Burned Hearts Read Free Page B

widened. It was an alluring sentiment. Still … “I suppose we’d have to eat from time to time.”
    â€œMaybe Rosa will agree to room service.”
    â€œNot a chance in hell,” I scoffed. The efficient woman who’d basically run our home while Dane and I had been 24-7 Lux pre-launch preparations was not about waiting on anyone hand and foot. Fine by all of us, particularly since Kyle and I liked to do the cooking. But that pretty much meant no holing up in our suite for Dane and me.
    Darn.
    He eventually withdrew from me and slipped out of bed to tidy up in the bathroom. I, of course, admired the view. As he walked away and when he returned, strutting toward me. I sighed dreamily. My heart fluttered. My stomach felt as though butterflies had taken flight.
    He gave me a sexy grin. “You can devour me with a look.”
    â€œAnd my mouth.”
    â€œYes,” he added with a mischievous glint in his eyes as he climbed in next to me. “That talented tongue of yours knows a few tricks of its own.”
    â€œMy body parts are quite partial to yours. What can I say?” I snuggled close to my husband, his arms around me, my head on his. I absently trailed a fingertip over one of his scars, the constant reminder of the devastation at the Lux and how it’d significantly altered our lives.
    I let out a long breath, hoping to expel the anxiety that instantly besieged me when I thought of all we’d been through and all that still needed to be done.
    â€œSomeday, we’ll get our honeymoon, right?” I asked.
    â€œI promise.”
    I was quiet for a few moments, a little lost in thought. Mostly lost in how wonderful it was to be in his loving, reassuring embrace and to be able to touch him. Even just hearing his steady breathing warmed and comforted me.
    Eventually, I said, “I don’t even know where you go or what you do when you’re with the FBI.”
    â€œIt’s not just the FBI. This is a global problem the society sparked by using my intellectual property for their personal gain. The Feds are labeling it conspiracy, terrorism, and attempted murder if they can prove these assholes were behind the destruction of my hotel. There were forty people inside when the timer on that bomb started ticking.”
    I knew most of this, yet my head popped up and I stared at him, not missing the fury and the agony in his voice. The bunching of his muscles all around me.
    Dane gently eased me back into his arms, though his hand stroked my hair. “Ari, sweetheart. The only reason I’m away from you and our son is because I already know the impact these people can have on the worldwide economy. I don’t want anyone to suffer again. Not like in ’08. Jesus. All those lost jobs, all that despair. There were suicides because of financial strains and destitution. Retirements imploded. Foreclosures forced bankruptcy and homelessness. Families— children —went hungry. And there are so many still trying to recover from that.”
    I understood this wasn’t just about Dane and the loss of the Lux. His dream. The poli-econ society he’d secretly been a part of had possessed the ability to effect positive change—that had been the goal for generations. Unfortunately, with the sort of intel they’d collected and dissected it was also possible to incite financial ruin, because some members’ greed overrode their good sense and intentions.
    He said, “The society put extensive effort into keeping disaster from striking again. But all that information—all the tracking, trending, analysis, forecasting…” He let out a strangled sound that was full of agitation … and torment. “In the wrong hands, it starts the vicious cycle of economic downturn and the struggle for recovery all over. To the benefit of those who are pulling the strings.”
    I’d always found the concept of “Billionaires’