Free His Ward by Lena Matthews Page B

me.”
    The pain in her voice unmanned him. Misha had never felt more helpless in his life. “I know.”
    “Don’t do it again.”
    Misha let out a heavy sigh as he joined her on the couch. “I can’t promise you that, Tionne. I’m human. I make mistakes.”
    “Who you telling?” she grumbled, but her voice held less heat than it had earlier.
    “Tell me how to fix this.”
    “That’s just it, Mish.” Her voice held a hint of sadness in it. “You don’t get to wave a magic wand and have everything go back to the way it was before.”
    Whose stupid rules were these? “What’s the point of having the wand, then?”
    Her lips curved upward. “Don’t make me laugh. I’m trying to stay mad at you.”
    “I will not agree to that.” If he could make her smile and laugh, he had a chance to cajole her out of her anger.
    “Then agree to this. I need you to give me some time. I need space.”
    A cold rush of ice flooded his veins, but somehow he managed to keep his voice normal. “How much space? How much time?”
    “I don’t know, a couple of days, a week, to focus on me.”
    It sounded like way too long to him, but Misha wasn’t going to push her on this. “Fine.”
    “What?” She looked shocked by his easy agreement.
    “You sound surprised.”
    “I am.” Tionne narrowed her gaze. “What’s the catch?”
    “Nothing. Something came up at work today, and I’m going to be out of the country for a bit.” It was more complicated than that, of course, but he didn’t want to worry her. Besides, it would give them both a break—something she obviously wanted more than he did.
    “For how long?” she asked, not sounding pleased at all.
    “I don’t know,” he answered honestly.
    Tionne frowned. “Is it in a dangerous area?”
    “If I didn’t know better, I would swear that you sound worried for me.”
    “Don’t be a jerk, of course I am. I may want to kill you, but that doesn’t mean I want anyone else to.”
    He pulled her into his arms, and, much to his delight, she went into them willingly. Her arms wrapped around his waist, one around his middle and one around his back, and she held on tightly to him as he nuzzled into her more. She was so soft and warm, and he couldn’t help the feeling of rightness that washed over him when she was beside him like this. This was where she belonged. This was where he belonged, but it didn’t make it right. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”
    “That didn’t answer my question. It is somewhere dangerous?”
    Her quiet, apprehensive words pulled him out of his wayward thoughts. He didn’t want to lie to her, especially not again so soon, but on the other hand, he didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily. “When isn’t it, but hey, if you’re lucky, I might get my head blown off, then you’ll have all the space and time you’ll need.”
    She smacked his stomach lightly. “That’s not funny.”
    “No. It’s not.” He tightened his hold on her and rested his head on the top of hers. The sweet smell of pineapple-scented hair conditioner combined with the clean, fresh aroma of her skin filled his lungs, and he breathed the scent in. He wanted to remember this moment, to have this to think back on while he was away. “I’m going to leave Darby here with you.”
    “Freedom and space…remember?”
    Misha used his free hand to tilt her chin up so he could see her face. “Your safety comes first with me. It always has, and it always will.” Tionne opened her mouth as if she was going to rebuff his claim, but he silenced her by laying a single finger over her full lips. “This is not about me butting in. I swear to you. You know I have enemies aplenty, and the best way to get to me would be to get to either you or Nicholi. Nicholi can handle himself, and although I know you’re a Billy Badass, it would ease my mind if you at least had someone to hold your purse while you kicked ass, okay? So be mad at me all you want, but do this for me.