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“Self-defense? That’s...interesting. How would it work, though? I’d have to do it with someone.”

“Would you?”

“Well...yeah. I couldn’t defend against myself,” I say, propping myself up on my elbow and tapping a finger against my lips. “I could hire someone. Some big beefcake to make it look legit.”

“Umm, no. That won’t work,” he says all too quickly.

“Why not? It was your idea.” I laugh.

“Well, they’d have their hands on you, and I’d have to cut them off if they did that,” he says softly, brushing hair out of my face. He speaks so softly, in fact, that my breathing hitches and my lungs twinge. He doesn’t often remind me of who he is; he doesn’t need to, I suppose. But I have no doubt he’s deadly serious.

“What’s the alternative?” I ask, eager to find some level footing when it comes to this man.

“You could use a woman?”

“Who says I don’t like women?”

“You don’t like men or women, Olivia. You like me,” he says casually, like it isn’t an acknowledgment of everything unspoken between us.

My lips curl at the edges, threatening to break out into an all-out grin.Oh, he’s jealous.

“Well, maybe I’ll keep it fair and hire a man and a woman. They can tag-team me,” I murmur, lifting my head to gauge his reaction.

“Olivia, I’m warning you.”

“We could do different scenes, you know. What if they snuck into my bedroom, and I had to defend myself there?”

“Olivia . . .”

“Or maybe the shower. You know, really catch me off gua— AH!”

I’m flipped on my back, my wrists trapped beneath his right hand as he presses me into the grass. He’s straddling my waist and he bends so his nose is touching mine.

He strokes my lip with his thumb before trailing his fingers down my neck and my shoulder, making his way across my collarbone and down the center of my chest.

My sports bra is pressing my breasts up, squeezing them in tight so they look much bigger than usual, and I thank god the padding doesn’t reveal my hard nipples.Fuck.What is happening to me?

He exhales slowly through his nose, his chin dipped close to his chest so he can watch where his hand roams. He’s mapping me out, learning every ridge, every crevice. When he circles the swell of my breasts, I let out a small whimper. His eyes draw back up, and his wicked grin boasts like that of a winner.

“I’ll do it.”

God, yes, let's do it right now.I lick my lips, my eyes dipping to his soft lips.Finally.

He seems to realize what I’ve inferred and smirks. “I meant, I’ll do the videos, dirty girl.”

With a press of my wrists, his weight is off me, and my hands are released. He sits back, still straddling me, but now his hungry gaze is back on my chest. I feel him harden, and the bulge in his shorts tells me all I need to know.

“I don’t think that’s just what you meant.”

He looks away, a grin breaking out across his face. He’s smiled more in a week than the whole time I’ve known him. That must mean something, right?

“Not yet, Olivia. Come on. Let's head back and get a solid plan.”

“I’m not sure how we’re going to get the leader of The Unseen in my very popular, if I do say so myself, videos without beingseen.”

???

“This could work...” Austin murmurs before spinning around with a Chewbacca mask on—movie quality, of course.