, stopping me from reaching for the next finished cup of joe. “Can we talk?”

Not the best words on the planet to hear. I slowly shifted around to face him. “Okay.”

He looked off toward one of the two bedrooms, then took my hand and guided me from the kitchen. We walked past my brothers and Roman as if it were no big thing Hudson was taking me to a bedroom. And maybe it wasn’t anymore.

The second we were alone and the door was shut and locked, Hudson had my back up against the wall, one hand planted alongside my head. “Are you okay? We haven’t been alone since Enzo . . .”

“Just shaken up. Talking to Maria wasn’t easy,” I admitted. “I’ll feel better when he’s back in Charlotte to watch over her and their daughter.” I set my hand on his chest. His heart was thumping hard and fast. “The work you guys do is dangerous, but this is three levels above what you normally do, and it’s just”—I swallowed—“overwhelming. And to be honest, I’m scared.”

He bowed his forehead against mine and smoothed the back of his free hand over my cheek.

“I can’t lose anyone again. I just can’t.” A few tears I’d fought back while on the call with Maria finally escaped. “I’m terrified I’m going to lose you for other reasons, too. Like you’re going to change your mind because of all this and push me away.”

“Understandable on the first part. I get it, I do.” He lifted his head and gently swiped away the tears beneath my bruised eye. “But I’m going to need you to get out of your head about the second thing.” His husky tone wrenched my attention from his mouth and to those bold blues of his. “You’re overthinking, and I don’t want you doing it. Not about us, at least, got it?”

About us?

“I’m not changing my mind. I won’t push you away because of this case or any other reason.” His hand moved under my sweatshirt and around to the arch in my back. His touch was a silent command to shift closer. “I’m a man of my word, and you have it.”

You gave my brother your word, too. I applauded myself for keeping that thought under lock and key.

“That was different.” His smug smile was all too knowing. The man really could read my mind. “You can’t blame me for breaking that one. Your fault, really.”

I wasn’t sure what just happened, but he shifted the energy between us with three quick words. Sad and worried to something soothing in the space of a moment. This was also a different version of the man who’d fingered me on the plane.

I’d expected Enzo’s near-death experience to send Hudson running away from me, and here I was in his arms instead.

Muscle memory took over for my hands, and they roamed over every edge of the hard planes of his body. “How so?” I finally asked.

The slow drag of his eyes down to my hands, then back up to my face was about as erotic as if it’d been his palm between my thighs instead. “I’m trying to understand how I held back for as long as I did. Seven years of lying to myself. Seven years of having to watch you with other men when I knew deep down you were mine.”

His words were beautiful strokes of heaven coating every inch of my skin like paint. Filling in the blank space, especially in my heart. A living and breathing canvas. “Tell me more.” My hands found a new home at the side of his neck. “Tell me everything.”

I needed a distraction from all the darkness. From the fear. The worry. And all the unknowns. I needed his love. I needed this.

Somehow, he recognized that without me having to ask him. We really did know each other well. Built a foundation through our friendship brick-by-brick for what we could now have. A future.

He removed his hand from beneath my shirt, allowing it to wander between our bodies. Cupping my chin and smoothing the pad of his thumb along the line of where he held me, he rasped, “That kiss in Rome woke me up. I hadn’t even known I was sleeping.”

So, you’re Sleeping Beauty, and I’m the princess who kissed you?

Forehead tight, eyes pointed on me, he revealed, “There’s been no one else since. I’m sure you’ve wondered.” He lightly shook his head, drawing me even closer. “After that night in Rome, I’ve been faithful to a dream I never thought I could have but refused to let go of.”

I closed my eyes, tears on the verge of falling again, but for a better reason. “I’m glad you held on.”

“And I’m damn thankful you didn’t give up on me.” He stopped stroking the line of my jaw. “So, please, no overthinking about us.”

His hoarse tone and words rattled something loose from inside me. That ugly four-letter word. Fear. “But . . .” What an original cliffhanger.

“I told you last night I wasn’t sure if I could change, I remember.” He released my chin and set his forehead to mine once again. “But I can, and I will. I think I already have, I just didn’t realize it before.”

Our bodies were now flush, so I could feel his heart beating as if it were the soundtrack to my soul.

He shifted back to locate my eyes. “I originally thought I couldn’t be with you because of my past. Because of your brothers. But it was more than that. I was afraid that if I were to ever have a chance with you, I’d lose you. The way I lost my mom. My brothers on Echo.” His words were like sandpaper, rough over my skin as they came across. He was hurting, and it killed me. “I thought staying away from you kept both of us safe from experiencing that kind of pain.”

I brought my hands from the sides of his neck to his face, working hard not to cry as I waited for him to continue.

His voice was husky and deep as he admitted, “Then I almost lost you Friday anyway. All that effort to protect your heart. To protect my mind. It was all bullshit. Because if your life ended, mine would’ve been over, too.” A sheen covered his eyes. “Fuck labels.” He shook his head. “Because you’ve been mine for a long time.” His brows tightened as he stared deep into my eyes. “I’m ready to admit to you, and to myself, that I’m already so deeply and madly in love with you, my heart is incapable of beating unless yours is. So, if anything were to ever happen to you, it happens to me, too.”