I open the door to my safehouse and make sure it’s clear before letting Brenden come up. “It’s not much,” I tell him, gesturing at the sparsely furnished one-bedroom apartment, “but it’s close, and it’s safe.”
“It’s more than enough.” He hobbles inside, looking like absolute shit, but still alive. The doctor said he’d be fine given enough time to heal.
But he’s hunched in on himself, and I can tell the stress of what’s happening is weighing as much as the injuries.
I give him a quick tour. He ends up sitting down heavily on the couch, legs stretched out with a sigh.
I place a loaded gun on the coffee table. “You know why you’re staying here, right?”
He stares at me, his face hard. “I’m not safe right now.”
“Los Sombras is no fucking joke.” I leave the gun and step back. “I have enough problems without them trying to kick down my door.”
“I get it, don’t worry. I saw that fucking head. I’ll be fine here. You don’t even need to do this much for me.”
“We both know this is for Riley.”
He nods slowly. “I figured.”
“I’ll be back in a few hours with groceries. If you have anything specific you need, tell me then. Don’t call or text. Better yet, give me your phone.”
“Seriously?”
“Los Sombras is probably monitoring you.” I hold out my hand. “I’ll get you a burner.”
Reluctantly, he tosses it over. I power it off and shove it into my pocket for disposal with a hammer when I get back home.
“Let me ask you something,” Brenden says, adjusting himself with a grunt. He keeps one hand pressed to his ribs. “You’ve been married to my sister for a little while now. Why are you willing to kill cartel men for her?”
“You know what they say about gift horses.”
“I’m being serious right now. I get it, you’re hiding me because of Riley, but why are you going so far for her?”
“Because she’s my family now. Which means you are too.”
He grunts and shakes his head. “Bullshit. You were arranged to marry her. You don’t actually owe me a damn thing, and you have no real reason to put yourself on the line for her family. Why do you care?”
I push back against the anger that starts to bloom. This isn’t Brenden being ungrateful. I have to remember that this is a protective, worried older brother thinking about the safety of his little sister.
“I care because she’s my wife.”
He stares at me. “Do you really not understand what I’m trying to ask you here?” He leans closer and grimaces at the movement. “I want to know if you love my sister. I saw the way you looked at her. You immediately stepped in to protect her when we found that severed fucking head on your stairs. Is this just about your marriage? Or is it about more?”
I let the question rattle around in my head before answering, but I already know the truth. I’ve known it for a while now. Maybe ever since the first time I kissed her.
“It’s about more,” I tell her brother. “I’m in love with her.”
Brenden sighs and leans back. He closes his eyes and nods to himself. “Thank fuck.”
“It’s really that much of a relief?”
“Just means you’re going to do everything in your power to make sure she’s safe. That takes a whole lot of stress off my shoulders.”
“I’ll die before someone hurts her.” I turn away and walk to the door. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“I believe you,” he calls after me. “Just make sure she does too.”
I head back down to the car. Fucking hell, what am I doing? Telling some stranger that I’m in love with his sister? A few months ago, I never would’ve imagined I could be capable of feeling love.
And yet here I am, burning down my life for a woman.
Riley’s everything. Her stubbornness, her strength, her pride. Even her impulsiveness. She’s beautiful, but she’s also clever and funny. When she’s around, it’s like all the cold, hard darkness hanging heavy on my soul turns to smoke and drifts away. I’m lighter than I’ve ever been.
When I get back to the house, I have to turn off the security system before I can get back inside. I reactivate it once I’m through the door. Whoever slipped in here and left that head was good, but now I’m going to be twice as paranoid.
“How is he?” Riley asks. She’s sitting on the edge of our bed, looking worn out and stressed. The head is long gone—that’ll be disposed of along with Brenden’s phone. Though I probably won’t use a hammer on it.
“He’s in pain, but he’ll be alright. I need to get him some groceries and things in a little bit.” I sit beside her and put a hand on her leg. “You okay?”
“Just keep thinking about it.” She stares down at her hands. “I met him, you know? I saw him alive not all that long ago.”
“Does it help knowing he was a very bad man?”
“I guess so.”
“He would’ve happily cut off both our heads given the chance.”
“You’re really good at this comforting thing.”
I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her close. “I’ll take care of this, I promise.”
“That’s the thing. They were in here. What if they found the watch?”
“It’s locked in a safe. They didn’t. I doubt they even went beyond the entryway. Otherwise, they would’ve been here waiting for us when we got back.”
“But my point is they could have.”
“Mantis is dangerous, but we’ll be safe here. Fong’s head was a message, but the fact that they didn’t try to kill us too means there’s still time.”
She nods to herself, and I hope she understands. Fong got killed because he messed up, and his bosses must’ve found out about it. We’re still here because those same bosses need us to fix Fong’s mistake. They won’t be nearly as patient as he’s been, though. I can feel the noose tightening, and I need to find a way to slip us both free.
What I told Brenden was true. I’m in love with Riley. It took me a little while to identify the feeling, but saying it out loud to him only crystallized it in my heart. She’s my wife, but she’s more than that. She’s my light. She’s a pair of wings keeping me from dropping into the black pit my life had become before her.
“I hope you’re right.” She leans into me, and I hold her tighter. Her chin tilts up, and I bend down to kiss her softly. She pushes harder into that kiss, and I drag her into my lap, running my hands through her hair, our lips pressed together. She grinds herself slowly, and I can taste the desperation on her tongue.
“You’re safe, baby,” I whisper as she pulls her shirt up over her head. “I promise, you’re safe because you’re mine.” I kiss her neck and down to her breasts. Sometimes, her impulsiveness works out in my favor.
She buries my mouth with hungry kisses. I think she’s looking for a distraction, and I’m happy to provide it. We kiss like that for a while, building the tension until it’s starting to boil over, and only then do I finally turn her and pin her down to the bed. Once she’s writhing, I suck her nipple while I open her jeans and slip my hand down between her legs. Her moans are like heaven as I lick her and tease her wet lips, gliding my fingers up and down before plunging them inside.
“Oh my god,” she whispers as I suck her piercing. “That feels so fucking good.”
“You taste incredible.” I kiss her mouth again, tongue invading her teeth. “I promise, baby, you’re all mine. Every inch of you is mine. And I protect the people who are important to me.”
She pulls me on top of her and wriggles out of her pants. She grabs my pants and yanks them down, desperately kissing me, moaning, pulling at them, begging for me to fuck her. It’s fast and filthy, and I fill her to the brim with one hard thrust, filling her up and holding her there as she shivers in my arms.
“God, yes,” she moans and bites my shoulder. Her fingers dig into my back. “I need this.”
“I need you,” I tell her, stroking in and out. She’s so fucking wet and warm; it’s incredible. “I need every inch of you. I need my wife. I need her moaning, gasping, begging. I need her pregnant.”
Her mouth drops open as I fuck her. We grind into each other. There are no worries, no fear, nothing at all past wanting to climax together. I fill her over and over, and she rolls her hips, encouraging me, wanting more and more as our pace increases, and I glide harder between her legs.
“That’s right, baby, this is all I need.” I fuck her faster, kissing her, my hands on her hips. “I want to feel it, baby. I want to feel you come.”
“Alexan,” she gasps, arching her back, and I bite down on her pierced nipple.
That does it. She moans, eyes rolling back, and I keep fucking her as she comes. It’s heaven, and I can’t take much more before I’m exploding deep between her legs. The orgasm is intense and perfect, and we end up lying together in tangled, sweaty sheets. I hold her tight, our bodies close, our breathing synced, and I marvel at how this feels.
“Can I tell you something?” I run my fingers slowly down her bare spine, trying to memorize every bump and curve.
“Sure.” She’s practically purring in my arms.
“This, right here, is my favorite thing in the world.”
“What? Fucking me?” She smiles a little. “Better be.”
“Fucking you and everything that comes after.” I kiss her gently. “It’s funny. I was dreading this marriage. And now I can’t imagine ever living without you.”
“Even though I’m so much trouble?”
“I’m able to overlook it for now.”
She grins and leans into me. “Good. Me too.”
We stay like that, and I feel better than I ever have in my life, even as the world crumbles down and two different vicious groups are poised to murder us at any moment. Life doesn’t get better than this.
