“Not really.” Adare could still taste her on his tongue. All of her. “That’s a female who needs love and understanding and softness. She isn’t going to get that from me.” None of those things were in him now, and it was doubtful they’d been there even before he’d lost so many brothers in the Highlands. Hell. He’d dealt with loss his entire life, and that was after his parents and younger brother were slaughtered by the Kurjans in a long-forgotten war. A real connection with any female wasn’t in the cards. Even with Jacki, there had been a sense of business about their courtship, and that had been before he planned to die for the Seven. “I have a path, Benny, and I’m gonna follow it.”

Benny looked toward Adare’s hallway and then back. “Sometimes the path forks on its own, my friend. Just keep that in mind.” He stiffened, amusement glimmering in his eyes, and stood. “Incoming,” he mouthed before turning and heading down the hallway to his room.

Adare looked up to see Jacki emerging from the kitchen, a glass of water in her hand. “Still get up at the crack of dawn, I see,” he said.

She nodded, looking as if she’d healed all of her wounds from the night before. “Still go jogging without a shirt when you’re struggling with a difficult situation, I see.”

He kept his back to the fire, letting the heat dry his jeans. “Did you and Benny reach an agreement about a new sale last night?”

“Yes, and I’ve already received confirmation from my people.” She crossed around the sofa and took Benny’s seat, her jeans and shirt torn from the fight but looking freshly cleaned. The female must’ve found the laundry room last night. She never did sleep much.

“How much did said agreement cost me?” he asked.

She took a sip of the water before answering. “Seventeen million, plus half of the explosives you bought from the Bykovs and have stored somewhere in this so-called lair.”

Damn it, Benny. Adare frowned. “Why would the Ladonis want the Bykov explosives?”

“Just half.” She finished the water, her gaze steady on him, filled with a light he barely remembered. “They have some new product, and we need to figure it out.” She shrugged. “It’s part of the business, as you know.”

“Right.” He partially turned to let his left side dry.

She cleared her throat. “I should’ve chosen you, Adare.”