Raiden: A Stand Alone, Irish Mob Crime Romance (The Kent Brothers Book 2)

by A. M. Hargrove

  Our crew awaited us with smiles as she took in the surroundings.

  “Welcome to the Maldives,” I said, sweeping my lips over hers.

  “Wow. Just wow.” She gaped.

  The yacht sat in turquoise water ahead of us while another boat waited at the dock to take us there.

  “Is that where we’re staying?” Excitement infused her words.

  “It is. And this is part of the crew.”

  “Welcome to the Maldives, ma’am, sir.”

  They ushered us to the awaiting boat as they loaded our luggage aboard. Then we set off to our destination.

  “That boat is huge.”

  “It will be an amazing week. I’ve lined up a scuba master diver to take us diving.”

  “Oh, my God! I love to dive! I couldn’t have imagined anything like this in my wildest dreams.”

  Her lips were too enticing, and I couldn’t wait to have her naked beneath me. “It’s only the beginning, princess, of a long and beautiful life together.”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Scottie

  Orange sunsets tinged with yellow, calm, peaceful water, water so clear you could see forever beneath the surface, was how I’d always remember our honeymoon. Our time together was perfect. Raiden saw to my every need. If I wanted anything, he was up and at it.

  The food on board was magnificent. Fresh seafood every day, breakfast in bed, after our appetizer, courtesy of my sexy husband, and every morning he presented me with a gift.

  The first day I found a velvet box under my pillow.

  “What’s this?”

  “Open it to find out.”

  When I peeked inside, a pair of brilliant diamond earrings nearly blinded me. “Oh, my God, Raiden. These are fabulous. I, uh, don’t know what to say.”

  “Put them on. A woman like you makes them pale in comparison.”

  My heart stuttered. This man was impossible, adorable, endearing, everything to me. “Thank you.” I cupped his cheek. “You spoil me.”

  “You’ve seen nothing yet.”

  I put the earrings on and asked, “Well?”

  “Perfect.”

  On our second day, I came into our stateroom, and found a multitude of sexy lingerie set out on the bed. Each piece was exquisite. Matching bras and thongs, I chose my favorite and put them on. Then I donned a robe and walked up to the sundeck where he sat.

  “What do you think?” I dropped the robe. It was a show itself, watching his eyes pop. I twirled around to give him the total view and he gasped.

  “Put that robe back on. Someone might see you,” he stuttered.

  “We’re in the middle of nowhere, husband, and the crew is busy elsewhere.” I straddled his lap and placed my hands on his shoulders.

  “Scottie, what do you think you’re doing?”

  “Seducing you, what else?” My hand reached between my thighs and I stroked his cock, which had gone from zero to sixty since I’d sat down. I rocked my hips back and forth over him.

  He wore swim shorts, so I’d have to pull them down for us to fuck. I tugged the waist down and freed his straining cock. Then I slid my thong to the side and took him all, every bit inside of me. I worked him up and down to a perfect rhythm, grinding my clit against him when I was fully seated. This motion was repeated, in and out, over and over, until he put his hand between us and pressed down firmly on my clit, causing my orgasm to erupt. He followed me as my muscles gripped him.

  When we finished, I playfully said, “I have to go now.”

  “Wait. What are you doing?”

  “To put on my bathing suit so we can swim.”

  “Nothing doing. Strip. We’ll skinny dip.”

  “Fine with me.” Where had this bravado come from? “Hey, we can’t swim from up here.”

  “Right. We’re going to the swim deck. Come on.”

  I followed him and he must’ve given orders on the way for us not to be disturbed. When we got to the gigantic platform, we both stripped and dove into the cool water of the Indian Ocean. It was glorious.

  We exhausted ourselves and went back in. We both showered on the large deck and I went to the room to put on my bathing suit. Lunch was being served in the dining room, but we asked for it on the upper deck so we could get sun.

  “It’ll be difficult returning to the real world.”

  Raiden took my chin in his hand. “I’ll love having you by my side.”

  I beamed.

  On the third day, at dinner, he presented me with a diamond bracelet. It was uniquely crafted, with diamonds that were channel set on one section, with a thick chain on the rest. Under the channel set part, he had our initials engraved.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s gorgeous.”

  “It’s one of a kind. I had it made.”

  “You keep surprising me and I haven’t gotten you anything.”

  “Yes, you have. You’ve given me yourself and that’s more than I could ever want.”

  I held out my arm so he could put the bracelet on, but he showed me the coolest thing. It had a special magnetic clasp. “Won’t this come off?”

  “No, because it has a safety latch.”

  My fourth gift was more in line with my lifestyle. I went to dress that afternoon so I could jog around the boat, and he’d bought a new pair of running shoes for me.

  “I noticed yours had gotten a little worn.”

  “I am guilty of wearing them too long. These are great. Thank you!” I kissed him exuberantly.

  “Wow. You love the smaller things, don’t you?”

  “Maybe. I’m not used to fancy things.”

  My fifth gift came on our fifth night. We’d gone scuba diving again that day, which was amazing, but it drained us. After eating dinner, we called it a night. I pulled the sheets down and on my side of the bed were a set of nipple clamps.

  Holding them up, I asked, “Um, what are these?”

  “New toy.” A wicked and sexy grin curved his mouth. “I plan to experiment on you tonight.”

  “Okay.” I was game.

  We got into bed and he had me lie on my back. When he put them on me I winced. “Ouch!”

  “Good ouch or bad ouch?”

  A few seconds passed, and it turned into a good ouch. “Good.”

  He spread my thighs and his mouth landed right where I wanted it. As his tongue worked magic on me, I was close to coming, but he stopped.

  “Wait. Don’t stop.”

  “Deep breaths.” He tweaked the nipple clamps and oooh, it sent a zing to my core.

  His mouth resumed its attention to my lady bits. I writhed beneath him, but just as I would almost come, he stopped.

  “Nooo!” I protested.

  He tweaked and tugged the clamps again, but this time did it harder.

  “Ahhh!”

  Then he stopped.

  “Don’t stop!” He needed to decide or I would be a passenger on the crazy train. My fingers dug into the sheets, ready to shred them.

  Now he was back to my clit, teasing, biting, flicking it. I was at the edge and he stopped.

  “Deep breaths.”

  I inhaled, and he took off the nipple clamps.

  “Oh, fuuuck.” I came all over the place. His mouth clamped onto my clit and flicked, and Jesus help me, I lost my way. I was damn sure I blacked out.

  “What the fuck, Raiden?” I panted out the words.

  His crooked grin let me know how proud he was of himself. “Did you enjoy that?”

  “Nah, it was nothing.”

  He cracked up. “I thought you would levitate off the bed.”

  “Me too. I may have torn the sheets a little. That was… a come to Jesus moment.”

  Then he really laughed.

  “I’m glad nipple clamps brought you religion.”

  I covered my face with a pillow. “Dear Jesus, forgive me.”

  Then he tickled me until I begged for mercy.

  From the Maldives we flew to Italy. We stayed for another week
in a villa in Tuscany, where he spoiled me even more. We had our own chef, who treated us to Italian delights every day.

  Raiden took me to countless wineries, and we tasted olive oils, cheeses, and bread. I knew I would be the size of a house when we returned home.

  One day, we rented Vespas and toured the scenic countryside, visiting quaint villages along the way. It was wonderful and made me want to move here.

  “I’d love to live here. It’s so peaceful.”

  “Funny you should say that.” He handed me an envelope. I opened it and it was the deed to the villa we were renting.

  “What is this?”

  “Another gift.”

  I gaped, first at him, then at the deed. Was he insane? “No, I can’t accept this. It’s too much, Raiden. You’ve already given me far too much. This is out of line.”

  “Scottie, your eyes light up every time we go to another village and you haven’t even been to Florence. There’s tons to explore, I figured owning this place would be fabulous. We would rent it whenever we weren’t in residence. Look at it as a money-making adventure.”

  “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, and you could learn how to manage properties.”

  “That’s a different way to think about it.” I held out my hand. “It’s a deal.”

  “I plan to turn you into a real estate mogul.”

  I popped out my hip, resting a hand on one side. “Do you have an ulterior motive in this plan of yours?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He played innocent.

  “Raiden Kent, I’m an investigator and I know a big fib when I see one. You’re trying to get me out of my line of work.”

  He held up his hands. “Guilty. You caught me. Here’s the thing, though. It didn’t start out that way. When I thought about buying this place, the idea took hold and I saw the potential in rental income. I checked out the rental stats and saw what they were getting. This place brings in much more than it’s worth annually, so that’s why I wanted to grab it. It wasn’t even on the market, so I paid a hefty price. I’m not concerned, because the rental income will be much more lucrative.”

  “That’s interesting, Raiden, but I still want to hear that ulterior motive of yours.”

  “About that. I know how much you love law enforcement and love working with WI. I would never ask you to give that up. I thought if you found something you enjoyed as much that you might at least try it. That’s it. I couldn’t bear it if something were to happen to you on the job. That’s the only reason, I swear.”

  Was I being unfair to him? I adored my job, but part of the reason I’d continued to do it was to catch the O’Brien brothers. Now they were both behind bars, was it still important? I enjoyed the investigative aspects of it. Maybe I could do it part-time.

  “How about this? I try your offer here and also work with you at Kent, while still maintaining my relationship with WI, but not as a field operative. Can you live with that?”

  His smile told me everything, and then his embrace encased me as he hugged me tightly. “This means everything to me, Scottie. You don’t know how much. Thank you.”

  His body trembled as he held me, and if I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought he was crying. Not Raiden, though. He was too powerful for that. He released me and I swore his eyes appeared misty.

  “Raiden, you’re my today, tomorrow, and future. I want nothing to ruin that. Marriage is about compromise. I love you enough to know how much you hated the danger I faced. The primary reason I did it was to see O’Brien put away. I can finally rest about that now.”

  Three days later we flew home to tell the family we were now husband and wife. They asked us tons of questions, and we gave them gifts, mainly fun trinkets we’d bought from the trip. Then we sat them down and planned a trip to Italy.

  Isla’s eyes sparkled. “Can we bring Olivia, because if not, we understand.”

  “This is a family trip and Olivia is family,” I said.

  “I’ve never been to Italy. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say yes,” I said.

  “Yes!”

  Acer and Raiden watched the two of us while Dana joined in on the conversation. “Does this include the in-laws?”

  “Heck yes! You’re family too!”

  Everyone started chatting at once until Raiden’s voice boomed out. “Stop. We only need to pick a date. The house has six bedrooms and can accommodate everyone. We also would like Brax and Reynolds to join us and make this a true family event.”

  Isla raised her hand, and I laughed.

  “What is it?”

  “Would you mind if my mom came too?”

  “Not at all. She might have to share Olivia’s room, if you don’t.”

  “We’ll work it out. Thank you.” Isla hugged me. “This will be great!”

  The plan was set. We contacted Brax and Reynolds and the date we picked was for four months from now. That gave the family time to settle into their routine and catch up with work.

  Dana and Brian had stayed at our place while we were away, but were going back to Florida since it was safe. The day came for their departure and it wasn’t easy seeing them go.

  “Don’t worry dear, we’ll all be together again in a few months,” Dana said.

  “Mom, Dad, would you two ever consider moving here permanently?” Raiden asked.

  “Your father and I have been discussing that, honey. We want to go home and get our house in order.”

  “Dana, Brian, that would be great and Olivia would love having you two close.”

  Dana sniffed back tears. “I’ll miss my granddaughter.”

  “I know you will. She’ll miss you too.”

  “We’d better get a move on, dear. The plane won’t wait on us forever,” Brian said, giving her a nudge. Turning to Raiden, he said, “Thanks for letting us use it.”

  “Don’t mention it. Safe travels, you two,” Raiden said.

  Everyone hugged, and they left. “I will really miss them, but now I can get back on a healthy eating plan,” I said.

  “For what? In a few months we’ll be back in Italy eating pasta and gelato.”

  “True, but at least I can trim down to fatten up again.”

  “I like your way of thinking.”

  Acer and Isla were moving out today too. They had sold their small house and bought a much larger one. They needed a place to stay until the closing date, which took place yesterday. The house would sound spooky after they left. They were upstairs packing. I climbed the steps and poked my head into their room. “Need any help?”

  “We’re almost done. Seems like we’ve been here forever,” Isla said.

  “That’s because we have. We’re going home to our cracker box. I think it’s time we get a bigger place,” Acer said.

  “You’re right. What if we get a big house that has a mother-in-law wing?”

  “Wing. What kind of house are you looking for?” he asked.

  “Not wing, but section, so Mom can move in. I hate she’s alone, especially after being with us for so long.”

  Acer went up to Isla. “You know all you have to do is ask, and it’s yours.”

  I watched them for a second, then backed away. I knew one thing. Those Kent brothers were really something, and I sure lucked out when I met Raiden.

  Epilogue — Raiden

  Two Months Later

  “Have you seen Cruze?” Scottie asked.

  “No, why?”

  “I’ve been trying to reach him for three days now and he won’t return my calls or texts. I’m driving to his house to see if he’s there.”

  “I’ll go too. This is strange. It’s not like him to take off and not tell anyone, especially since we have several important meetings this week.”

  “Let’s find out if he’s home.”

  His house wasn’t far from ours. We pulled to the garage and found his house sealed up like a vault. His SUV and motorcycle were missing, but his car was in
the garage. I had a key, so we entered through the door in the garage, since I also had a garage opener.

  “Cruze? Are you here?” I called out. We walked around the first floor and no answer. “Stay here, I’ll check upstairs, in case he has someone up there.”

  “Good idea.”

  I took the stairs, three at a time, but the bedroom door was wide open. The bed was made, and the place was as neat as a pin. I went to the closet and… it was half empty. What the fuck, Cruze?

  I took off in a run, sprinting down the steps.

  “What’s going on?” Scottie asked.

  “He’s gone. His closet is practically empty, but all his suits are here.”

  She didn’t answer. I ran into his home office to see if anything was in there. And that’s when I saw it—the thick manila envelope on the desk with my name scrawled across it.

  “Fuck.” I picked it up and held it close to my chest.

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing good, if my hunch is correct.”

  “Why don’t we go home?”

  “No, Scottie, I need to open this here in case of—hell, I don’t know what.”

  She held my hand and walked me to the den where we sat on a sofa.

  I opened up the massive envelope and on top of all the papers was a letter from Cruze. I read it out loud.

  Raiden,

  Hey, bro, it’s been an awesome ride with you. I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this journey. You have been my right hand, my left brain, and my everything where this business counts. But the time has come for a new voyage.

  I know what you’re thinking and I can, sure as if I’m sitting there with you, see your expression. You think I’m crazy as fuck. Only I’m not. She means too much to let her go. Sure, maybe it won’t work, but how will I know if I don’t try?

  I see what you, Scottie, Acer, and Isla have and realize I want the same thing. I don’t want a series of one and dones anymore. I’m ready for the real thing. She may be my real thing.