Page 55 of Heroes & Hitmen (Windy City Wolfpack #1)

Miley

The coffee machine hums as it starts up, the thick scent of a delicious dark roast permeating the air.

I’m perched on the kitchen counter right beside it, one leg folded beneath me, the toes of my other foot brushing the cabinet door below in a slow, absent rhythm as I patiently await my morning caffeine fix.

I’ve got my hands tucked inside the sleeves of my oversized sweatshirt to combat the chill from the air conditioning, but evidently, I’m the only one that feels it.

Ares is practically naked, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs.

I swear he’s allergic to clothing.

Not that I mind the view.

Powerful muscles bunch and flex beneath tanned skin as he pulls open the refrigerator door and bends over to rummage inside, my eyes feasting over every inch of his toned physique.

“Caramel or vanilla creamer?” Ares asks over his shoulder.

I tilt my head, considering for a moment before deciding, “Both.”

He turns to glance my way, arching a judgmental brow.

“What?” I ask innocently. “You know I like my coffee sweet.”

“Oh, I know all about your sugar addiction, Miley Beckett,” he teases, lips curving in a grin as he nods toward the pair of mugs resting beside the coffee pot. “I’m just waiting for the day when you skip the coffee altogether and start drinking the creamer straight up.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I scoff, smiling despite myself .

“Seriously, babe, you should consider consuming things with actual nutrition sometimes instead of just sugar,” he says as he pulls both cartons of creamer from the fridge.

I just roll my eyes as he carries them over, waving him off. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I give up sugar.

When he reaches out to set the cartons on the counter beside me, my gaze snags on the spot where Ares’ neck curves to meet his shoulder.

The white scar left behind from my bite practically glows in contrast to his tanned skin, and seeing that mark– my mark– makes something swoop low in my belly, warmth spreading through my chest.

My fingers instinctively drift up to trace over the mark on my own skin, Ares’ dark-eyed gaze tracking the movement. A smug smirk pulls at the corner of his mouth as his eyes ping back up to meet mine.

“Told you so,” he chides, voice rumbling with satisfaction.

I bark a laugh, shaking my head. “How many times are you going to say that?”

“Until we’re old and grey, babe,” he replies as he steps in closer, casually bracing a hand on the counter beside my thigh. “Didn’t you know? Sealing the mate bond means you’ve officially signed on for me to annoy you for the rest of our lives.”

“Lucky me,” I snort.

“Damn right,” he quips, leaning in to smack a kiss on my lips. He tosses me a wink as he pulls back and heads for the fridge again, and I can’t help but smile as I watch him go.

The coffee continues to brew beside me while I take a beat to really let the moment sink in.

Ares and I have somehow become the picture of domestic bliss, all messy hair and sleepy smiles, playfully bickering over our morning coffee.

Looking at us now, you’d never guess how much hell we went through to get here.

How much chaos we’ve endured to earn this little slice of peace.

I want to hold onto it, commit it to memory before it slips through my fingers like quicksand.

The machine beside me beeps, signaling the coffee’s done. I turn to the pot, glad for something to do with my hands, and start filling our matching mugs while Ares continues rooting through the contents of our fridge.

“You hungry?” he asks over his shoulder .

I shrug as I set the pot back on the burner and reach for the creamer. “I could eat.”

He starts pulling things out of the fridge– eggs, bacon, fruit– while I dump generous pours from both cartons of creamer into my cup until it’s the exact shade I like. I take a sip, humming in satisfaction when the sweet blend of vanilla, caramel, and coffee hits my tongue. Perfect.

Wrapping my hands around the mug, I watch as Ares starts organizing breakfast ingredients on the counter, the warmth of the ceramic seeping into my palms. “So, do you think it’s really over?” I ask hesitantly.

He pauses with one hand on the carton of eggs, swiveling to face me. “I got a message from him this morning,” he murmurs.

My stomach drops. “Alpha?”

He nods once.

I suck in a breath, sitting up a little straighter. “Well don’t leave me in suspense, what did it say?”

Ares pauses, brow lifting like he’s not sure how I’ll take it. “That I’m expected to finish out the remainder of my contract, but we’ll have limited direct communication going forward. I’ll mostly be interfacing with Commander Kane.”

I blink. “So… that’s a good sign, right?” I ask hesitantly, almost too afraid to hope.

He exhales slowly, then gives a casual shrug. “I think so. He said we’re to continue living here in the Tower for now, but once my contract ends…” his eyes dart toward the window, then back to me. “He wants us gone. Said he thinks it’d be best for us to relocate to Stillwater.”

I nod stiffly, fingers tightening around my mug.

“But in the meantime,” Ares adds with a crooked smirk, “he expects us to serve as a shining example to the pack of fate’s favor.”

“Of course,” I snort. “Because the second the narrative doesn’t work in his favor, he pivots and pretends it was his idea all along. He’s probably already got the press release written.”

“Alpha’s daughter conquers fate and forcibly civilizes savage outsider,” Ares intones in a mock-serious news anchor voice. “True love triumphs over adversity. All hail the power of family and loyalty and fate.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “You forgot at the direct and benevolent guidance of Alpha Gage Morgan. ”

“Damn. Guess I’ll leave the hard-hitting journalism to you,” he grins. “And hey, since we’re stuck here for another ten months, you can actually finish your degree, graduate in the spring.”

My heart skips a beat. I hadn’t even let myself consider that, but dammit, I want it. A future, a plan that isn’t carved by someone else’s hand.

“So… you finish your contract, I graduate, and then we get the hell out of here?” I ask, my voice full of cautious hope.

“You’re cool with moving to Stillwater?” Ares asks tentatively. “Because we could go anywhere, really. Just say the word.”

“Honestly, I’m good with anywhere that isn’t here,” I say with a dry laugh. “Maybe we could take a trip sometime, you could show me your hometown.”

His dark eyes light up. “Seriously? Because I know you’ll love it. Small town, big trees, no drama. I can show you all my old haunts, we can pick out where to live when we move back. We could build our own little house with a porch…”

“A wrap-around porch,” I add, his excitement infectious. “And shutters and little window boxes with flowers.”

His grin widens in that way that somehow always manages to unravel me. “Done,” he says, snagging my pink apron off the hook with zero hesitation and looping it around his neck.

“Seriously?” I blink at him, unable to stop the laugh bubbling up my throat.

“What?” he asks innocently as he ties it behind his back with practiced ease. “Bacon grease is a hazard, babe. I’m just being responsible.”

I let out an unladylike snort, biting back a grin as I take in the sight of him. The apron barely fits across his broad chest, the delicate lace trim only emphasizing the solid mass of muscle beneath. It’s absurd. It’s hot. It’s hilarious. Muscle and swagger, wrapped up in ruffles.

“You look ridiculous,” I tell him, unable to hide the affection in my tone.

“You mean ridiculously handsome,” he shoots back without missing a beat, striking a pose and winking.

I shake my head, still grinning as I slide his coffee mug across the counter. “Drink up, domestic goddess.”

Just as he reaches out to take it, a knock comes at our apartment door. We both freeze, eyes locking, alert mode kicking in. We’ve been on guard for so long now that the reaction is practically hard-wired.

“I’ll get it,” Ares says, already moving.

I hold my breath as I watch him go, tracking the sound of the lock turning, the hinges of the door creaking faintly as he pulls it open.

Then I hear voices– familiar and safe. My sisters.

“Come on in,” Ares’ voice rumbles, and a moment later he’s striding back into the kitchen, trailed by Charlie and Blake– both of whom are clearly trying and failing not to ogle the six-foot-something half-naked Adonis in lace-trimmed pink.

I don’t even get a chance for embarrassment to register before my wolf surges up like a tide, possessive instinct rolling through me in response to the way my sisters are checking him out.

“Mine,” I snap, the word slipping out sharp and instinctive before my brain can catch up.

Charlie and Blake freeze, glancing at me, then each other.

They burst into giggles.

“Oh, we know ,” Charlie teases, her grin all mischief as Ares saunters toward me, unbothered as ever. He crowds into my space like it’s nothing, reaching over my head to grab mugs from the cabinet while I try not to melt in response to his body heat.

“Coffee, ladies?” he asks smoothly, pulling two mugs down and pressing a kiss to my forehead as if he didn’t just send my heart into cardiac arrest.

My sisters visibly swoon.

“Coffee would be amazing” Blake chirps, twirling a strand of red hair around her finger.

Ares fills their mugs, topping mine off too before replacing the pot on the burner and swiping up his own cup. “I’ll give you girls some privacy,” he says with a wink, pivoting on a heel and taking his coffee to go.

I watch him disappear down the hall toward the bedroom, then turn back to my sisters, who are both staring at me like I just grew a second head.

Hopping down from the counter, I usher them into the living room, balancing my coffee mug in one hand and waving them ahead with the other. We settle in on the couch and I grab my favorite pastel pink throw blanket, draping it over my lap.