Chapter 64

**Artemis**


Bryant doesn’t waste any time getting us out of the frenzy of paparazzi, but most of them jumped in their cars to follow us.

“So, about where we’re going to hide out?” Blue asks as she turns to watch the vehicles following us.

“Ah yes…your sanctuary will be provided by me this time.” Alan says proudly.

It sounds an awful lot like he’s saying I can’t protect my wife, so I make sure to punsh him by digging my elbow into his ribs.

“Ow! What the fuck man?” He whines but I faign innocence.

“What do you mean?” Blue asks him.

She finally gives up trying to track the crazy people chasing us and focus on us again. Well, Alan again. I have never hated him more than I do now.

“Uh, I have a small house just outside the city for when I need a break from everything. No one knows about it, so you guys should be safe there.” Alan says.

“Well that’s what Artemis said about the last place and then I compromised it. Maybe take us to another place that’s special to someone is a mistake.” Blue says with a sigh.

She drops her head back on the seat and looks off in the distance and I see the corner of her lip tilt down. Is she really blaming herself for being attacked?

“Blue. It was not your fault and I don’t want to hear you say anything like that again.” I snap at her.

She jerks up and looks at me with wide eyed shock but I also see a hint of fear there as well. I see her chest rising and falling and she’s leaning away from me like she’s scared to be too close to me. Did I just trigger something? Shit. I slowly reach over and carefully take her hand, so I don’t spook her.

“I’m sorry. Okay? I don’t want you blaming yourself for things that are not your fault. You did nothing wrong.” I say calmly.

She nods her head, but she doesn’t relax. Her body is stiff and she’s still breathing hard. It makes me even more mad knowing that I’ve scared her, but there is still a long road for me not to get so agitated.

“Wow, I’ve never heard you speak so nicely before man. Have you been body snatched? That would explain a lot actually.” He yelps when I send my elbow into his side again. “Nope same old asshole. I guess you save all the nice for Blue.”

“Of course I do, she’s my wife. You’re a thorn in my flesh I can’t seem to get out.” I say back.

He of course laughs. “Oh, come on, I know you love me. Hate is your love language.”

“I don’t know what they hell that means, but there is no love between us. There isn’t even any like between us.” I insist.

“Artemis.” Blue says sounding exhausted. “Be nice.”

Her body has relaxed again, and she leans back into the seat. The only sign that she’s still feeling something is the tight hold she has on my hand. Sometimes I wonder why something as small as holding hands had always been uncomfortable and too intimate for me, but I never felt that way with anything when it comes to Blue. She’s the thing that broke the pattern. I wish I had met her sooner. Maybe I wouldn’t have wasted my time on all those other women. Maybe I could have saved her from her past…

“We are going to take a few extra turns to get rid of our tail Mr. Rhodes.” Bryant says.

“Very good.” I tell him.

Blue squeezes my hand and nods in Bryant’s direction.

“Thank you for all your assistance.” I tell Bryant.

“Of course, sir.”

The car goes silent and my eyes drift down to where Blue’s hand is in mine on my lap. I turn them over so that her’s are on top of mine and I unlink our fingers. Her hand goes flat the same time mine does and I see how small her are compared to mine. I also notice she has her nails painted some crazy color of orange. When did she do that? She bends her fingers at the knuckle and taps her fingers on my palm before dancing them down so that our finger tips are aligned. I’m not sure what she’s doing but I also can’t stop watching it. It’s such an odd and simple action but it’s very much her. She has a way of calming everything down to a barely there hum.

“Uh you guys are disgustingly cute.” Alan says shattering any peace I had just obtained.

“Do you ever stop talking?” I ask him.

“He said we’re cute! What’s wrong with that?” Blue asks in that sassy tone of hers.

“We aren’t cute. That’s something you use to describe puppies or children.” I tell her.

She laughs. “And it’s a way for people to tell us that we make a good couple. Are we not? Because if you don’t think so-“

I lean close to her and kiss her to make her stop talking. When I pull away her eyes are shut and her lips are slightly parted. The images that go through my head in that second are too dirty to be having in a car full of people.

“God don’t make out while I’m sitting next to you. There are just some things I don’t want to see, and Artemis getting it on is one of them.” Alan says but before I could say something back Blue grabs my face and shakes her head.

“Don’t.” She says before her lips are on mine and I get lost in the feeling of her.

It only takes a few seconds for me to start to get hard and I try to pull her close to me, but can’t do much given that we are sitting side by side in a car with three other people. That reminder hits me like an ic bath and I have to break away from my girl before things go too far.

“We have to stop.” I whisper against her lips.

Her eyes fix on mine and she smirks. “Why’s that Mr. Rhodes?” She asks and the way she says my name is becoming an addiction.

I lean in so that I can whisper in her ear. “Because I am not going to fuck my wife in front of all these witnesses. They don’t get to see you like that…only me.”

She let’s out a shuttered breath and now I’m the one smirking.

“I think we’re clear sir.” Bryant says.

I pull away from my temptress of a wife and adjust myself so that I am back to the presentable version of myself. No way am I going to give Alan the satisfaction of seeing Blue’s effect on me. He’ll never et me live it down, and he won’t be subtle about letting word get around. I’m not sure I care what Blue says, he might have to go.

We drive toward the more wooded areas of the city and end up on some small dirt road that looks like it would lead to a hiking trail not a home. Yet there it is. A modern looking two story ridiculous house sitting in the middle of a forest.

“This is your little place to get away? It’s a freaking mansion!” Blue says.

It’s funny how she will curse one second and then say something like ‘freaking’. Just another odd Blue quirk, I guess.

“It’s surrounded by trees and it’s hardly a mansion.” Alan says with a scoff before throwing his door open.

Blue does the same in a less gracefully way and is jogging off toward the house before I’m out of the car. I watch Alan catch up to her and unlock the door. She runs in and turns in a circle with her mouth open and eyes wide.

“Holy shit! This is freaking awesome Alan!”

See the weird cussing thing?

“Well thank you ma’am. Let me give you a tour.” He holds his arm out and she slips hers in his.

They walk off as soon as I make it inside.

“We’ll patrol the area sir.” Bryant says from behind me.

“Good idea.” I tell him before closing the front door and taking a look at this place for the first time.

It’s impressive for Alan. It’s also obvious that an interior decorator did all of this. The man can barely match a tie with his shirts.

I hear voices coming from the next room over so I follow the sounds and find Blue and Alan in the kitchen. They’re talking and laughing and I decide I’ve had enough of him being so close to my wife, so I walk over to them and crouch down in front of Blue. She looks down at me and starts to say something but I wrap my arms around her legs and lift her over my shoulder.

“Artemis! What are you doing?” She yells as I walk out of the room.

“Third door on the right!” Alan calls out to us.

“What does that mean?” Blue asks.

“It’s where our room is. There has been enough of you and Alan being around each other. Now it’s my time.” I say knowing I sound demanding.

I don’t give a fuck.