“I really like it.” I turned on my side so I could look at him. “How do you like living with me?”
“Not too bad.”
“Not too bad?” I asked with a chuckle, knowing he was teasing.
“I like morning sex. Great way to wake up.”
“Me too. I like sleeping with you because I imagine this is what other couples do. They make love then go to sleep in the same bed. I’m glad I get that experience.”
He didn’t have a comment to that.
“Are you ever going to tell me why you were so upset yesterday?”
He was quiet again. “No.”
“What happened to honesty?”
“I said I would be honest with you. But I didn’t say I would share every thought with you.”
I let the insult wash over me without letting it cut into my skin. “But I’m your friend, Conway. You can tell me things.”
“This is something I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Does it have something to do with me?”
He turned his head my way, his green eyes fierce. “I said I don’t want to talk about it, Muse. Leave it alone.”
When I sensed the anger in his tone, I finally backed off. I didn’t want to go to bed upset, so I dropped the subject. “How long are we going to stay at your parents?”
“Until Saturday.”
“That’s a short trip.”
“I have work to do. I made a few more sketches, and now I need to create them.”
“What did Nicole think about them?”
“She liked them,” he answered.
“Do you have a show coming up?”
“I was thinking of doing one in six weeks.”
“That’s pretty soon. Where would it be?”
“New York.”
My hometown. I assumed I wouldn’t be able to accompany him since I was a wanted fugitive in my own country. The government took tax evasion seriously. That would mean I’d have to stay here alone. The idea of not having Conway around terrified me. At that moment, I realized just how reliant I was on him, how much I needed him to feel safe. “I see. I’m guessing I won’t be in the show?”
He shook his head. “Never again.”
“Then I’ll stay here?”
He turned on his side and faced me, our faces just inches apart. His muscular body was rigid and hard, the outline of his biceps visible even in the shadows. His hand moved under the sheets and grabbed my hip. “Why would you stay here?”
“I don’t need to remind you of my list of crimes…”
“Don’t worry about that. When you’re with me, you’re above the law.”
“And him…”
Conway knew what I meant. “You never have to worry about him, alright? Stop being scared, and stop looking over your shoulder. My power constantly surrounds you—at all times.” He pulled me into him, cuddling with me under the sheets. His body was like a radiator, always blowing heat. He trailed his fingers down my back, slowly feeling my soft skin over my spine. His eyes remained locked on mine, his green eyes filled with affection.
“Alright.”
He rested his forehead against mine then closed his eyes. His breathing changed after a few minutes, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.
I closed my eyes and matched my breathing to his. I cherished his smell and the warmth he surrounded me with. It was easy to feel peaceful, easy to feel safe. There was something about Conway that made me feel innately comfortable. I came to this country with just the clothes on my back and without a friend to turn to, and he became my savior. He took care of me, made all my problems go away. No one else in the world would have done that for me.
No one.
* * *
Vanessa wore a bright blue sundress with matching sandals. The color was brilliant against her olive skin and pretty eyes. No matter what she wore, she looked lovely. She had a natural beauty any woman would die for. “You’re going to love my parents’ house. It’s been in the family for three generations now.”
“Wow. I’m sure it’s beautiful.”
Carter and Conway helped Dante load the back of the SUV while Vanessa and I spoke in the entryway. It was a cloudless sky, and the heat caused our skin to bead with sweat. Sunglasses were pushed back over her forehead, and she wore a purse that sat across her torso.
“What happened with you and that guy?” I never got the full story because Conway and I went home. Conway wanted to keep spying on her, but I finally convinced him he needed to give his sister space. She was a grown-ass woman who didn’t need a babysitter.
“A few nights of super-hot sex,” she said bluntly. “But I didn’t see it going anywhere. He’s a nice guy, but we really don’t have much in common. Our conversation ran stale, but the passion never suffered. So I got him out of my system before I moved on.”