Remi couldn't stop glancing at her. At how the light from passing cars caught and glinted in the soft curls of her hair. At how her slender fingers kept reaching up to touch the necklace—like she thought it might disappear. At the subtle frown on her red lips.

He liked when she wore that shade of lipstick. He wondered if that's why she wore it.

After a moment, he realized she was looking at him too.

"You missed the turn."

Remi blinked, turning his eyes back on the road. "No I didn't."

That frown deepened slightly, but she didn't say any more. A sigh lifted her chest, her fingers drumming nervously on her leg. Then they darted back up to her throat, playing with the diamond pendant. 

Maybe she didn't like it.

But, then again, how much did he care, really? Remi forced down a scowl as he immediately realized he cared a damn sight more than he should.

This felt like a mistake. It had felt like a mistake all day, from the moment he had left her place to pick up the new McLaren. It had nagged at the back of his mind as he'd met with one of their contacts from the Chinese, who had—not so surprisingly—suggested that they wouldn't mind if Remi wanted to move in on the Russians.

It had been a nice sort of meeting, leaving him in a rare good mood after the fact.

The necklace had been bought on nothing more than a whim. He'd seen it in the window of a small jewelry store. Leon had obviously been annoyed by the delay.

Charlie's fingers once more darted to her throat, moving gently over the stones, tracing their facets. Like she could read the fact that he'd thought about her more than he should have been today. Remi let out a soft sigh and immediately felt her eyes on him.

Neither of them said anything.

He wanted to. He wanted to say something that would make her smile or scowl at him. Maybe something that would ignite that glorious temper of hers. But nothing seemed right. Everything felt like it would fall short.

Uncharted territory. This was uncharted territory for him, and he didn't particularly like it.

It was with relief and trepidation that he turned onto Prytania. Charlie finally turned that dissecting gaze away from him, watching as the gates opened. She was frowning again.

Why was she frowning again?

Why did it bother him?

He parked the McLaren smack in the middle of the garage. It annoyed him, the fact that it didn't have a proper place, but it would be a while before he could focus on any renovations to expand. He killed the engine, but neither of them moved.

Charlie's fingers crept back toward her throat and before he was conscious of the decision to move, his hand shot out, catching hers. A quick puff of breath betrayed her surprise, and she went absolutely still. He could feel her pulse increase where it beat beneath his thumb.

"Do you not like it?" he asked, his anger revealed in the low tone of his voice.

It took a moment to realize he wasn't angry over the fact that she might not like the necklace. He was angry about the fact that he cared at all.

He had been for a while.

"I already answered that," she said, her voice as quiet as his. She didn't pull away from him, just lifted their hands so her fingers could brush against the diamonds in their platinum setting.

Remi tightened his hold on her hand. 

It surprised him when she dipped her head, kissing his knuckles. Against his skin, she murmured, "It's just something new."

The way she said it made him think she wasn't really talking about the jewelry.

Before he could find a response, she was out of the car. Her heels clicked on the smooth concrete, the skirt of her blue dress rippling with the soft sway of her hips. Remi glanced down at his hand, not entirely pleased with the effect her actions had on him.

Slowly, he got out of the car. Each movement was painfully methodical as he hung the keys in their cabinet and locked it before turning to the door that would lead into the house.

Why hadn't he just lied? Why couldn't he have just lied this morning and told her none of it mattered to him. None of it meant anything more than a good time. He was a good liar. He'd had years of practice.

And she would have believed him. Her pride wouldn't have allowed for any sort of forgiveness. She wasn't a forgiving creature.

Why was he doing this?

Even as he pondered that, he moved toward the door, opening it to find the kitchen empty. He stared at the dark, still room for a moment. Then the creak of a stair had his eyes darting to the open doorway across from him. Another stair creaked and he moved across the kitchen, his steps quiet on the wood floors.

Remi reached the bottom of the stairs just as she reached the top. He tilted his head back, watching as she turned left. It didn't shock him that she remembered where everything was. 

She's going to bury you, a little voice in the back of his head tried to warn him.

The click of a door opening made him ignore it.

He went up the stairs, walking slowly toward his bedroom. She'd left the door open behind her and he leaned against the frame, watching as she stood in the middle of the room. His curiosity had been piqued by what she would do next.

"Are you afraid to die?"

He hadn't been expecting that.Charlie turned to look at him, still playing with the necklace. She didn't repeat herself, even as the seconds stretched out between them.

"Not enough," he finally rasped. He'd never been prone to analyzing his own mortality. Everyone had to die sometime. He didn't see the point in being afraid of something he couldn't change.

She stared at him for a long time. Something about her gaze seemed very internal. Like she wasn't really looking at him. Or like she was looking into him.

"Is it something I should be afraid of?"

Remi sighed, then shook his head. "That's up to you, Charlie." He wasn't sure he wanted her to care that much.

"Are you afraid you'll get me killed?"

He didn't like this line of questioning at all. Not one little bit.

"More than I should be."

She blinked twice, surprise written across her face. He couldn't blame her. He hadn't meant to be that honest. He hated that she could make him that honest. It wasn't good for him.

She's going to bury you.

He was starting to understand that. He couldn't make himself care.

"I didn't plan for this," she said, uncertainty turning her voice into a near-soundless whisper. "I didn't mean to...do this."

Neither had he.

Charlie lifted her other hand and beckoned him forward. He hated himself a little when he obeyed, drawing closer until they were just a few small inches apart. He couldn't see the actual color of her eyes in the darkness of the room, but he could imagine how those little golden flecks would wink and shine. How the blue of her iris would darken as the pupil expanded.

He didn't think he loved her. He wasn't entirely sure he could love her. He wasn't entirely sure that's what she wanted anyway.

He cursed himself for seven kinds of fool for letting her into his life.

Charlie stepped forward, reducing the space between them to nothing. She undid his tie before she kissed his jaw. It slithered around his neck as she pulled the tie away, dropping it on the floor before she kissed his mouth.

He hated himself for not stopping her. But he didn't want her to stop.

His hands came up to the small of her back, pressing her closer as he tasted her lips. Charlie kissed him slowly, almost tentatively. Like she'd never done it before.

When he tried to pull away to kiss her neck, she placed a hand on his face, keeping his mouth on hers. The way her tongue twisted across his made him quickly lose focus on anything that wasn't her.

Something as small as a kiss shouldn't wreck him so much.

Charlie let her hands slide down his chest and shoulders, stripping his suit jacket away. She didn't stop him this time when he moved his lips to her neck. Instead, she tilted her head back, her fingers shaking against the buttons of his shirt, then the buckle of his belt.

He found the zipper of her dress, tugging it down slowly.

Now the rest of her was trembling.

Remi pulled back as she stepped out of her heels. She bit her lip, shaking her head in agitation. He started to back away, confused, but she lunged forward, her hand going to the back of his neck.

"It's just something new," she repeated.

Well that was certainly the truth.

She glanced up, meeting his eyes. "And I don't know if it's going to end all that well."

Neither did he. But he couldn't make himself say that. "I know that I want you," he replied. That was about all he could offer.

"But are you going to want to keep me, if you get me?"

He never had before. But Charlie wasn't very much like any of those other women.

It seemed more likely that she wouldn't want to keep him but his pride wouldn't let him say something so stupid. So he tilted his head, gently kissing her mouth. "Do you want a nice lie," he whispered, "or a truth that might end up being a lie?"

Charlie turned her head, lashes lowered as she bit her lip, considering that. He had the thought that it certainly felt like he wanted to keep her. 

"I don't know," she finally said. Looking up at him, she shrugged. "With you, I feel like I don't know what I want. I don't think that's a good thing."

Her unzipped dress had slipped when she shrugged. He reached forward, hooking a finger in the silky material. At the moment, he knew exactly what he wanted. The dress slid down her body, pooling on the pale carpet. She wasn't wearing anything under it.

Remi shed the rest of his clothes and pulled her toward the bed. She let him lay her down on the mattress, her fingers tracing the scars on his chest. The ones on his back. The ones on his arms.

She inhaled deeply, her fingers burying themselves in his hair as he leaned down to kiss her collarbone. "Fine," she said on a sigh. "Fine. I don't care anymore."

Part of him wanted to ask what she meant by that. Some other, smaller part knew exactly what she was talking about.

The diamond necklace winked at him where it rested in the hollow of her throat and her hands slid down his back, pulling him forward. Her lips parted as he entered her, a soft moan from her making him shudder.

She wrapped a leg around him, her eyes closing as he began to move. He couldn't help but watch every little flicker of emotion and sensation as it crossed her beautiful face. Her body fit perfectly against his, warm and intuitive.

He gasped when she did, increasing his tempo only when she asked, even though she never said a word.

This wasn't like any time before.

Her fingernails still raked across his skin and she still bucked beneath him in the same way. Every moan still sounded the same—a low note of pleasure that delighted him every time. They were still perfectly conscious of one another physically.

But it was different.

It was new.

When she gasped his name, her body jerking with the force of her pleasure, something inside of him ruptured. It was something small. Something important. Something that made him bite her shoulder to keep from saying her name as he came apart with her.

He slumped forward, listening to the wild beat of her heart. Her legs were still wrapped around him, keeping him still.

Remi finally closed his eyes.

She was going to bury him.