by Celia Aaron
Stella’s eyes finally closed, and I was back in my mother’s room as she screamed and railed until I drugged her to sleep. “Not her, please not Stella.”
“I’ll need to set her nose, clean her wounds, and bandage her up. Some of these cuts could use stitches, but stitches aren’t my specialty.” She dug several implements from her bag, including alcohol, gauze, tape, and what looked like a tongue depressor. “I tend to leave ugly scars. So if in doubt, I’ll leave them out.”
“Will she be okay?” Gavin stood at my elbow. I’d forgotten he was there.
“Mister.” She shook her head, her black braids swaying. “I’ve seen some fucked up shit today that I hope I never see again for as long as I live. No amount of money is worth this. Don’t ask me stupid questions like that.”
She got to work as I stood glued to the spot.
“Why is she hurt?” Gavin shoved me back. “Why? I beat Bob unconscious. Brianne had to be pulled off Red. But you stand here without a scratch.”
“Get off me.” I couldn’t see Stella.
“No. Tell me why!” He shoved harder until my back hit the fireplace.
I swung hard and fast, my fist crunching into his cheek. He fell away, and I rushed forward to Stella again as the medic dabbed her wounds with alcohol.
“Stella, please.” I rested my hand on her shin.
“Motherfucker.” Gavin got to his feet and brought his fists up.
The medic turned a harsh eye on both of us. “If you two are going to fight, get the fuck out. The last thing this poor girl needs is more violence.”
I didn’t give Gavin so much as a glance. “Don’t try to keep me from her. I’ll kill you.” It wasn’t a threat, only a simple fact. If he tried to come between Stella and me again, I’d pound his face into a bloody pulp.
“Mr. Vinemont?” Someone spoke from the hall.
“What?” I couldn’t take my eyes off Stella as the medic wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her arm.
“Mr. Oakman is asking for you.”
I ground my teeth so hard I thought they might crack.
“I’ll stay here with her.” Gavin walked around the bed and sat next to her, taking one of her bloodied hands in his.
I wanted to kill him, to show Stella I could protect her. But that’s what he was doing. Protecting her. I’d failed. I’d watched it all. I’d done nothing.
“Go.” He didn’t look at me when he spoke. He blamed me. He was right to. I was at fault for all of it.
I stared, wanting to will some sort of comfort into her as the medic listened for her heartbeat. I rubbed my eyes.
“Mr. Vinemont?”
“I fucking heard you.” I whirled and walked to the door, but turned back before going through. “Don’t let anyone touch her or hurt her while I’m away.”
Gavin caught my gaze, hatred written in the narrowing of his eyes. “She’ll be safe as long as you’re gone.”
I turned and left. The worst part was that he was right.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
STELLA
THE HOT BREEZE ROCKED the swing as I watched Lucius and Teddy toss a football back and forth in the yard. I stretched my arms above my head, ignoring the burn of pain that still sizzled from my healing wounds. Sin came out the front door, two glasses in his hands. He passed one to me, and I sipped as he settled next to me.
He pulled me gently into his side. “It’s not too hot out here, is it?”
“No. I’m glad to be out of the house.” I rested my head against his shoulder.
“Go long!” Lucius pointed to the tree line.
“I am long,” Teddy called back.
“Longer than that, asshole. I can throw farther than a peewee league quarterback.”
I laughed. Sin laced his fingers through mine as Lucius threw to a distant Teddy. He caught it, but had to dash up a few yards first.
“Fingers slipped.” Lucius threw his hands up and turned around to look at us. “Fingers slipped. That’s what that was.”
“Sure.” Sin nodded.
“You want to try it?”
“No.” He hadn’t left my side since we returned from the trial. I didn’t remember much. From what I could tell, my faulty memory was a blessing. My nose was still swollen, and Sin had taken me to a plastic surgeon in New Orleans to repair the cuts. The scars would be barely noticeable, but I would always know they were there.
Sin watched over me day and night during the weeks since the trial, letting his prosecutor position go untended. Sometimes, it was as if he were afraid I’d disappear if he weren’t looking right at me.
“Go on and throw the ball around. Show Lucius up.” I pulled my hand away. He took it back.
“No.”
“Don’t want to embarrass him?”
He kissed my forehead. “Exactly.”
The days were already growing shorter, the trees casting long shadows over the lawn. Sin rocked us slowly as the sun made its retreat down the sky. After a while, Lucius and Teddy, winded and sweaty, bounded onto the porch and collapsed into the rocking chairs. We chatted as the fireflies began to glow, an intermittent symphony of tiny lights.
“I think I’m going to go see what’s cooking for supper.” Teddy stood and made a show of rubbing his stomach.
“Try not to fuck her against the stove. It’s dangerous.” Lucius grinned.
Teddy’s cheeks reddened, and he hurried into the house.
“That wasn’t very nice.” I shook my head at Lucius.
“He’ll live.”
“Yes, he will.” Sin kissed my hair.
Lucius glanced to the door and then back at us. “He’s gone now. Let’s talk. I have all the goods collected and ready to be rolled into the estate as soon as the gates open.”
“Stella, is your guy on the inside ready?”
“Quinlan, yes. I spoke to him earlier. He took the money and hired his own trustworthy people for the job. They know the score and will get out of dodge when it all goes down. Some of the attendants won’t know, but he’s promised to keep them out of harm’s way when all hell breaks loose.”
“How do you know we can trust him?” Lucius asked.
“We don’t. But he’s an ex-Marine, and his uncle runs a security firm. They’re working together on this, and we’re paying them both a small fortune. They won’t get the money until the job’s done.”
Lucius seemed appeased and moved on. “The supplies?”
“Already loaded up in the caterer’s vans, ready to go.”
I’d been over the plan so many times in the past three weeks that it was in my mind like a well-worn path through grass. There was no missing it.
“I still think you should stay here.” Sin sighed.
“No.” I was going. I didn’t care how many times Sin tried to talk me out of it. Besides, it would look fishy if he showed up without Cal’s prize.
“Lucius, tell her she should stay.”
“You’ll get no help from me. She’s right. She deserves to be there.”
“She deserves more than that. Much more.” Sin pulled me into his lap.
Lucius scowled. “If you’re doing this, I’m out.”
“We’ll talk business later.” Sin waved him away.
Lucius grumbled and slammed the front door on his way in.
“Are you tired?”
“No.” I leaned against him and watched the fireflies spark. “I feel good.”
“What hurts?” He ran a hand up and down my thigh, goose bumps rising under the thin material of my pajama pants.
“Nothing.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Stop worrying.”
He kept rocking us at a leisurely pace. “I’ll never stop worrying about you.”
“I know, but I’m fine now. I’m healing. I want to get back to painting and walking and riding with you and Teddy. And mainly, I want you to stop feeling guilty.” I kissed his neck.
“I don’t think I’m capable of that.”
&nbs
p; “You didn’t think you were capable of love, either.”
He canted his head to the side, the stubble along his cheeks looking even darker in the low light. “Touché.”
“You don’t have to be careful with me, you know? I won’t break.”
“I can’t hurt you.” He peered down at me, worry wrinkling the skin near his eyes.
I nibbled at his neck. “Take me upstairs.”
“No, you’re still healing. I can’t.”
I twined my arms around his neck and pulled myself up to his mouth. I licked along his bottom lip and bit down on it.
“Stella.” His voice lowered to a growl. “Don’t.”
“Make me stop.” I kissed him and ran my fingers through his hair, pulling close to the scalp where I knew it would hurt.
He slid his hand up my thigh and gripped my ass, then lifted me so I straddled him. He kissed me hungrily, like he’d been starved for me. I caressed his tongue with mine and moved my hips back and forth over his growing erection.
He dug his fingers into my waist and moved me faster on top of him.
“No.” He pulled away. “We can’t. You’re hurt.”
“I’m not.” I kissed down his neck.
He gripped the collar of my shirt and pulled it aside, the ugly red scar from Cal’s cut curving around my collar bone. “You are.”
“It’s almost healed. Give this to me. Please?” I dropped my eyes. “Unless you don’t find me attractive any longer, now that—”
“Don’t be an idiot.” He crushed my mouth with his, one of his hands tangling in my hair. Lifting me with ease, he walked to the door, his lips still pressed to mine, his tongue ruling my mouth.
I wrapped my legs around him as he pushed through the door and into the house. Making quick work of the stairs, he carried me to my bedroom and lay me down.
He pulled his shirt over his head. I stared at the broad expanse of his chest, the masculine V of his torso. I took the hem of my shirt and started to pull it, but he stayed my hands with his.
“I want to do it.” He pushed my shirt up slowly, dropping soft kisses along my skin with each inch he exposed.
By the time he reached my breasts, I was clutching his hair and arching my back. He kissed around the bottoms of each, keeping his slow pace. He paid extra attention to my scars, his breath tickling me as his mouth sealed his love to my skin.
He kissed my nipples, still taking his time as my shirt moved higher and higher until he pulled it over my head and tossed it to the floor. His eyes were reverent as he kissed my lips with the same soft pressure he’d used on the rest of me. My thighs were on fire, and I wanted him, all of him.
He ended the kiss too soon and dropped to his knees, pulling my pants and panties off. Starting at my toes, he kissed up each leg. The gentle caresses multiplied and reverberated through my body until all I could think of was him.
Spreading my legs, he lay his palms flat against my inner thighs. His warm breath grazed my pussy, and he kissed my bare skin, up and down until no spot was left untouched. I jolted when he slipped his tongue inside me.
He hesitated. “Is it all right?”
“Better than all right. Please don’t stop.”
He gave me the devious smile—the one I once loathed and now loved—before diving back down. His stubble scraped against my thighs as he licked me from entrance to clit. I moaned at the overwhelming rush of sensation. He did it again and put his hands under my ass, lifting me to his face as he devoured me.
I clutched the blanket as he licked and sucked, his tongue darting inside me and then swirling around my clit. He groaned into me as I spread my legs wider, my body opening for him. He wrapped his lips around my tight nub and sucked.
I raised up on my elbows and met his eyes as he shook his head back and forth, his lips rubbing against me and his scruff prickling my most sensitive skin.
“Sin.” I gasped and let my head fall back as he attacked my clit with his tongue again.
When he sank a finger inside me, I dropped back down on the bed. When he added another, I worked them like they were his cock. My hips moved to his rhythm, a slave to his fingers, his wicked mouth. I tensed as he gave me no quarter, every move designed to send me rushing over the edge and into the deep abyss of pleasure below.
My hips jerked, and I came, the release exploding through me as I rubbed myself against his mouth. His name rolled through me on a moan as my pussy convulsed again and again, the orgasm thumping through me as he continued fucking me with his fingers.
When I relaxed back onto the bed, he crawled on top of me and ran his fingers around my lips. I sucked them, licking myself off him before he kissed me and shared the taste. He rested his weight on his elbows, careful not to crush me. I didn’t want careful or tentative. I wanted Sin.
“Fuck me.” I yanked on his hair for good measure as he kissed to my neck.
“Stella, I’m warning you.”
I pulled harder until he met my eyes. “Don’t warn me. Fuck me.”
He tangled a hand in my hair and pulled until I had to arch my back. “Is this what you want?”
“Yes.”
He ran his lips down my throat and bit. “This?”
“Yes.”
He thrust his hips against me. “This?”
“Yes, please.”
He stood and removed his belt, tossing it on the bed next to me. Then he freed his cock and crawled back on top of me. When his tip hit my clit, I moaned and tried to kiss him. He pulled away and grabbed his belt.
“Hands together, over your head.”
I arched an eyebrow. “No.”
“Stella.” His voice was gravel as he rested his weight on me and wrenched my hands above my head. He looped the belt around my wrist and pulled tight, then kept the slack in his hand. He kissed me hard, the way I remembered—the way I wanted.
I spread my legs as wide as possible, and he slid his tip down to my entrance.
He blinked and hesitated. “Am I hurting you?”
“Not enough,” I breathed.
“Fuck, you were made for me.” He thrust inside me halfway, pulled out, and then slid all the way in as I moaned.
He reached under me and lifted, moving me to one of the bed posters, his cock still inside me. He wrapped the free end of the belt around the wood and tied it in a loose knot. Then he yanked my hips down, the knot tightening and holding me in place as his cock surged even deeper inside me.
“I didn’t want to hurt you.” He settled on top of me and pumped slow and deep.
“I trust you.”
He kissed me, just a taste. “I never want to lose that trust.”
“You won’t.”
“I don’t want you to go to the coronation. If I lost you, I don’t know what I’d do.”
“You aren’t going to lose me.” I captured his lips, kissing away his fear as he thrusted harder.
His tongue warred with mine, and he picked up his pace, making my pussy grow tighter with each impact. I raised my hips so every surge of friction caught my clit. He slid an arm under me and wrapped his fingers around my shoulder, taking complete control as he fucked me hard, finally taking what was his.
I moaned as he kissed to my neck and palmed my breast. He squeezed and then pinched my nipple as I pulled at my restraints. It was useless. I wanted to be caught.
“You’re everything to me.” He buried his face in my neck and nipped at my earlobe. “I can’t be without you ever again. Promise me.”
My heart—the one that had been betrayed, broken, and abused—suddenly beat with renewed purpose. I lived for him, for a life together outside the world of the Acquisition.
“I promise.”
“Thank you.” He dropped kisses along my jaw. His eyes glittered in the dim light as he took my mouth and ran his hand to where we were joined.
His thumb found my clit, and I lit up, every cell in my body focused on his movements. He swallowed my moan and stroked me insistently, demanding I come with ea
ch swipe of this thumb. My body tensed, the wave cresting. He must have felt it—he sped faster, his cock filling me again and again until my body gave in, my legs shaking and my hips locking as I came.
He groaned into my mouth and pressed deep inside, his cock kicking as I milked him, my orgasm rolling like waves crashing on the shore.
“Sin.” I panted. My thoughts flew away, and he was the only one left.
He thrust once more and rested his head on the bed next to mine.
“I love you.” His words were barely a whisper, but they spoke to me in a way nothing else ever could.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
STELLA
FARNS SHUFFLED INTO THE breakfast room, his pace growing slower each day. Even as his age turned to infirmity, he refused to retire and simply live at the house. Though I wasn’t sure if the earth might spin off its axis if Farns wasn’t up at daybreak, dressed in crisp attire, and setting the house to rights from front to back.
“A messenger brought this.” He handed a piece of parchment to Sin. The oak seal was unmistakable. Cal.
He broke the wax and unfolded the missive, his brows drawing down with each line he read.
“What?” Lucius glanced to the hall. “Say it before Teddy gets in here.”
“All the last-borns have to attend the coronation. Even Teddy.” Sin tossed the paper down on the table and leaned back in his chair, the heels of his palms against his eyes.
“Oh, god, we can’t keep it from him.” My appetite vanished, and I flinched when I heard Teddy’s steps on the stairs.
“No, we can’t. And I thought Cal would let him stay away. Fuck. We’ll have to make adjustments.”
Lucius pushed his chair back and rose. “I’ll get in touch with Quinlan, let him know we’ll have one more on the list.”
“Do it.” Sin nodded and gripped the arms of his chair.
Lucius disappeared toward the study as Teddy walked in. He wore a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and jeans riddled with holes. He yawned and stretched his arms over his head as he approached.
He was the heart of the family, a pure soul. Would the knowledge of the trials hurt him? I knew it would. I only hoped it wouldn’t destroy him.