Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
“I want to know what you’re thinking. You don’t do the sleeping around thing. If you’re kissing him, it means that you’ve already got feelings for him and you want to date him. But it’s only been four days, and he’s a mercenary.”
“Who cares how long it’s been?”
Athena groaned and stomped over to the bed. She flopped down only to bounce right to her feet as the bed screeched under her. She stared wide-eyed at it as if she were afraid the mattress was going to try to eat her. Only when she was sure it wasn’t going to attack did she carefully sit next to Isidore.
“Well, that’s a cure for acrobatic sex,” she muttered and then turned her attention to her brother. “The last time you even attempted to date was Nico, and you spent six months getting to know him as just friends. You dated for less than a month.”
Isidore shrugged. “We were a bad fit.”
“And you’re a better fit with Kairo?” Athena gasped. “He’s a mercenary. You know I love you, and I say this with all the love in the world, but you’re a trust-fund baby and a figurehead chairman. You spend your time learning about vineyards and grapevines or sitting in boring meetings. You go to charity galas and fake adventures. He’s doing real adventures. Shooting guns, hacking computers, and saving lives.”
“Do you not like him?”
Athena rested her elbows on her knees and dropped her face into her hands. “You’re not listening to me at all.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” he persisted stubbornly.
She turned her face to squint at him while still resting her head in her hands. “This has nothing to do with liking him. I do like him. A lot. You’re right. He’s a sweet, funny, smart, brave guy. If I was into guys like that, I might actually be jealous of you. But I’m talking about you and him together. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Then it’s because he’s a mercenary, and you know he’s probably doing illegal things.”
She snorted as she straightened. “There’s no probably about it. But I don’t care. He’s doing these things to help people. When the system is broken, sometimes you have to bend the rules to help people in need. After talking to him and his friends, I don’t get the impression that they are doing these things to hurt anyone. However, I do know how overprotective you can be when you care about someone.”
Isidore visibly winced. He and his sister had suffered through many conversations and many arguments over the years about his overprotective nature. She understood where it stemmed from and he had learned to rein it in, but it was still a constant battle of him fighting his need to protect and Athena’s desire to experience the world on her own.
“Are you going to tell me you’re not going to have a problem with Kairo’s job? He’s already put himself in danger to protect us. After he helps us, he’s going to move on to his next job, where he will be in danger again. Are you going to be able to deal with that? Or are you going to demand he give up this line of work? Go play at the vineyards with you.”
“No! Of course not! Kairo’s job means a lot to him, and I would never stop him from doing what he loves. But I don’t feel the need to protect him the same way I do with you.” Athena stared at him as though she didn’t believe a single word he was saying. “I’m serious. Yes, I worry about him. Of course I worry about him, but it’s not the same. With you, it’s almost an all-consuming panic. I’m confident that you can handle the vast majority of day-to-day problems, but when it comes to being outnumbered by men who weigh twice as much as you and are carrying guns, I’m going to be afraid.”
“But not with Kairo?” she asked skeptically.
“No, because since I’ve met him, I’ve seen him outnumbered and outgunned. He still wins. He’s been trained for this. He kicks ass, and it’s awesome.”
Athena’s harsh expression softened as she watched him, and he hated to see the sadness and worry invading her dark-brown eyes. He didn’t want to worry his sister. This was supposed to be a happy time for her. They were supposed to be laughing and relaxing as they enjoyed their last days before she went off to graduate school. He could feel their lives being pulled into separate directions and part of him howled at the idea of more distance slipping between them, but at the same time, he was excited to see her start this next stage of her life. He wanted to watch her move on to do big, great things. But to do those great things, he couldn’t have her looking back at him in worry.