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“Equally so?”

“Answering a question with another question. Not cool, baby.”

“Speaking of cool, come keep me company in bed.” I pat the spot next to me. “It’s cold.”

“I’m warm.”

“I’m cold and you said you’ll give me anything I want and I want your warmth.” I pout.

“Blaise, if I come near you, I’ll jump your bones.”

“Show me how you’d do that.”

He groans. “Babe, I’m not in the best condition right now.”

“Why’s that? Tell me what you did, Maddox.”

“How about I show you instead, love?”

He steps out of the darkness and into the light. His face is swollen. His lip is split. Maddox shows me his hands. Like his face and his lip, they are swollen, and his knuckles, split. I hop out of bed. Gently take his hands in mine. I drop kisses on his knuckles.

“You tell me right now who did this. I’m gonna rain hell on their heads.”

“His head, baby. And no need to rain hell on him. He is in hell. Hale is dead. I beat the shit out of him.”

“You killed him?” I step back. “Violence begets violence.”

“You’re right. He got what was coming to him. He gave it to me punch for punch. Made the mistake of going for his gun when I went easy on him and gave him time to take a breath. Cillian’s head of security shot Hale dead, right between the eyes.”

Hale dead. “He’s dead. He’ll never come for me again.”

“Never, love.” Maddox pulls me into his arms. “Collins is crashing in my bedroom. She stayed with you while I hunted Hale’s ass down. Granger went to Chance’s place and hauled his butt to the police station. He confessed to taping the note to your bedroom window and leaving the clothes for Rylan to find. He and Rylan are tight.”

“Poor Rylan. Betrayed by a friend. Poor you.” I drop more kisses on his hands. “Let’s get you some ice.”

“Already iced it.”

“And it still looks like that?” My gaze shoots from his hands to his face.

He gives me a sheepish grin. I utterly love his sheepish grins. It brings out the dimples in his cheeks.

“So no hand job from you anytime soon to take away the pain?”

“You’ll be getting more than a hand job.”

I help him undress. Thank goodness he has on a button-up shirt. I don’t know if his face can handle me pulling a shirt over his head.

“Maddox, Emilia, Six’s wife, told me my great-uncle, Arthur, has been getting large deposits into his account. Half a million dollars. Could he have worked with Chance?”

“What do you think?”

I undo the button on his pants. Unzip the zipper. Strip him of his pants and his boxers. He’s soft. I’m fine with snuggling. We have all the time in the world to make love.

“I’m thinking not. He’s been nothing but kind.”

“You’re right, love.”

We crawl in bed. Being careful of his swollen face, I nestle my head in the crook of his neck.