Page 85 of Fierce Protector
"They probably already noticed."
She swatted my chest. "Great. That's not mortifying at all."
I helped her straighten her clothes, tucking her shirt back into place, brushing my thumbs over her hips. She fixed my belt, fingers lingering longer than necessary.
"You know," I said, watching her adjust her hair in the mirror mounted on the closet wall, "you're really good with Marcello."
"He's a sweet kid." She glanced at me in the reflection. "Why?"
"Just an observation."
Her eyes narrowed. "Eric Hale, what are you thinking about?"
"Lots of things." I stepped closer, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind. "You. Me. This life we're building."
"That's suspiciously vague."
I met her gaze in the mirror, seeing the question forming before she could voice it. "Would you ever want kids?"
She went still. "That's a hell of a question to ask right after closet sex."
"Best time to ask. You're relaxed."
"I'm processing." She turned in my arms, studying my face. "Is this something you want?"
"Eventually." The honesty came easy. "Not right now. But someday. With you."
Her expression softened, something vulnerable flickering across her features. "I never let myself think about it before. Kids, family, all of that. Seemed like something for other people. Stable people. Normal people."
"And now?"
"Now I'm living in a mansion with a crime lord who just fucked me in a closet." She smiled, small and real. "So clearly my life's taken some unexpected turns."
"That's not an answer."
"I know." She pressed her palm to my chest, right over my heart. "Ask me again in a year. When we've had more time to figure out this whole 'us' thing without adding tiny humans to the mix."
Fair enough. We'd barely hit four months of actually being together, really together, without secrets and distance between us. Adding kids to that equation now would be rushing things.
But the fact that she hadn't said no outright, that she was considering it at all, settled something restless in my chest.
"Deal," I said, kissing her forehead. "One year."
"One year," she agreed. "Now let's get back out there before Sofia sends a search party."
