Hostile Ground (The Arsenal #7) - Cara Carnes Page 0,101
much,” he admitted. “They’re at peace now.”
“Your mama is avenged.”
“She is, as is my Uncle Kir.”
“Were they in love?”
“I like to think so because what she had with my father wasn’t true love. I hope she had that before she died.”
“I’m glad my parents died together. I miss them so much, but at least they still have one another. Wherever they are.”
His Addy was a romantic. Kristof smiled. “Let’s go shower. I have all night to enjoy you.”
Kristof shut the door behind him, careful not to make a sound. Daylight filled the narrow hallway thanks to a window to his right. The exhaustion he’d felt was gone thanks to much-needed sleep.
And Addy.
His cock hardened when he thought about the woman he’d left asleep in his bed. He rubbed his chest and forced back the questions rolling through his mind. Neither of them knew what their future held, but he wouldn’t let her go.
He’d finally had a taste of good—the kind a man would crawl through hell to attain.
They’d both endured hell. He’d make damn sure they both got the happy. The peace.
Footsteps sounded on the stairwell. He headed that direction and froze when his gaze collided with Beast. Kristof dragged on the shirt he’d been carrying and followed the man down the stairs. Apparently, Addy’s team intended to have a conversation without her around.
The rest of her men sat in the living room. Kristof entered the kitchen and poured coffee. They’d wait. He was a bit surprised Nolan, Gage, Marshall, and Zoey weren’t in there too. Did that mean there’d be another forced conversation later?
He sipped his coffee as he returned to the living room and leaned against the wall nearest the kitchen. His gaze tracked the five men as they looked at one another.
“I heard what she said last night,” Beast said.
Kristof tightened. “I’ve got a problem with eavesdropping. If you want to know something, you ask. Me, not her.”
The man leaned forward and rubbed his hands together. “I’m not proud of standing there in the shadows as she poured her heart out to you, said shit we’ve never heard.”
She’d said a few things, but nothing like the conversations they’d had after they’d made love. They’d taken turns whispering to one another within the darkened rooms. He’d shared some of his darkest secrets. So had she.
He’d once thought he’d had peace when he’d been with Addy years ago, back when they were both too young and innocent to understand real love.
Love.
There was no denying what he felt for Addy.
What he wanted with her.
“Not sure what this conversation is. Get to it. I don’t want her coming down and walking into this.” Kristof glanced at the stairwell. “She wants a day or two of peace before the shit hits the fan again. She’s getting it, even if that means I run through all of you to give it to her.”
“Thinking we should hit restart on this conversation,” Shep said.
“We haven’t been a fan of yours,” Cracker said. “Think you figured that out.”
“Yeah, but we’re going to have to sort that out, find a solution. I’m not going anywhere,” Kristof said.
“We figured as much,” Thunder said. “Beast told us what she said about moving from mission to mission. Being tired. She gave you more than she’s ever given us. We…”
“We tried getting her to talk about that bastard when we got to The Arsenal,” Beast said. “She wouldn’t talk.”
“Not sure what you want,” Kristof said. Tension coiled along his shoulders. “Not sharing what she’s said. She and I are a lot alike in some respects.”
“I get that,” Shep said. “We all do. This is us apologizing and hitting reboot. She sees something in you we don’t. We’re willing to try if you are. For Red.”
Red. What a ridiculous nickname. Kristof crossed his arms and nodded. “You all have been her team, the family she never had. I respect that. But I’m not walking away. Even if she thinks that’s what she wants.”
“Good,” Cracker said. “She’ll retreat. I’m starting to realize the shit we’ve done is all any of us have.”
“You have each other,” Kristof said. “Trust me. That’s a hell of a gift.” He’d only had Maksim. Perhaps Gavriil. “Are we done with whatever this is?”
“Yeah,” Shep said with a smirk. “Just know we’ve got her back, so that means we’ve got yours against anyone who might disagree with whatever’s going on between you two.”
“Not sure I want to be the cause of an Arsenal civil war.”