Page 130 of Forged

She hums as I lace my fingers through hers. “I really like him, Lars.”

“So do I.”

Neomi kicksoff her heels the moment we step into the penthouse, dropping her purse onto the counter with a tired sigh.

I grab two waters from the fridge, holding them in one hand as I take her hand in mine. I lead us up the stairs to our bedroom. When we enter the room, I set the waters on the nightstand and turn to her.

I cup her jaw in my hands and draw her in, my mouth finding hers. She meets me instantly, pulling me closer. I trace the seam of her lips with my tongue, and she opens without hesitation, soft and warm and mine. The kiss deepens, unhurried at first, then stronger as I pull her against me, needing her closer than before.

I could kiss her forever.

I swallow the quiet sound she makes, and it goes straight to my cock. But it’s more than just the pull of her body. It’s everything that comes with it. The mornings. The way she looks at me like she wants to keep me. She fits into my life as if she always belonged there.

What started in Vegas was reckless. But I think it was meant to happen that way because I would have been too scared to jump otherwise.

I pull back just enough to look at her, my hands still in her hair, my thumb brushing along her cheek. Her breath is warm against my mouth, her eyes locked on mine.

“You’ve changed my life, Neomi,” I say, my voice trembling. “I didn’t plan for any of this. But you’re the perfect match for me. The way you soothe me, the way you trust me, the way I can trustyou. I’ve never felt the things that I feel for you before. You make me believe in love.”

Her eyes shine, but she doesn’t look away. “You deserve to be loved, Lars,” she says softly. “I’m the luckiest woman in the world because I get to call you mine.”

I rest my forehead against hers before I say the words I’ve held back for too long.

“I love you, Neomi.”

She lifts her hand to my face, her thumb brushing along my jaw as she holds my gaze. “I love you, too, Lars.”

“Fuck, those words sound so good when you say them.”

My mouth is back on hers, and this time it’s frantic and filled with need. I feel all ‌the pain of the past melt away. I no longer watch love from the outside. I live in it—with her.

Blueprints cover mostof the desk in front of me while digital files fill my screen. I’ve been staring at the same section of the estate layout for the better part of an hour, comparing what I remember from dinner three nights ago to the structural diagrams Sera sent me. I didn’t get to see the entire estate, only a few hallways I could sneak into during a trip to the bathroom.

I lean back in the chair slowly.

The closer I get to the Key, the worse this situation feels. My soul feels uneasy and the war inside me is becoming fucking unbearable.

Because three nights ago I sat at the Marchetti dinner table. Three nights ago, Lars introduced me to the people who raised him. The people he loves most. I could barely eat as the nerves and the small glimmer of guilt sat heavy in my stomach.

My gaze drifts to the window across the room. If Sera is right about the key, and I’m starting to believe she is, then the system she wants access to is hidden somewhere inside that missing section of the estate’s infrastructure. Whatever network exists there isn’t connected to the rest of the infrastructure.

Which means it’s separated and secured. Whoever built it understood exactly what they were protecting. This will be more than simply hacking into a program or application.

I drag a hand across my jaw. The problem isn’t finding it. The problem is everything that comes after.

It’s at that moment the doorbell rings and I jump. Lars and Neomi weren’t supposed to be here for another thirty minutes.

“Fuck,” I say to myself.

I shut the laptop and quickly fold the blueprints and shove them into the drawer in my desk, locking it afterward. I check the desktop one more time before rising and running my hands through my hair. When I reach the entryway, I take a deep breath before placing my hand on the doorknob.

The sight on the other side washes the stress from my body, only to replace it with excitement.

Neomi steps toward me, rising to her toes to kiss my cheek.

“Hi.”

Lars follows, and I place my lips to his temple. “Hello, you two. You’re early.”