by James, Lylah
His eyes were bloodshot, agony written all over his weary face. His hand gripped mine tighter and his chest rattled with a sharp inhale – as if he could finally breathe.
He blinked once then twice, before swallowing hard. “You scared me, Princess,” he said, his raspy voice cracking. “You scared the life out of me. Don’t do that… ever again. Please.”
“You protect me,” I croaked. “I protect you. That’s how a relationship works, right?”
Killian’s jaw locked and he shook his head sharply. “No, Julianna. You can’t. I fucking died a thousand deaths watching you lay so helplessly in this bed for the last five days, not knowing if you were going to make it or not.”
“I’m alive,” I breathed, trying to pacify my husband.
“Barely,” he gritted out. “While the bullet missed your heart, it punctured a lung. You barely survived that wound, Princess.” Killian squeezed his eyes shut, before scrubbing a hand over his face. “I almost lost you. Again.”
I laced my fingers through his, firmly squeezing his hand. “I’m sorry I made you go through that. But I’m not sorry for taking that bullet. My chest hurts, but I’m fine.”
Even as I said the words, my other hand cupped my still-flat stomach. For a moment, panic and horror washed through me. Tears welled up in my eyes. My baby.
Oh God.
Killian’s hand slid over mine. My chin trembled as I choked back a cry. But it was the look of tenderness on my husband’s face that kept me from panicking even more.
“You were showing early signs of a miscarriage after your surgery, but our baby is fine now. Nestled safely inside your womb,” Killian confirmed.
He said our baby.
I could see the look of pure relief on his face as he spoke those words, as if he hadn’t only been worrying about me – but he also feared losing our baby.
“You knew?”
He nodded. “I found the pregnancy test on the bathroom counter.”
“I never even got a chance to look at it before Simon…” I snapped my jaw shut and swallowed down a cry. “What happened to Simon?”
“He’s dead,” Killian deadpanned.
I nodded, figuring as much, without him having to tell me. But I wanted to hear the words. My heart pained for Simon; he was just another casualty in Bishop Romano’s scheme.
“Killian, there’s something I need to tell you about my father.”
His eyes darkened and he worked his jaw back and forth, grounding his teeth together. But he, otherwise, stayed quiet as I began to tell him what Bishop revealed to me.
I didn’t spare any details. I told my husband everything, including Bishop’s illegal business. “Now that I know his truth, he won’t let me live. I will always be in danger unless–”
A dangerous sound rumbled through Killian’s chest. “He will never harm you again.”
“But–”
“The world knows his truth now,” Killian said.
I blinked, confused. “What do you mean?”
His hand squeezed mine. “Though you didn’t get a chance to tell me the truth before, you did say that your father wanted you dead. I was able to investigate further, to dig deeper into Bishop’s life. I found the truth two days ago.”
“You were able to find evidence about his illegal businesses?” I gasped. “How?”
His lips twitched. “You seem to forget that my father used to be the President of the United States. The Spencer family has a lot of connections, Princess,” Killian said. “My father was able to pull a few strings and we enlisted all the help at our disposal to get Bishop’s truth out in front of the world.”
“What does that mean for Bishop? Has he been arrested?” I asked, scared to be hopeful.
“An arrest warrant has been issued for Bishop Romano,” Killian confirmed, his voice growing rough. “But he went into hiding. He’s one of the most wanted fugitives in America right now. The FBI is on him and it doesn’t matter where he hides, the whole country is looking for him.”
I nodded slowly, trying to process all of what he just told me.
Though my wound burned fiercely, my chest ached for a whole other reason. I thought of the cruel death that my mother and sister suffered… only because Bishop’s ego had been bruised. My mother might have cheated, but the penalty of that should have never been death.
I licked my dry lips, focusing on Killian again. “If Bishop isn’t my father…then who is?” I questioned hoarsely. “He said that my mother had an affair with her bodyguard, but where will I find him? I don’t know if he is even alive. Knowing Bishop now for who he truly is, he would have already hunted my real father down.”
Killian leaned forward, brushing his lips over my furrowed brow. He kissed my forehead with such tenderness that it brought tears to my eyes. “He was closer than you would think. Always has been,” he muttered. “Your father is here, waiting for you to wake up.”
“What?” I breathed shakily. “You found my father?”
“Well, not exactly. He found you, Princess.”
“You’re not making any sense,” I whispered, my heart pounding and blood rushing between my ears.
Instead of responding, Killian quickly sent out a text.
A moment later, the door to my hospital room opened. A man walked in, dressed in a suit. Tall, strong hands and a familiar face, eyes that I recognized and a smile I knew so well.
“Gideon?” I gulped and practically choked out his name.
“Hello, Julianna,” he said, taking a step closer. His voice was calm and smooth, but thick with emotion.
My eyes darted to Killian, looking at him for confirmation, and he gave me a single nod. My stomach twisted, fluttering with disbelief. “How?” I questioned softly.
Gideon took a seat next to my hospital bed, his fists clenched atop his knees. Almost like he was trying to stop himself from reaching out to me.
His kind eyes roved my face. “I had been in hiding ever since Bishop…” he swallowed, wincing. “Ever since he killed Eliza.”
My breath hitched, a lonely tear sliding down my cheek.
“Bishop never loved your mother. It was obsession and that only lasted for the first year of their marriage,” Gideon lamented. “Eliza was merely a trophy wife. She felt suffocated and I saw how much she hated Bishop. We grew closer and it just happened. You don’t choose who you love…”
He broke off, his expression growing bleak.
I figured as much – that while my mother might have had an affair, there had to be some kind of reason behind it. I knew it wasn’t a love marriage and though, I wasn’t condoning cheating… I didn’t blame my mother for wanting to have love, to find peace in another man’s embrace.
Especially now that I knew the type of man Bishop Romano was, I could only imagine how he was as a husband.
Shaking his head, Gideon ran a hand over his face, his body shaking. With anger and deep sorrow. “When I found out that you were supposed to marry Killian, I got a job as the stableman on Isle Rosa-Maria, with the hope of finally seeing you again. I just wanted to see my daughter, in person, instead of photos I saw online and from the media.”
“You never said anything to me,” I whispered.
A wave of pain crossed his face before he gave me a bittersweet smile. “I couldn’t. It would have been too dangerous and I had to thread carefully. In order to keep you safe. Anyway, I don’t think you would have believed me then, without proof, and sadly, I didn’t have any.”
I reached out for him and Gideon quickly grasped my hand in his, squeezing as if his life depended on it. His chest rattled with a relieved sigh.
I swallowed past the ball of heavy emotion in my throat and blinked the tears away. “Can you tell me a little bit more about my mother?”
Gideon smiled, real and kind. The type of fatherly smile I had craved for the longest time.
“Of course,” my father said.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Julianna
One month later
&
nbsp; His lips whispered over the back of my neck, his hands stroking down my arms before he cupped my small bump. At eleven weeks pregnant, my stomach was slightly protruding now, visible proof that there was, indeed, an innocent life growing inside of me.
My eyes caught his black wedding band and my chest filled with warmth at the sight of it. A week ago, Killian and I married again. It was a very small ceremony with only Emily, Stephen, William, Mirai, Selene and my father present.
This time, instead of vows of hate … Killian spoke about his love for me. He vowed to love me, to protect me and to cherish me for the rest of our days.
He didn’t leave me at the altar, of course. He lifted my veil and placed the most tender kiss on my lips. If I had to choose the best days of my life…
I had two of them.
The day I met Killian.
And the day I married him. Well, the second time I married him.
If Gracelynn was looking down at me right now, I wondered if she would be proud of me. That in the end, I chose love and happiness. I chose to live.
I knew it was what she would have wanted for me.
“I’m healed enough that I can bathe on my own now,” I said, fighting back a smile.
Killian hummed in response. “Is there a problem with me regularly bathing you, wife?”
“Not at all. I was just saying…”
His teeth grazed the sensitive spot behind my ear. “I like taking care of you.”
Taking care of me was an understatement. After I got discharged from the hospital, we came back to the island. The security had been tripled and was strict. No one was allowed on Isle Rosa-Maria without Killian’s written permission.
My husband had barely left my side for the last four weeks. If I winced, he was calling for Rani, our general physician, who was at our disposal on the island. If I made as much of a pained sound, he was on me, asking dozens of questions.
Where are you hurt? Is it the baby? Does your wound hurt? Should I call for Rani? Do you need the bathroom? Is it another headache? Are you feeling nauseous?
I haven’t had a seizure since we came back to the island, thankfully. The last one I had was while I was still unconscious, in the hospital. Killian had told me it was my worst one yet. I scratched my face, bit my tongue so hard it bled and somehow managed to re-open my stitches.
Killian helped me out of the tub and before I could reach for my towel, he was already grabbing it himself and patting down my wet skin.
I sighed. “Stop treating me like I’m so fragile, Killian.”
He wrapped the towel around me before his arms curled around my hips. “You’re not fragile, but you’re my wife – the woman I love and I almost lost you a month ago. Please, humor me. Let me do this,” he rasped.
His dark gaze pleaded with me. I knew how badly he was affected by this whole ordeal, probably more than me. While I found it easy to move on after we came back to the island, it was Killian who was plagued with nightmares – of me bleeding and him not being able to reach me on time.
He would thrash and scream out my name. Every time Killian woke up from one of those nightmares, he would cling to me, burying his face into my throat as he gasped for air.
He was so fiercely protective of me and the baby, it was almost like he was obsessed about our safety.
I went on my tippy toes and my hands landed on his chest. My lips feathered over his. “Kiss me, husband.”
I didn’t have to ask him twice. His lips moved underneath mine before he took over the kiss, his tongue plunging into my mouth. Our tongues met in an erotic dance and I moaned into his mouth.
I felt his groan vibrating through his chest under my palm. It was so sexy and I melted in his arms. My core tightened and I felt needy for my husband.
“I don’t want to wait anymore,” I whimpered, my nails digging into his chest.
He hissed, before biting down on my lower lip. It stung but that only made me more damp between my legs. “You’re not fully heal yet,” he growled.
“Goddamn it, Killian! I am fine. I just need you. Please.”
As if my begging had snapped something in him, Killian bent low and then swung me up in his arms. He stalked over to the bed and placed me gently onto the mattress. I quickly discarded my towel, as to not give my husband a chance to change his mind.
Killian’s eyes flared with unadulterated lust before he lowered himself between my thighs. “Hurry,” I pleaded.
“So impatient, Princess,” he said, his voice gravelly. With exquisite gentleness, he slowly thrust inside me.
My inner walls stretched around every delicious thick inch of him. My back arched off the bed, a moan spilling past my lips. Killian pulled out before shoving inside again, with the same maddening slow pace.
He pushed my legs up, bending my knees so that I was fully open to him. I throbbed between my legs, pulsing with need. His pelvis brushed against my clit and I bit my lip, holding back a choked cry.
My hands slid to his back, my nails digging into his skin. This seemed to spur him on, because his pace picked up. Hard and fast. Thrust. His lips brushed over my scarred cheek. Thrust. “I love you,” he rasped. Thrust. “You complete me,” he said.
My hips rose up to meet each of his thrusts with my own. “Killian,” I whimpered.
My body tightened, and I was deliciously close. Killian’s muscles corded and his face hardened. “Fuck,” he swore. “I need you with me. Tell me you’re close.”
I moaned in response. Killian shoved inside me one last time, holding himself there, buried to the hilt. He shuddered and I felt his release pouring inside me.
My lips parted with a cry as my climax slammed through my body. “Killian!”
Spent, he laid his forehead against mine. Our chests heaved as we tried to catch our breaths. When Killian tried to roll off my body, I tightened my thighs around him and my arms locked behind his neck. “Stay,” I breathed.
I liked how he felt on top of me, inside me. I missed him, this intimacy, in the past month. Sex had always been explosive for us, but today felt different. The tenderness in his eyes, and his gentle touches. The way he took me slow and deep, almost like he wanted to savor this moment.
He brushed his lips over my scars, almost adoringly. My breath hitched as he kissed the jagged ugly scars and mangled flesh.
“I love you too,” I whispered. “More than I can describe in words.”
Killian gifted me his signature smirk and my body tingled, needing him again.
My core tightened around him, still pulsing, and his cock jerked inside me.
“Again?” he asked.
“Again,” I breathed.
Hours later, I laid in his arms, sated and feeling more at peace than ever. “What do you want for dinner?” Killian asked, running his fingers through my hair.
“I’m craving guavas,” I mumbled, scrolling through my phone.
“You can’t have guavas for dinner, Julianna. Dessert and as a treat, yes. Not dinner.”
I rolled my eyes. “Says who.”
“Says me.”
“Bossy much.”
His hand tightened around my hips. “You like me bossy.”
Oh yeah, I definitely did.
I didn’t usually check the news, but since Bishop was still missing, I made it a habit of checking the news and my social media a few times a day. To see if there were any updates about Bishop Romano.
My eyes widened and I sat forward when I saw the headline for the top news.
WAS IT SUICIDE? BISHOP ROMANO FOUND DEAD!
“Killian,” I gasped. I felt him move behind me, looking over my shoulder as I opened the article. My eyes quickly darted over the words.
Bishop Romano was found dead – hanging from a ceiling fan – in an apartment, which the FBI assumed was his hideout. After autopsy, they found that he had been injected with something lethal. While it was possible that he was murdered, after further investigation, his death has been filed under suicide.
I shook with relief, my breathing coming out in short gasps and my chest tightened.
The last sentence of the article glared back at me and I read over it again. Is it possible that Bishop Romano felt cornered and he knew that he was running out of time? So instead of surrendering, he decided to end his own life?
No, I refused to believe that.
Bishop Romano was cruel and vindictive. Yes, it was true that he would never surrender, but I also knew he would never take his own life, choosing the easy way out of this situation.
I dropped my phone on my lap and turned to face Killian. I watched his cool and composed expression, carefully assessing my husband. He didn’t even acknowledge the fact that our enemy was found dead. His face was impassive, not at all surprised after reading the article. Almost like he already knew…
I straddled him, my arms curling around his neck. Our foreheads touched and I breathed in his musky and spicy scent. Unique. Manly and mine.
“Are you behind this?” I didn’t beat around the bush. After all, I already had my answer. I just wanted him to confirm it.
“No,” he deadpanned, without any emotions.
Killian was a good liar, but I found the truth in his eyes.
He lied, while his hands were tainted with blood.
He killed to protect me and our baby.
EPILOGUE
Killian
Six months later
I walked out of the bathroom with a wet cloth in my hand. Julianna was sprawled in bed, where I had left her, naked and smiling. Her hand was rubbing her pregnant belly and I found myself smiling at the sight.
Julianna was ten days past her due date and we had been impatiently waiting for the arrival of our first child. But it appeared that our son was in no hurry to leave his mother’s womb just yet.
“He’s already like you. Stubborn and doing things his way,” Julianna had said to me the night before. Well, if my son was anything like me, Julianna was in for a ride.
Though I didn’t doubt for a second that she would be the perfect mother to our children. Patient. Kind. Gentle. Understanding.