Page 99 of Lord of Ruin
Lust.
Need.
Now…
Ugh. I wasn’t going to think the word. How could I love a man who couldn’t trust me? And why had my mother not told me how dangerous Madden Byrne truly was?
Because she’d divorced herself from her uncles and cousins at the request of my grandparents. Now I was beginning to understand why, even if I knew only a portion of the story.
And what the fuck had the idiot Rocky gotten himself into?
I finally opened the door to the bedroom, captured by the need for coffee and something to eat. My stomach was rumbling both from continued discontent and hunger. The combination was enough to make me sick.
As I walked downstairs, I listened for any sign of him, hoping and wishing he remained in the living room. I faced an empty house and no evidence that he’d had any of the food I’d prepared. However, he’d cleaned up the kitchen, putting everything away. I stood by the island, absently running my hand back and forth across the smooth granite.
I missed him. There was no denying how I felt.
After a full minute, I went to start the coffee, almost forgetting how to do so given the European design. When it was finally brewing, I heard a knock on the door and the butterflies returned in a swarm.
I half hopped toward the door, remembering to take a look through the old-fashioned peephole. It was Atlas, right on cue for his stint at watching me like a babysitter.
When I opened the door, he lifted a bag.
“What do you have?”
“Greek pastries.” His grin was infectious. “My mother reminded me of them when I talked to her last night.”
I snatched the bag from him. “You get the first cup of coffee for being so sweet. As long as you’ll share one with me.”
“Well, as long as you don’t tell Mr. Diamondis.”
“Don’t worry. I like keeping secrets.”
He closed the door behind him as I headed for the kitchen, inhaling the rich scent of the coffee as I pulled down a couple of plates. He laughed and moved behind the island, sitting down.
I glanced over my shoulder at him as I pulled out two coffee cups. “I assume Stavros had a meeting?”
“Yes, ma’am. He shouldn’t be too long. After we have breakfast, would you like to take a walk or a drive?”
“Maybe.” I poured the coffee first, pulling out cream. “Do you need sugar?”
“Oh, no, ma’am. I like it black.”
“You don’t need to call me ma’am. That makes me feel old.” We both laughed as I placed two of the most delicious-looking pastries on the plates, bringing the coffee to the island first.
He immediately grabbed his cup, inhaling deeply as I pulled out two napkins, finally placing our breakfast on the counter. “Respect is important in our world.”
“I understand but I’m just a girl from the big city hoping to make her mark in this world.”
“That’s right. I heard you were a veterinarian. You graduated with honors from Cornell. Didn’t you? I know you fell in love with New York even though you were mugged all those years ago.”
There was no reason for his comments to strike me as odd. I’d mentioned the various bits of information about my life to Stavros during our more intimate conversations. Still, it did surprise me that Stavros would say anything, even to his cousin let alone a basic soldier. He knew how private I was.
“Yes, and I have to say I miss the Big Apple, although being here is just gorgeous.” I took a bite of the pastry, the sweet flavor more intense than I’d anticipated.
“Have you ever been to Europe before?” he asked, sipping his coffee.
I chewed and had another bite as I shook my head. “No. I’ve been to the Caribbean a couple of times, but I haven’t had the pleasure of heading to Paris or Milan. What about you?”