by Meghan March
Work is the only thing that has kept me sane. The distillery is still running at full capacity. Louis refused to leave, and the employees sided with him. They reminded me that we’re built of tougher stuff in NOLA.
Temperance is a rock-star COO, so we’ve been able to handle much of the business remotely. But I definitely need to make an appearance soon, if for no other reason than to thank all my employees for their commitment to the company.
I turn to make another circuit on familiar carpet and freeze when I hear a knock at the door.
As much as I want to think it could possibly be Lachlan, I already know it’s not. How? Because he wouldn’t freaking knock.
It’s not even quite noon, and I’ve already worn down my capacity for patience for the day, which means any distraction is a good one. I head into the living area to open the door and find V there with lunch.
“Come on in.” As he steps around me to bring the tray inside, I close the door behind him. “Do you know where he is? Can you tell me anything?”
V sets the tray on the same table I’ve been eating at for days, and turns to face me. His expression is as unreadable as ever.
“Can you at least tell me he’s okay? Because if I find out he’s not and you all kept it from me, there will be hell to pay.” I’m gesticulating wildly, like that will somehow entice him to reply.
He grunts.
“What does that mean?” My tone takes on a shrill edge, showing just how close I am to the edge and coming completely unraveled.
V points at the covered tray of food.
“I couldn’t give a shit less about food right now, V. Just tell me—is he okay?”
He nods.
“Then where the hell is he? Is it over? I need to know something.”
To this, he gives no response, sending my frustration soaring to record heights.
V begins to back away toward the door, but I stop him.
“Don’t leave. Not yet. I’m going out of my mind here. Can you just sit and wait with me?”
His eyes narrow on mine, but he comes back toward the table and gestures at the food again.
“You sit. I’ll eat. Okay?”
He nods and sits, removing the lid before pushing the tray in front of me.
My hand shakes as I grip the fork, but I barely taste the food as I shovel it down my throat.
We repeat the same process at dinner several hours later.
Still, no Lachlan Mount.
Where the hell is he?
Mount
Drained, I step into the bathroom connected to my office and strip off my jacket, dropping it on the floor. I glance at my hands, then turn on the tap and wait until the water hits scalding before I scrub them with soap.
No matter how many times I wash my hands, I still see the blood on them. Yet I feel no remorse.
I do what’s necessary.
Fear. Intimidation. Respect.
That’s how I rule my empire. That’s how I protect my people. After the retribution we exacted over the last several days, no one will question my authority again, and only someone with a death wish would dare spill a drop of Keira’s blood.
All the loose ends are finally tied up. A deal has been struck. And now life moves on.
Steam clouds the mirror as I turn off the water and grab a towel. Once my hands are dried, I use it to wipe away the haze on the glass.
I rarely look at my reflection. I don’t need to see the devil staring back at me. But this time, I see something more, and it’s not just the blood spray on what used to be my snowy-white shirt. No, it’s a man with purpose. A man willing to make the streets run red if it means protecting what matters most.
Before her, I had every material possession, but still nothing to lose.
Now, there’s nothing I wouldn’t sacrifice to keep her safe. Purpose. That’s what separates a strength from a weakness.
Keira said motivations make all the difference in the world. Maybe she’s right. I’ll never look into this mirror and see someone noble and honorable, but if that’s the man she sees when she looks at me, I can live with that—as long as I get to keep her.
I strip off my remaining clothes and step into the shower, scrubbing every inch of me until I’m certain that not a drop of blood remains. At least, on the surface.
I’ll always be brutal. Ruthless. Fierce in protecting what’s mine.
She doesn’t need to see that part of me. Ever. But I can give her the part of me no one else has ever had, and hope that it’s enough.
When I slip into the closet through the hidden passageway, I’m silent as always. A glow comes from the bedroom, but everything else is dark.
My footsteps don’t make a sound as I head toward the light.
Toward her.
She’s asleep in the middle of the bed, her red hair up in a messy bun and her hand clenched around her phone, as though waiting for it to ring.
I should have called. Should have told her I was okay. But I’m still new at this.
I hope there’s not a next time, but I’d be lying to myself if I said that. There will always be a next time. Another threat. Another person who needs killing.
But staring at the woman in my bed, I realize that I don’t need to be the one exacting justice myself.
I need to be here. With her. Making sure she doesn’t fall asleep alone, with dark circles under her eyes.
Everything in me wants to wake her, or at the very least, crawl into bed beside her. Instead, I take a chair in the shadows and watch over her while she sleeps.
My privilege and my penance.
Keira
When I jolt awake, it’s from a terrible dream. One where Lachlan never comes home to me because his blood drained down a gutter and his body disappeared, never to be found again. A nightmare.
“No,” I whisper. “No. He has to come home.” I wrap my arms around myself and squeeze.
“I am home.”
I jerk my head in the direction of the deep voice, elated that the man I’ve been waiting days to see is seated on a chair in the corner. “Thank God. I thought you were dead.”
I jump out of bed and rush toward him as he stands. In the dim light, I can see his face is set in harsh lines. Mount. Not Lachlan.
“I’m not dead.”
“What’s wrong? What happened? Are you hurt?” I stumble to a halt in front of him, taking in the pristine suit. What I really want to do is run my hands over every inch of his body to check for myself.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.”
I use that as an excuse to fling myself the remaining few inches between us, and his arms wrap around me and hold me tight to his chest. He doesn’t wince, so I hope that means not only is the gunshot wound healing, but he truly hasn’t sustained any new injuries.
“I was so goddamned worried about you. Next time, I need a call, or a text, or the freaking bat signal. Anything. V grunting and nodding isn’t going to cut it. I need proof you’re safe.”
One big hand cups the back of my head.
“Bat signal?”
I breathe in his familiar scent, reveling in it and not caring that I sound like I’m crazy. “You’re basically Batman, so yeah, a bat signal could be appropriate.”
His chest shakes and I think he’s laughing at me, but I’m not about to move to check.
“You know that’s not how the bat signal works, right?”
“Don’t argue with me, Lachlan. That’s almost as bad as leaving your wife alone on your wedding night and not sending word that you weren’t dead.”
His lips press against my temple. “This is my first time as a husband. I’m pretty sure I’ll fuck it up a lot.”
Narrowing my eyes, I look up at him. “Rule number one—let your wife know you’re alive, especially after you’re done exacting vengeance.”
Wife. I still can’t believe I bear the title again, but it’s true. I said the vows, and I meant them.
His dark eyes flash. “You’re making rules now?”
I lift my chin. “Yes. I married the king. I feel like that gives me certain freedoms.”
He grips me tighter against his chest. “I still can’t believe you said yes.”
I untangle an arm from his grip and reach up to rub a thumb along his freshly shaven cheek. “Of course I did. I’m in love with you.”
Emotions fly across his face in wild succession, each one more vivid and intense than the last. “You can’t mean that.”
I meet the dark, burning stare that used to put the fear of God into me while stealing control of my body. Now, it infuses me with certainty. “You think I would’ve pledged until death do us part if I didn’t?”
“You got my protection—”
I tap my thumb to his lips, interrupting him. “I got you. That’s all I wanted. And if I have to spend the rest of my life proving to you that I mean every damned word, I will.”
“I’m never letting you go. Ever.”
His vow holds the same conviction as mine, and I know we’re going to be fine.
“Good. Glad we agree on that. Now, take me back to bed. We have a wedding night to make up for.”
Mount
Words have never held as much power as actions in my life. At least, not until this moment and this woman.
“I’m in love with you.”
The fierce possessive instincts fueling the fire in my blood increase every time I repeat her words in my head.
I don’t deserve to be loved. Not by her. Not by anyone. But that doesn’t mean I won’t take it. Keep it. Keep her. Protect her. Cherish her.
I’ve lied, cheated, stolen, and killed, and I will do it all again, especially if that’s what it takes to uphold the vows I made in front of a man of God and a judge.
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.
When I step toward the bed, I lower her down like the precious gift she is, but this softness won’t last. The adrenaline from the last few days isn’t something I can force out of my system.
I need to fuck my woman. Own her. Bury myself inside her until we both scream.
Somehow, some way, she knows this.
Keira’s voice is strong and pure when she speaks. “I can take anything you have to give. So, you better give me everything you have.”
A growl rumbles up from my throat and I rip my suit coat off my body, flinging it away. Keira attacks me with the same fervor. Buttons fly as she tears open my shirt, and my hands go to my pants, stripping them away until I stand naked before her, ready to shred her clothes like she did mine.
But Keira holds up a single finger, pointing at me. “If all you had in the world is what you’re wearing right now, I would want you just as badly. Love you just as much.”
I don’t know how to say the words, because I never have in my life, but for her, I’ll learn.
Soon.
“I need you. Now.”
Keira
Lachlan turns into an animal, tearing my silk nightgown off my body. As his mouth ravages mine, my fingernails dig into his shoulders like they did that first night on the dining room table.
The feelings are just as intense this morning, but stem from a completely different emotion. He uncurls my hands from his shoulders and presses me back against the bed to kiss a path down my body, careful of my healing injury. He still sports a bandage, but he makes no indication that he feels any pain.
He drops to his knees before he pushes my thighs apart. “Already wet for me.”
I open my mouth to reply, but what comes out is a moan instead as his lips close around my piercing. Such an unfair advantage, and one I’ll never complain about.
Lachlan makes me scream over and over until my fingers are buried in his hair, tugging him up to my face. When his lips meet mine again, they taste like me, and I love it.
“My turn.”
He shakes his head. “Fuck no. Can’t wait.”
He grips my hips, positioning his thick cock at my entrance with a fierce, possessive expression on his face. He doesn’t hesitate, and I don’t want him to.
One stroke. That’s all it takes for him to fill me. He powers inside me over and over until his face contorts with pleasure and my inner muscles clamp down on him.
“I love you, Lachlan Mount!”
Mount
I’ve lost track of how many orgasms Keira’s had, but when she passes out limp beside me, I pull her body against mine and cover us both. We might not have gotten to have our wedding night, but I’ll make it up to her.
I’m still stuck on what she said. Hell, what she screamed.
“I love you.”
I’ve never known what the fuck the word love means. When you’re raised without it, never feeling it, it’s not something that makes any logical sense.
I already knew I would take a bullet for her. Die for her. Live for her.
If that’s love, then maybe I’m finally starting to figure it out. There’s no doubt I understand at least one part of it—I never want to lose this. Lose her.
I sure as hell never want to see her blood on my hands again. Ever.
She curls closer into me and I press a kiss to her temple, holding her tighter.
“They’ll never touch you again.”
My eyes finally slide shut. But instead of enjoying a dreamless sleep, I battle a nightmare in which someone tries to take her from me.
I don’t know how much time has passed when I jerk awake, but Keira’s eyes flicker open at the same time as I bolt up in bed.
“What? What’s wrong?” She’s instantly on alert, reaching for the side of the nightstand where a loaded gun is holstered.
This woman is perfect for me.
“Nothing.” I grab her hand, pulling it back before she can snag the revolver. “Everything’s fine.”
She blows out a lungful of air. “Could we try waking up without the heart attack next time? That’d be great.”
A sound grates from my throat, and I realize it’s laughter. Or an attempt at it. “I’ll work on that.”
“Good.”
“In the meantime, pack your bag. It’s time to get the fuck out of town.”
Keira’s green eyes widen. “Why? I thought it was safe.”
“It is. But I want you all to myself. Away from here. No distractions.”
“Like a honeymoon?”
“Call it whatever you want, but it’s time to go. I’ll have the jet fueled and waiting in an hour.”
Keira bites down on her lip. “I know this is going to sound bad, but please, understand where I’m coming from.”
I brace myself, wondering what the hell could possibly put that uncertain expression on my hellion’s face. “What?”
“I can’t leave right now. I’ve been locked down for days, trying to run my company—that’s rapidly changing—from inside these walls. And before that, I was out of the country for nearly a week without planning to be gone. And then the award, and a million orders . . . it’s basically insanity at the distillery. I really, really need to go to work.”
My first instinct is to override her protests and tell her that’s ridiculous. She doesn’t need to work. Not ever again. I have more than enough money to provide us the most lavish lifestyle forever. But I check my gut reaction.
“So, this is what it’s like to be married to a CEO.”
She nods. “I need you to be okay with this, because it matters to me.”
“Compromise then.”
Keira’s head jerks back and her eyebrows go up. “You know what that word means?”
My lips twitch, and I think they’re attempting a smile. “Only with you.”
“Then I’ll hear your proposal.”
At her sassy tone, I pin her to the bed. “First, I fuck you. Then we put that last plug in your ass so you’re ready for me.”
Her hips lift up, grinding against me. Yes, she’s the perfect woman for me.
“Is that all?”
“Then V takes you to work, stays with you, and you come home to m
e after you’ve got things under control. You have two days, and then we’re leaving the fucking country again to go be Lachlan and Keira on a beach somewhere without another goddamned human being around for miles.”
The smile that spreads across her lips is brilliant. “I can handle that.”
“Good. Because you don’t have a choice.”
“I thought this was a compromise.”
I shrug. “Close enough.”
When I finally let her out of bed hours later, it’s with an uneasy feeling riding me. Maybe because of the events of the last week, or maybe because of something else. As she gets ready, I step outside the door to the suite, and V spins to face me.
“Guard her with your life.”
Keira
When I walk into the building, I head straight for my office, hoping to get to the basement without anyone noticing my new bodyguard in tow.
I’m not sure why Lachlan has V sticking so close, but I’m not going to question it. My life has changed. I knew when I said those vows that I was stepping into a different world, and I would somehow have to figure out how to meld it with mine.
Temperance meets me at the door to my office, her attention going to V and then to me. “Chauffeur isn’t staying in the car anymore?”
“Let’s go inside. I need to explain some things.”
V gives us privacy by waiting just beyond the door as I shut it, which is only going to lead to more questions from my employees. And this is exactly what I need to figure out with Temperance.
My new COO doesn’t miss a beat—or a detail. Her eyes lock on my left hand. There’s no way anyone can miss the massive oval diamond set on a thin band of diamond-encrusted rose gold. It has to be over five carats. I didn’t exactly have the time or inclination to ask Lachlan how he found such an exquisite ring on incredibly short notice, because I was too dumbstruck by the fact we were actually getting married. Then again, he’s Lachlan Mount. Things happen when he commands.