emotions, no feelings. Steady
as a rock.
Dangerous. The woman was fucking dangerous to his sanity.
He took a deep breath. Then another.
And shot Ryan a look. “You’re a scassacazzo .”
Ryan grinned at him. “Yeah, I might be a pain in the ass,
but you’re neurotic and it’s starting to worry me.”
“I’m not neurotic.” He sighed and ran a hand through his
hair, grabbing the short strands and giving them a yank. “I’m fucking
brilliant.”
“Then why are you acting like a clueless asswipe?”
Dane gave Ryan the finger then forced himself to sit on one
of the barstools at the island and nurse his beer. “ Baciami il culo. ”
Ryan laughed. “That the best you can do? Kiss my ass? No
offense, man, but yours isn’t the ass I want to kiss.”
No, him either. And Evie’s ass made him want to take a bite
out of it. He wanted that ass in his bed every night. Wanted the woman living
in his house, where he knew she’d be safe.
“Shit, Dane, why didn’t you tell me you were in love with
her?”
Love? No, this wasn’t love. It was lust, pure and simple.
And you’re lying to yourself.
She’d gotten under his skin.
If Ryan had seen it in less than two days, did everyone else
know?
Tinia’s teat, if his mother found out…
He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair,
tugging on the ends of the short strands in frustration. “I never wanted to
fall in love, damn it. I don’t have the time to give a woman the attention she
deserves. I’m no closer to finding a cure than I was a year ago and every year,
more lucani fall to it.”
“I know that last year was tough on your dad, Dane.” Ryan’s
voice had lost the flippant edge of earlier. “I know his death was a blessing.
Not to you, but to him. I know you hated how he suffered. But you are not Superman.”
“What if my sister comes down with it, Ryan? My mom? Our
king? I’ve got to fix this before it decimates my people.”
“Jesus, Dane, you’re entitled to a life. Even your mother
doesn’t expect you live like a monk in seclusion, working day and night to find
a cure.”
No, but his mother wanted him to take a proper lucani mate and she had the perfect one picked out. Ione was beautiful and smart, with
a degree in business that she used to increase the wealth of the lucani mutual funds.
Dane had never given Ione any indication of his feelings one
way or the other. He’d been unfailingly polite whenever his mother had invited
her to dinner when he was there.
But…Ione didn’t make him burn the way Evie did.
What the hell would his mother think if he brought Evie home
to meet her?
And why the hell should it even matter?
“Look, I’m going to the lab for a while. I need to check on
the serum and—”
“And you can’t handle this.”
Dane wanted to tell Ryan to take a flying leap but he
couldn’t do it. Ryan was right.
If he let his emotions control him, he wouldn’t be able to
work. That’s how he functioned, how he was able to make life or death
situations and live with them.
How he was able to continue on with his work on the days he
wanted to trash his lab and burn it to the ground because he was so fucking
frustrated.
“Tell Evie I’ll see her in the morning. Tell her—”
“You’re a fucking coward?”
Dane’s jaw set at the hard tone of Ryan’s voice but he bit
back the frustrated words that wanted to escape. It’d do neither of them any
good and if this relationship had a chance in hell of working, they needed to
be on the same page. Or at least working from the same manual.
“Take care of her. I’ll be in touch.”
Then he made for the door. And freedom.
Which wasn’t feeling very free at the moment.
Ryan watched Dane practically run for the door, closing it a
little more loudly than normal.
Anger burned like acid in his stomach. Damn it, he was going
to strangle the man one of these days. Dane didn’t get it. The bastard just
refused to listen to reason.
And he was going to
as a rock.
Dangerous. The woman was fucking dangerous to his sanity.
He took a deep breath. Then another.
And shot Ryan a look. “You’re a scassacazzo .”
Ryan grinned at him. “Yeah, I might be a pain in the ass,
but you’re neurotic and it’s starting to worry me.”
“I’m not neurotic.” He sighed and ran a hand through his
hair, grabbing the short strands and giving them a yank. “I’m fucking
brilliant.”
“Then why are you acting like a clueless asswipe?”
Dane gave Ryan the finger then forced himself to sit on one
of the barstools at the island and nurse his beer. “ Baciami il culo. ”
Ryan laughed. “That the best you can do? Kiss my ass? No
offense, man, but yours isn’t the ass I want to kiss.”
No, him either. And Evie’s ass made him want to take a bite
out of it. He wanted that ass in his bed every night. Wanted the woman living
in his house, where he knew she’d be safe.
“Shit, Dane, why didn’t you tell me you were in love with
her?”
Love? No, this wasn’t love. It was lust, pure and simple.
And you’re lying to yourself.
She’d gotten under his skin.
If Ryan had seen it in less than two days, did everyone else
know?
Tinia’s teat, if his mother found out…
He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair,
tugging on the ends of the short strands in frustration. “I never wanted to
fall in love, damn it. I don’t have the time to give a woman the attention she
deserves. I’m no closer to finding a cure than I was a year ago and every year,
more lucani fall to it.”
“I know that last year was tough on your dad, Dane.” Ryan’s
voice had lost the flippant edge of earlier. “I know his death was a blessing.
Not to you, but to him. I know you hated how he suffered. But you are not Superman.”
“What if my sister comes down with it, Ryan? My mom? Our
king? I’ve got to fix this before it decimates my people.”
“Jesus, Dane, you’re entitled to a life. Even your mother
doesn’t expect you live like a monk in seclusion, working day and night to find
a cure.”
No, but his mother wanted him to take a proper lucani mate and she had the perfect one picked out. Ione was beautiful and smart, with
a degree in business that she used to increase the wealth of the lucani mutual funds.
Dane had never given Ione any indication of his feelings one
way or the other. He’d been unfailingly polite whenever his mother had invited
her to dinner when he was there.
But…Ione didn’t make him burn the way Evie did.
What the hell would his mother think if he brought Evie home
to meet her?
And why the hell should it even matter?
“Look, I’m going to the lab for a while. I need to check on
the serum and—”
“And you can’t handle this.”
Dane wanted to tell Ryan to take a flying leap but he
couldn’t do it. Ryan was right.
If he let his emotions control him, he wouldn’t be able to
work. That’s how he functioned, how he was able to make life or death
situations and live with them.
How he was able to continue on with his work on the days he
wanted to trash his lab and burn it to the ground because he was so fucking
frustrated.
“Tell Evie I’ll see her in the morning. Tell her—”
“You’re a fucking coward?”
Dane’s jaw set at the hard tone of Ryan’s voice but he bit
back the frustrated words that wanted to escape. It’d do neither of them any
good and if this relationship had a chance in hell of working, they needed to
be on the same page. Or at least working from the same manual.
“Take care of her. I’ll be in touch.”
Then he made for the door. And freedom.
Which wasn’t feeling very free at the moment.
Ryan watched Dane practically run for the door, closing it a
little more loudly than normal.
Anger burned like acid in his stomach. Damn it, he was going
to strangle the man one of these days. Dane didn’t get it. The bastard just
refused to listen to reason.
And he was going to
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