Page 121 of Perfect Liar

As big and strong as Thomas was, he couldn’t yet beat Will.

The fighting itself didn’t shake me, but they went after each other with the same determination as if going after an enemy and that did.

Ben noticed my reaction.

“Ellie, you must learn to accept how things are done here. I don’t mean here, as in England, I mean here, with Will. We were raised to…well, you know what we are.”

I released a heavy breath and nodded.

“I know. I’ll get there. So how has he been this morning?”

“Well, his entire life changed the minute Ethan died, and now he has quite a lot to come to terms with. He’ll be the best leader this family has had. But I warn you, Ellie. I know him, and he’ll be unpredictable until things settle down. So when you take him on, make sure it’s from a position of strength.”

Ben and Will had been trained in the same way by their fathers, both intelligence agents but from different government branches. Both gone.

Will hit John, drawing my attention back to them, and John’s body flew several feet before he landed flat on his back.

“When you’re man enough to handle my whisky, you’ll drink with me, not behind my fucking back,” Will said.

I ran to John and kneeled on the mat beside him. He’d lost the color in his face. The combination of Will’s blow and his back slamming against the mat had knocked the breath out of him.

John dug in his heels and launched himself backward away from me, shaking his head. His refusing my help confused me, but then I got it. Dumbass me. I was only making it worse for him, because Will wouldn’t tolerate one of his brothers accepting help like that…being “soft.”

As painful as it was to leave John alone as he regained his breath, I moved away.

“You will not coddle him,” Will shouted at me.

God, he was magnificent. And different. His sorrow had transformed to anger.

I hooked my hands on my hips and narrowed my eyes as he advanced on me, leaving no space between us, though he didn’t touch me.

“The only thing you’ll find meddling here, woman, is a smacked arse.”

I rose onto my tiptoes, still not even at his eye-level.

“Shall we step out and see?”

I looked at the doors, back to his eyes.

His gaze followed mine, and he grew hard, his erection pushing against my stomach.

“Get out of my gym, witch.”

Will’s words could sound insensitive to people who didn’t know him, but witch wasn’t the same as bitch when he said it to me. In our case, we both knew it meant you own me…everything I have, everything I am, it’s all yours.

I offered him a compassionate smile instead of firing back at him. He didn’t need another sparring partner. He needed me to understand his pain and time to work through losing Ethan.

Regret and sadness filled his eyes. He bent his neck to kiss me. And before moving his mouth away from mine, he told me that he loved me.

I whispered back to him against his lips.

“I know. Me too.”

“Do you need me, baby?”

I kissed him.

“I’m just checking in.”