“That was situational diplomacy. Anaccident.”
“You also reorganized three operational systems last week.”
She waved me off. “Those were suggestions.”
“And every one of them increased efficiency.”
After a brief pause, she admitted, “… Okay, that one might have been on purpose.”
I studied her for a long moment. The sunlight caught the edge of her hair again, giving it a reddish shimmer, the flour on her cheek was still stubbornly present.
My little devil looked completely harmless … which waspreciselywhy she was so dangerous.
“You do realize,” I drawled, “you’re essentially running half my decision-making process.”
Addy fell silent for a moment, then shrugged.
“Well,” she said, sliding another tray into the oven, “someone has to stop you from solvingeveryproblem with violence.”
“I don’t solve every problem with violence.”
“You mobilized an army over a misunderstanding three weeks ago.”
“That was different.”
“So you keep saying.” She rolled her eyes in exasperation.
I reached out and gently brushed the flour off her cheek with my thumb. “Don’t get yourself kidnapped again, and it won’t happen again … probably.”
“Said the original kidnapper,” she muttered under her breath.
A laugh burst out of me. Addy stepped between my slightly spread legs and wrapped her arms around my neck, leaning against me.
We stood in silence, just holding each other’s gaze. My hand settled at her waist, my fingers spreading and spanning her ribcage. Addy studied my face again.
“You can be pretty terrifying, you know that?” Her thumb stroked gently back and forth across the nape of my neck.
This time I didn’t bother trying to fight the smile. “So I’ve been told.”
“But you’re also lucky you met me,” she added, framing my face with her hands.
The luckiest motherfucker alive, in fact.
“I know.”
“Good.” She smiled, her brown eyes shining so bright and warm, I just wanted to stay in this moment forever. “But I’m lucky too.”
“We’re lucky to have found each other,” I corrected.
Unable to hold off any longer, I bent my head and kissed her.
As the smell of cinnamon filled the kitchen and the villa settled into its strange version of domestic peace, I realized something that still surprised me every time the thought surfaced.
She believed she was simply helping; she believed all she was doing was observing … but I knew better.
Addy was the most dangerous kind of strategist this world produced. The kind who didn’t realize she was playing the game.
And I intended to keep her beside me for every move.