*Sephie*
Once we were alone, I grabbed Adrik’s hand and pulled him back to the bedroom. He was exhausted. He looked exhausted. He felt exhausted. I turned the hot water on in the bathtub. “I know you only ever take baths when I’m hurt, but I think you should make an exception tonight.”
He pulled me tight against him. “I will gladly take one, as long as you join me.”
“One of us has to make sure we don’t fall asleep and drown in the tub.”
Once the tub was full, I ordered him in. I also managed to talk him into letting me be the big spoon, which literally never happened. “But I can’t hold you if you’re behind me, solnishko,” he protested.
“I know. But I can hold you. You need a break, Adrik. Even if I couldn’t feel what you feel now, it’s written all over your face. You’re exhausted. Let me take care of you the same way you’re always taking care of me,” I said.
He cursed under his breath as he stepped into the tub, but he moved so I could get in behind him. I tried not to laugh at him, but I couldn’t help myself. “You’re pretty adorable when you’re tired and cranky,” I said as I wrapped my legs around him. I leaned him back against me, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. My hands were running lightly over his muscles, trying to get them to relax. It took just a few minutes for him to take a deep breath and I felt him start to relax.
“Okay, so maybe you were right. This feels amazing,” he said.
“I know,” I said kissing his neck lightly.
He ended up relaxing so much that I really was worried he was going to fall asleep, so I had to keep talking to him to keep him awake. “I never got a chance to tell you my idea on how to contain your anger,” I said.
I felt him turn his head and look at me. “You didn’t tell me, you showed me.” I turned my head to look at him, surprised. “When you put your hand on my shoulder while Vinny and Anna were in my office. I could feel what you were doing. It was almost clear as day. I wanted to close my eyes to see if I could actually see what you were doing, but I didn’t because they were there. I tried it tonight when we were talking about Giana and Armando. I’m thinking it worked, because I’m pretty sure you thought I was calm that whole time,” he said. His smirk was undeniable on his face.
My mouth fell open. “I’m so impressed right now I don’t even have words to describe how impressed I am.” I thought back to earlier that evening when we were all in his office. I felt his anger just briefly, but not once after that. He really did learn how to control it so well that even I couldn’t detect it. “I thought you were calm the whole time. I was actually a little worried about you, because I was sure you would be angry and then when you weren’t, I thought there might be something wrong. Like maybe you were getting sick instead of just being exhausted,” I said.
He chuckled, grabbing my legs and wrapping them around his waist tighter. “I don’t want to talk about it too much because I know I’ll get mad again, but I’m livid over this whole Armando thing. I don’t take betrayal well and Giana has already betrayed you, now with Armando…” he trailed off, not wanting to finish his thought.
“What did we do this morning?” I asked quietly. He just laughed at me. The water was starting to cool, so he tapped my legs indicating he wanted to stand up.
“I don’t know exactly, but I don’t ever want it to stop,” he said as he turned toward me and extended his hand to help me stand up. As soon as I was standing, he leaned down and kissed me gently. “The kind of connection we have is something I never thought was possible, but always dreamed of. You understand me on a level that no other person has.” He paused, pulling me tight against him. His blue eyes were searching mine for a moment, then he added, “I’ve been seriously thinking about getting rid of everyone. Armando included. With you by my side, I can run the entire city myself.” As he said those words, I felt goosebumps rise over my entire body. I know my eyes went a little wide, which worried him, but I was surprised by the reaction, not his statement. I lifted my arm to show him the very clear sign that he was on the right path. The smile that spread across his face was enough to stop my heart this time. He reached down, picking me up and carrying me out of the tub. “You just proved my point,” he said.
The following morning, I had an idea about how to get a little more information on Giana. I knew she’d been spending a lot of time with Ms. Jackson, not just using her as a cover story. When we came back from the gym, I asked Adrik if he’d be okay with Ms. Jackson coming to the penthouse so I could talk to her without the possibility of Giana showing up.
“I’d be willing to bet Giana has made comments about Armando around Ms. Jackson. Because of Ms. Jackson’s history, she knows when to keep her mouth shut, but she might tell me what’s been said. She might not. She might feel closer to Giana at this point, but it’s worth a try anyway,” I said.
“I don’t have a problem with her coming up here, as long as it’s just her and nobody else,” he said.
“Just her and just this once. I happen to love your love of privacy,” I said, grinning at him. He had just pulled his shirt on as we were talking, so I walked over and buttoned it up for him. I looked up at him, my own dirty thoughts racing through my head. “I’m doing this wrong.”
“You can fix it later,” he said, a devilish grin on his face.