Page 73 of Beneath Scarred Vows

25

ARES

Istep into the library, following the path of light streaming through the tall windows. I've been looking for Katerina and know she sometimes likes to be in here. I hear the faint sound of pencil scratching against paper before I see her.

I walk further into the room, and there she is, hunched over the mahogany desk in the corner, her dark hair held loosely with a clip. Her eyes narrow, and she's doing that thing where she sticks out her tongue slightly as she concentrates on whatever she's drawing.

She's so absorbed in whatever she's working on, she doesn't hear me approach.

"There you are," I say, my voice breaking the silence of the room.

Katerina startles, her hand moving quickly to cover the paper in front of her. "Shit," she says and laughs. "I didn't hear you come in."

I lean down and kiss her. She's become my beacon of hope these past few days, constantly pulling me from the depths ofmy obsession. Through it all, I find myself wanting more of her. Needing more of her.

"What are you hiding?" I ask, nodding toward her hands still covering the paper.

Her cheeks flush slightly. "Nothing. Just sketching."

"Show me," I say, gentler than I would with anyone else.

She hesitates, then slowly moves her hands away. "It's not finished."

It's the Parthenon, drawn with remarkable detail.

"It's beautiful," I say, genuinely impressed. I trace a finger along the edge of the paper, careful not to smudge her work. "You have real talent, Katerina."

She shakes her head, that stubborn dismissal I've come to expect from her. "It's just something to pass the time."

"I'll take Calli's advice and have it framed when you're done," I tell her. "We'll hang it in the main hall."

Katerina rolls her eyes, embarrassed. "It's not that good, Ares."

"Stop saying that." I cup her face in my hand, turning her to look at me. "You need to stop diminishing your work. You've got talent, sweetheart. Gio's wife, Raven, has a gallery. Maybe I should talk to her."

"No, no, no, now you're sounding silly," she says with a smile.

I kiss her again, deeper this time, tasting her lip balm. My hand slides to the back of her neck, feeling the warmth of her skin. For a moment, I consider canceling my meeting, taking her back to our bedroom, spending the day making her cry out my name.

But being a don doesn't always give me that luxury.

I pull back, noticing how her eyes remain closed for a fraction longer before opening. "I have to get to the office," I tell her. "Meeting with Theo and Dimitri."

I kiss her forehead and rub her cheek with my finger. "Keep drawing," I tell her. "I want to see it when it's finished."

She smiles. "I will," she promises.

I leave her there, surrounded by pencils, books, and sunlight, and make my way to my office where my brothers wait.

Both Theo and Dimitri are sitting when I walk in. Dimitri has his boots up on my coffee table, scrolling through his phone. Theo's leaning back, relaxed, looking over some papers in a folder.

"If it isn't our fearless leader," Dimitri says, removing his feet from my table.

I smirk and take my seat.

"What do you got?" I ask, settling into my chair.

Theo nods to Dimitri, who stands, takes a folder, and slides it across my desk.