“How about I give you two a moment?” The administrator glances between them before smiling at Max and closing the door behind her.
Shae strokes his fingers as they face each other, frown lines wrinkling her forehead. He drops his eyes, hiding from the questions in hers. This is the real him. Not the good man she thinks he is, but the bastard who doesn’t want to make nice or make up. He just wants to get the fuck out of here. Go home and hold his wife. Make her face light up with the humongous smile he likes to believe is meant only for him. Feel her sweet head against his chest in the fading sunlight.
“I don’t want to see him.”
“Okay.” No hint of disappointment or chastising in her voice.
He meets her gaze again. “You’re not going to try and talk me into it?”
“No, I just wanted you to think about it before dismissing the idea completely. I didn’t want you to regret it later.”
Without nagging or guilt, she reminds him of the kindness in her heart, the gentleness guiding her conscience. No other woman could be this amazing. He cups her face and kisses her softly before leading her out of the office.
With Max guarding Shae in the hallway, Nick pushes open the windowed door. His father lays motionless, tubes snaking to his nose and mouth. Thick blankets cover his withered body, only a trace of his old self still recognizable. Unlike the other patient rooms they passed, no photographs or personal nick knacks decorate his room, the space empty like his soul. Just like he deserves.
“My sweet wife probably thinks I’ll come in here and find some way to forgive you. Or get closure, whatever the fuck that means. But you need to know that’s never going to happen. I hate you. I’m glad you’re dead. My only regret is that I wasn’t the one to do it to you.”
Salvador remains still, the whoosh of the ventilator muffling the piped-in music coming through the speakers in the ceiling. No longer a threat. No longer the shadow darkening his happiness.
“I’ve married the most incredible woman and having a child of my own. All the things I never thought I could have because of you. Because I was so fucking scared I would be a monster like you. But now I know better. When I saw her lying on the floor and thought she was…”
He can’t finish. The words are too unbearable to say out loud. Too agonizing to think about. He glances backward, finding her through the window, assuring himself she’s safe.
“My fucking world almost ended. I would lose my fucking mind without her, and I knew I could never hurt her. I knew I could never be you.”
He steps closer. The fury in his chest crawls up his throat, trying to strangle his words. But there’s one last thing this motherfucker needs to hear.
“I won’t be you. I won’t make her tremble at the sound of my voice. My son will never have to watch me grind her face into the carpet or twist her fingers until they snap. So, fuck you. Fuck all the things you did to destroy my mother and almost destroy me. Fuck you for—”
A small hand tucks between his balled fingers. “We could hear you yelling from the hallway. I didn’t want you to be alone.”
Shae.
Turning in front of her, he creates a shield between his sweet angel and that monster. Her hands wrap around his waist before she tucks her head under his chin. All his anger releases at her embrace, bringing him back to the only connection he ever needs. To the real family she creates for him. “I’m sorry if I scared you.” He holds her until the pounding in his head and chest subsides. “I’ve said what I needed to say. Let’s go home.”
After he helps her into the limo, Max glances at his buzzing phone. “It’s Enrique. I’ll ride up front with Jacks.”
Once he slides in, she leans against him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I am. The best I’ve ever been.”
The absolute truth. His father’s in Hell where he belongs, and his heaven curls beside him, holding all his happiness within her heart. Their life really is perfect now.
“Good.”
After a few minutes, her fingers trail down his arm before tracing across the black band on his finger. “You know, there’s something sexy about a man wearing a wedding ring.”
Mischief dances in her voice. She toys with him, enticing him to play her game. His favorite, because even the loser wins. He growls in her ear. “The only married man you better be looking at is me.”
Her bubbly laughter fills the car before she climbs onto his lap, her knees pressing into the seat as she straddles him. “I meant when it’s my man wearing my ring.”
“That’s what I thought.” His breath hitches as she kisses across his jaw line and tugs his earlobe between her teeth. “What’re you up to?”
“You’ve been very mysterious. I know we aren’t leaving until after Carrie’s wedding, but won’t you even give me a hint?”
One more month before he can take her away and have her all to himself. Alone at the open-air beach house he’s having built to make her fantasy really come true. “Nope. You just have to wait.”
“Are you sure?” Her eyes lock with his as she guides his fingers under her dress, sliding them up her thighs and over the lacy fabric around her waist to feel nothing beneath them in the back. She leans forward, her flowery scent floating over him. “I have them in pink too.”
His body shudders at her whisper against his ear and the bare skin under his fingertips. Damn, she’s good. He won’t tell her yet about the private island he bought for her, but maybe their side trip will satisfy her. For now anyway. She’s as nosy as he is stubborn.
“Okay, just one.” His lips brush against hers. “Festa del cioccolate.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s Italian for ‘chocolate festival’.”
The pulsing in his groin begs for release at her tongue running across her lips. “Are you serious?”
“I know too much sugar isn’t good for the baby, but I thought a little indulgence would be okay.”
She shakes her head, feigning worry with her wide eyes and downturned mouth. “What if I can’t hold back? You know I can’t resist temptation.”
A small gasp escapes her throat as he strokes the silky material between her thighs. Her eyes drift shut, and she fists his shirt when his fingers slide around the flimsy barrier to her soft folds. “Me neither.”
“Then, what should we do?”
Her moan vibrates under his lips as he glides his tongue down her neck, unable to resist kissing the delicate skin along her shoulder. Flames shoot through the rest of his body at her fingers tangling in his curls. “Enjoy the sweetness.”
Publicist Statement
Shae Armstrong and Nick DeMarco were married yesterday in a private ceremony at their residence. In additional good news, they are expecting their first child this spring. Due to physician restrictions, Shae is unable to perform at the upcoming AMA’s. However, she’s still extremely excited to attend the ceremony and present the Newcomer Award.
—Jane Murphy, Publicist to Shae Armstrong
*The End*
About the Author
Nikki writes contemporary romantic thrillers and admits to a weakness for alpha
males and bad boys, especially ones who can’t live without the strong women they
love. She spends more time in her characters’ lives than her own. But when she’s
in the real world, her passions include reading, wine appreciating, running, and
spending time with her husband and daughter.
www.nikkibelaire.com
@NikkiBelaire
www.facebook.com/NikkiBelaire
Wine & Whiskey: Everything for You
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Wine & Whiskey: Everything for You (Surviving Absolution Book 2) Page 16