Aria POV
"But he didn't." I touched his face, forcing him to focus. His skin was warm under my palm, the stubble on his jaw scratched against my fingertips. "And now he's apologized and backed off. Let it go."
"I can't." His hands gripped my waist. I felt the heat of them through my shirt. "Every time I think about someone touching you, hurting you."
"Then don't think about it." I moved closer. Close enough that I could smell his cologne, feel his breath on my face. "Think about this instead. About us, right here, right now."
"Aria"
"You said you'd fight for us." I looked up at him. "So fight. Not Lucas, not the past. Fight for our future."
His forehead pressed against mine. "That's all I want to do, but first we have to survive Marcus."
The weight of it hit me then. It really hit me. We were talking about hired guns. About a man who wanted to hurt us, maybe kill us. I'd been pushing it down, trying not to think about it. But Lucas's warning made it real.
