by Mia Knight
Lyla pulled her top up and turned away as she tied a knot with trembling fingers. She walked out of the house with furious tears streaming down her face. She didn’t bother to hide them because she didn’t give a fuck. Blade opened the door to the SUV, and she climbed in. The discomfort from her bruised ass was nothing compared to the maelstrom going on inside her.
The short ride back to Aunt Isabel’s didn’t give her enough time to compose herself. She was still leaking when Aunt Isabel came outside with Nora. Her smile dropped away when she saw Lyla’s face.
“Aw, honey, I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault. Thank you for watching her and taking Beau and Honey,” she said shakily as she took Nora. She strapped Nora in the car seat, grateful for any task to keep her from losing her shit.
Aunt Isabel gave her a hug. “I love you.”
She nodded. “Love you too. Thank you.”
“Anytime. Enjoy your trip.”
“Yours as well.”
She climbed in beside the car seat and placed her hand on Nora’s lap. Her daughter lifted her hand and gnawed on her fingers. She stared straight ahead as tears slipped down her cheeks.
Blade turned in his seat to look at her. “Lyla?”
“Take me home,” she whispered.
They pulled out of the drive.
“Mum mum,” Nora said.
It should have been a beautiful moment—the first time Nora said her name—but all she could think about was her own broken mother. She buried her face in Nora’s lap and cried.
When they reached the fortress, she was dry-eyed. Nora must have had a blast at Aunt Isabel’s because she was sleeping. Blade put Nora on his shoulder while she walked into the house. She headed for the gym and was trying to tape up her hands when Blade entered.
“Where’s Nora?” she asked.
“Living room. We’ll hear her if she wakes.”
He took over binding her hands. She splayed her fingers, and they both saw how badly she was shaking. He closed his hand around hers.
“Lyla.”
She pulled away. “No.” She turned her back on him and tipped her head up as if that would hold back the stupid tears. “She needed to know what a monster he is.”
He made no comment.
“Even if she told someone I murdered him, she has no proof, right?” When he didn’t answer, she turned to face him. “Right?”
“She won’t talk,” he said.
“How do you know?”
He shrugged.
“Find me someone who’s going to ride her ass,” she muttered. “She doesn’t get to die until I order it.”
Blade’s grin stopped her in her tracks.
“Why the fuck are you smiling?”
He shook his head. “You’ve come a long way.”
She glared at him. “And you think that’s funny?”
“Yes.”
“Screw you, Blade.”
“You told her the truth she needed to hear.”
The screaming tension in her shoulders eased.
“You’ve given her time. She still has a long way to go, but she wouldn’t go any further without what you said today.”
“She could just dig in her heels to be a bitch and die to make me feel worse.”
“I’ll make sure she has the right staff to keep her on her toes.”
“Thank you.” She paced, the maxi dress floating around her legs as she walked over the gym mats.
“You still want to box?”
She considered and then shook her head. The fact that he supported her decision to tell the truth lifted the weight off her shoulders. Most people would say she needed to be more sympathetic and understanding of her mother, but things weren’t getting better. It was time to get real.
She walked toward Blade. He stiffened, but didn’t back away. She collided against him and buried her face against his broad chest.
“Thank you.”
His opinion meant a lot to her. The fact that he witnessed what happened between her mother and stood between them so she didn’t do something she’d regret later said a lot about him. To some degree, he protected her and Gavin from themselves.
“What the fuck?”
She looked around Blade and saw Gavin standing in the doorway.
She glared at Blade. “You didn’t.”
He didn’t have to answer because of course he did.
“I forgive you,” she said and patted his chest.
“Didn’t ask for forgiveness,” he retorted.
She walked to Gavin, and said, “Hold me.”
He wrapped his massive arms around her and pulled her tight against him. She rested her cheek against his bulging pec, and muttered, “You know, you’d be more comfortable if you weren’t so muscular.”
Blade snickered as he passed.
“Do you need another spanking?” Gavin asked.
She let out a shaky sigh. “Maybe some other time.”
He rubbed her bare back. “You okay?”
“I will be.”
7
Before Lyla opened her eyes, her lips were curved into a smile. The faintest hint of light seeped through the wooden louvers that covered the windows, and she was pinned beneath Gavin’s heavy arm. He was deeply asleep, his features completely relaxed. When she slid out of bed, he didn’t stir. She tiptoed into the connecting room to check on Nora, who was also dead to the world.
She dressed quietly before she left the master suite and entered the living area. The private villa they rented mimicked a monstrous version of the straw huts the natives had once lived in, but with modern updates that included over five thousand square feet of living space, three pools, and air conditioning. The villa had an incredible layout with lots of indoor-outdoor living space that beckoned them outside to take in the priceless view.
Blade stood on the main terrace, legs braced apart and hands clasped behind his back. He had finally given in to the tropics and changed from slacks to shorts and a black shirt. Despite being over four thousand miles from Las Vegas, he still wore his shoulder holster.
She came up beside him and took in the view. The main terrace faced their private beach, a U-shaped alcove covered in palm trees and tropical plants. Aqua waters stretched out as far as the eye could see. Bora Bora was paradise, pure and simple. The moment she stepped foot on this island, she felt as if she’d arrived on an alternate universe where nothing bad could happen. The air smelled of flowers, the staff was all smiles, and she felt safer than she had in years. It took less than a day for her heartache and anxiety to melt away in the face of such raw, natural beauty.
“Have you ever seen anything like it?” she whispered.
“No,” Blade said, his voice just as quiet, almost reverent.
The island had yet to stir. Bora Bora had a drugging effect on all of them. She hadn’t slept so peacefully in months. She and Gavin spent the first day napping on the terrace, eating, and listening to the sound of the ocean.
“You like your room?” she teased.
Blade had a minor fit when he found out he was occupying the other suite, which had enough room for four people and its own private pool and hot tub. Gavin rented another villa for the ten guards they brought with them who took shifts patrolling the grounds.
“It’s too big,” Blade growled.
“It’s perfect.”
He rolled his shoulders. “It’s unnecessary.”
She bumped her shoulder with his. “You should take advantage while we’re here. Relax, take some time to recoup.”
“From what?”
She stared at him. “You’re not serious, are you?”
He scanned the beach. “You up for a run?”
She blinked. “Didn’t you hear what I just said?”
“You haven’t worked out in five days.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I’m on vacation! And I’ve been swimming, which burns calories.”
“A run won’t kill you.”
She glared a
t him for a moment before she let out a disgusted sound. No, a run wouldn’t kill her, and the view would be amazing, so if a run would shut him up, fine. She was sitting on the bed putting on her shoes when Gavin spoke.
“What time is it?”
She gave him a quick kiss. “It’s still early. Blade and I are going for a run. Nora’s still asleep. Watch her for me, will you?”
He grunted and dragged her down for a deeper kiss before he released her.
“What are you smiling for?” Blade asked when she joined him.
“Gavin’s sleeping.”
“So?”
“He needs it.” His baffled expression told her he genuinely didn’t understand what she was saying. “Never mind. Let’s go.”
He had changed into shoes and nixed the guns. Wise, since he wasn’t supposed to have them anyway. They strolled quietly beneath the palm trees before they reached the main path, which was some distance from their villa. They started off at an easy jog, a slow enough pace for her to take in the resort. The path wove through a lush wonderland of scents, color, and stunning scenery. Once they reached the beach, her stamina tanked. She had never jogged in sand, so within a half mile, she was gasping for air. Sand churned beneath her shoes, which made her work three times harder than if she were on a firm, flat surface.
“Okay, I’m done,” she panted and slowed to a walk.
Blade stopped and turned to her. His shirt was damp with perspiration, but his breathing was still even despite the exertion.
“How are you okay with this?” she asked and kicked the fine white powder.
“I train constantly.”
She trained too, but apparently, not as much as him. No matter how hard she worked, she would never get close to keeping up with Blade or Gavin. She mumbled under her breath as they continued along the beach. As she got her breath back, she began to appreciate her surroundings once more. The mint green waters beckoned to her. Gavin hid the one-piece bathing suit she brought and insisted she buy another one. Even though they had a private beach, she wasn’t about to parade around in a bikini, but he wouldn’t budge. She’d given in to his autocratic demand because the water was every shade of blue imaginable, and she couldn’t resist. Inspired by their surroundings, she chose two swimsuits—a cobalt and white bikini. She wasn’t happy about her body, but here, she didn’t feel as self-conscious. When she wore the bikini yesterday, Blade hadn’t batted an eye. She was exasperated that Gavin wouldn’t allow her to wear the cover-up or matching sarong. He was such a damn bully. On the other hand, Gavin was embracing their time here, so because of that, she didn’t bitch too much.
As they circled back to the villa, she paused at the tip of the island. Even though he’d been a few paces ahead, Blade stopped immediately, attuned to her every move. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the breeze tugged on her wayward strands of hair. The urge to toss her arms wide like Rose from the Titanic made her smile, but she didn’t want to freak Blade out so early in the morning. She rested her hand over her heart and listened to the rhythmic thumping in her ears. She was still here.
“Never imagined I’d see a place like this.”
She glanced at Blade who had his shirt draped over one shoulder. He scanned his surroundings before he shook his head.
“I can’t take this place in.”
She beamed. “Isn’t it great?”
“It’s something, that’s for sure.”
His grudging admiration made her smile. Manny had been right. They all needed this—a break from their lives and the violence, deception, and uncertainty that came with it.
As she looked at Blade, her gaze dropped to what looked like old burns on his side. She recognized knife wounds and others scars she couldn’t identify. She took a step back and examined five small circles peppered over his shoulder blades. Without thinking, she reached out and touched. He stiffened but didn’t pull away. Five shots.
“Is this where …?”
“Cowards ambushed us and got me in the back.”
His back was more scarred than his front. In all the years she’d known him, she’d never seen him without his shirt. He had been concealing his past, just as she was. His body was well sculpted but had been maimed more than Gavin’s. She counted fifteen bullet wounds scattered over his body. She traced a deep scar at the top of his spine. A shiver ran down her spine, knowing that a knife had made that cut. She walked around him, examining the layers of scars until she was face to face with him. Her eyes lingered on the tiny slash through his left eyebrow and a recently healed cut, which created a groove in his cheek. Hair thin lines crisscrossed over his chest.
“Why do you do it?” she asked.
Unreadable black eyes held hers for a long minute before he said, “I didn’t have a choice. I was born into it.”
“Do … do you want to do something else?”
“No.”
No hesitation in his voice. She didn’t understand. “Why not?”
“I’m a soldier.”
“Is that what you want?”
“It’s what I am.”
“You can have a life outside the underworld.”
“No, I can’t.”
“Do you have a contract with Gavin?”
“No.”
“Then why not try for something different?”
“And leave you?”
She stopped breathing. She wanted what was best for him, but if that meant leaving her …
His mouth curved before he forced it straight again. He looked beyond her to the ocean. “Once a soldier, always a soldier. We die in combat. That’s an honorable death.”
“Did you go into the military?”
“You need to graduate from high school to join.”
“You didn’t graduate?”
“No, I dropped out in the fifth grade.”
He could have fooled her. Blade was precise in his actions and speech. He didn’t sound uneducated, and he was as rigid as a marine. He was a proud man, much like Gavin. Steadfast, loyal, and ready to put his life on the line. She didn’t understand, but she respected it. She owed him her life, yet he asked for nothing and got irritated when she tried to give him things.
“What do you want, Blade?”
Black eyes refocused on her. “I have everything I need.”
“But what else do you want? When’s your birthday?”
He scowled. “I told you, I don’t want anything.”
“You’re not going to tell me your birthday?”
“It’s not important.”
She jabbed him in his chest. “Tell me.”
He glared at her. “December.”
“December what?”
“Twenty-fifth.”
She grinned huge. “You’re a Christmas baby? That’s so cute!”
He turned away from her and started back toward the villa.
“That means you have to get at least two presents on Christmas, one for your birthday and one for the holiday,” she said as she paced alongside him.
“I don’t need anything.”
“Oh, stop being such a baby. You must need socks, more black shirts, or ties, right? Oh, I can get you a nice suit.”
“I can buy it myself.”
“Well, of course you can, but it’s better when somebody gives it. Wait!” She grabbed his hand and yanked him to a stop. “What’s your real name?”
His eyes narrowed. “I go by Blade.”
“I know, but that’s a nickname, right?” When he didn’t answer, she squeezed his hand. “What’s wrong with your real name?”
“I don’t like it.”
“A lot of people don’t like their names but—”
“I was named after someone I hate. I don’t use it.”
His voice was so agitated that she patted his chest the way she did to placate Gavin. “Okay, Blade it is.” She began to walk again and tugged on his hand when he didn’t move. “Come on, I’m hungry.”
She released him once he started mo
ving again. She spotted the villa in the distance and jumped when their personal security appeared out of nowhere. They acknowledged her with curt nods before they got back to work.
“I don’t know why you want to stay with us,” she said quietly, without looking at him. “But I’m happy you do.”
They were approaching the main terrace when he said, “I have more today than I ever thought I would. I’m not going anywhere.”
She grasped his calloused, scarred hand in hers once more and squeezed before she released him. When they walked onto the terrace, they found Gavin sitting at the outdoor dining area with a large fan swirling lazily above him. The table was laden with food, and Nora was sitting in a high chair, dressed in a jewel toned swimsuit.
“Good run?” Gavin asked as he got off the phone.
“Yes.” She came up behind him and pressed her cheek to his. “Thank you for this.”
“Then give me a fucking kiss.”
She grinned as she gave him chaste peck on the corner of his mouth. He grabbed a fistful of her sweaty shirt and forced her to his side so he could pull her down for a real kiss. When he finished getting his taste, he put her in the chair beside him and piled her plate with food.
Blade sat near Nora and took over the feeding Gavin had abandoned. She sat sideways on her chair and leaned into Gavin. “This is the best place on earth.”
Gavin grunted and put her plate in front of her. “I might have to steal this chef.”
“He is amazing,” she said as she cut her crepe. “You slept well?”
He ran a hand down his face. “I slept ten hours and feel like I could sleep ten more.”
“You should! We’re here for the month. No rush on anything. Sleep is good for you.”
They were so used to rushing around and not getting enough sleep, but the quiet, lack of an agenda, and warm humidity made them naturally drowsy. Years of going on so little rest was catching up to him. In the two days they had been here, she had never seen him so relaxed.