“But I get it. I understand,” she said again. “I still had my brother. Still had Lynn and Maria and people who cared about me. Meanwhile you had...no one, before you formed a new family.”
Naomi sighed, but the stiffness in her shoulders got worse. She looked like she was squaring up for a fight. Ready to lay down a beating and see who was left standing when the final bell rang.
And I was ready and waiting for whatever damage she decided to inflict.
Ready to show her—even in the smallest ways I could—that I would stand back up and fight for us as many times as necessary.
“We don’t always choose our family,” she said softly. “Sometimes it chooses us. And when those bonds form, they bring everything with them. The good and the bad.” She paused. Then, “That man that attacked me.”
The mention of him made my pulse skyrocket, along with my rage. Propelled so high that if a plane passed, it was going to have to take evasive maneuvers to escape from the depths of that fury. But I shoved it back in the bottle and stashed it away. It wouldn’t do me any good, and I needed all the good I could get.
“He was all bad, Tone. All the way through.” Tears glistened in her eyes, but I hadn’t earned the right to wipe them away. Not yet. “He broke my dream and enjoyed it. But then hope came barreling through the window, shining light on the darkness and forcing it to recede. Do you know how much worse it is to have hope and have it taken away?”
I nodded, swallowing thickly. I knew exactly what it was like to see the petals of something bright just beginning to blossom. To have those same petals crushed beneath a heavy boot before they were ever given a real chance.
“Right then, I thought I had lost everything. Except for you.” The pain in her voice was a sledgehammer to my chest, pounding away. Nothing broke. I was new and improved. Reinforced with acceptance that had been years in the making. But it still hurt like a motherfucker. “Every step of the way, you were my knight in so many iterations. Unwanted. Unexpected. And even if your armor was never pure and shining, it was always perfect to me. Except when all my defenses were gone, and I needed you more than I needed the breath in my lungs...”
“You left.” Her voice broke. “Again.”
I stepped into her space, forcing her to look up at me. To see the weight of the conviction in my eyes as I said, “That was the last time it'll ever happen.” Her lips trembled, the sadness in her eyes remaining. “You were right, Naomi. I was beyond scared. I was terrified. Mom. Dad. Katherine. I lost too much, too fast.”
My stomach clenched. Accepting that they were gone didn't make the hurt vanish. But it did allow me to do something other than run from it. It gave me the strength to face the truth of my life laid bare and continue on.
I reached out, tracing my knuckles across her jaw, and she let me. “The world kept spinning, but I was a dead man walking. Going from place to place, and task to task, making myself useful while I spent the time I would've gladly given up before you came along.”
“Even when you were only a silhouette watching me from a window, something about you called to me. And it bothered the hell out me.” She raised her brows, sadness replaced by curiosity. “My life was free of distractions. Then suddenly, it wasn't. There was a tiny, slip of a girl I needed to get to know, even when she wanted nothing to do with me.”
“Because you were obnoxious,” she said lightly, cheeks twitching.
“Don't sugarcoat it. You compared me to a fungus.”
Her shoulders lifted, the tension in them easing. “If the shoe fits... Maybe I wouldn't have made the comparison if you had taken the hint and left me alone.”
“But I couldn't leave you alone,” I told her honestly. “I built my life on sand, and then the beach showed up late to the party, washing away the weak foundations one smile at a time. You made me remember what it meant to want something for myself.”
She reached for me hesitantly. I held myself incredibly still while she grabbed my hand with her much smaller one. “Sometimes we have to make those selfish decisions for our own good and hope we can live with them.”
I plan on it, baby.
“Having you collapse in my arms is when it all came back.” I squeezed her hand. “Wanting something meant that, once again, the world could reach out and take from me. And almost as if to spite me, it tried to do it anyway.” My teeth clenched, jaw jumping. I closed my eyes, wanting to banish the images that played along my shut lids. “If I’d been a single second too late-”
“You weren’t,” she said, moving closer. The smell of her soothed me. Peaches and sweetness and mine. “You were right on time.”
“I was a fool,” I said at meant it. “I let my fears guide me. I let them trick me into believing I could let you go, and somehow live without the darkness that was my not-life closing in around me from all sides. And that, Smoothie Girl, was never a possibility. Not for a fucking second.”
I let go of her hand so I could bring mine up and cup her face instead. My lips pressed against her forehead, and it was a beginning. A single capital letter stamped on our story. She sighed, body melting into mine, and the words started flowing.
Whether it was fate, coincidence, or science so far beyond our understanding it might as well be magic, this moment where our story truly started was always meant to be.
Nothing could’ve stopped it from happening.
Nothing.
“We were inevitable, Naomi.” My voice was rough with emotion and wetness shimmered at the bottom of my lashes for the world to see. “I was too goddamn stupid to see it when I should have, but I do now. Lord knows I see it now. You were my sweet, sweet temptation from day one, but with a hard shell I enjoyed breaking. And it was so worth it, baby. Worth everything. You gave me my smile back. You gave me my life back. You resurrected me. With every touch, and kiss, and look at those beautiful eyes that will always and forever make me believe the sun is going to come up again—no matter what might’ve happened the day before—you restored me. Piece by piece.”
The twitch in her cheeks that she was trying and failing to contain got worse, until the side of her face looked spastic from the effort of holding her smile in.
I grinned at her, and it was bright and real and true. “Let it out. We’ve come too far for you to keep those smiles from me. I live especially for them. I need them to survive.”
Her smile bloomed, coming to life in a slow slide that made my heart feel so full I thought for sure it would explode. She was painfully beautiful, tired from work and all. She was strong. She was herself.
She was mine.
All. Fucking. Mine.
“Laying it on a little thick there, aren’t you?” she teased, tapping me on the nose.
I bit at the pad of her finger when it retreated, and she laughed in my embrace. “You had it right near the beginning. I’m glue, and you’re the one I want to be stuck to until the very last.”
I brought our faces closer together, lips hovering inches from hers, but I kept my eyes locked on target. On the sun in her gaze. The forgiveness in her grin. This moment that belonged to us and no one else. “I love you, Naomi Ives. I’ll never walk away again, and you’ll never get rid of me. I hope you’re ready to see a lot of my handsome mug starting from this day forward.”
She smirked but her eyes shone with wetness. “So humble, too. How did I get so lucky?”
I growled, letting my lips ghost over hers. A soft brush that promised so much more. That promised everything. “Admit it, Smoothie Girl. You love me. There’s no place you would rather be than stuck with me. Even when that means dealing with the shit-heads I call friends, and giving me attitude every day for the rest of our lives.”
Her tears spilled over. “Why do I need to repeat what you just covered?” she asked, raising a brow. Her eyes shifted to the side, lips curving, but my focus remained steady and constant.
I smiled through the salty taste in my mouth, letting my thumbs catch the sparkling jewels that slid down her rosy
cheeks.
She smiled up at me. “I’ve been yours from the moment you treated me like I was an equal instead of some little girl. I love you, Tone. Being yours is an honor and a blessing. You being mine is a treasure. And you should probably know that my family is totally watching us right now.”
I glanced to my right. Saw the two faces peeking through the slits in the blinds. Waved and laughed, because what the fuck else could I do when they had caught me pressing all up on my woman and pouring my heart out?
“What’s with y’all and peeking through windows at people?”
Naomi didn’t answer me with words.
She rose up on her toes, pressing her mouth to mine. I didn’t need a handwritten invitation. That certainly got the job done.
I kissed her hard. Right there on the porch. Audience and all.
And saying I kissed her was the tame version of what I did to her mouth with mine.
So, let me be crystal clear.
I devoured her without an ounce of shame. Hands wandering. Tongue plunging. Body looping around hers as if I could pull her into me and never let go.
Never one to be outdone, she matched my intensity pound for pound.
Her dainty, capable fingers tangled in my beard. Her teeth found my tongue. My lips. Biting down. I groaned into her mouth, the beat of my heart picking up speed for reasons that had nothing to do with anger. She moaned, healing me with the sound.
I backed her up against the door, huge body covering hers. The air we breathed we shared equally. Just like we would everything else. My hands went to her ass, holding her in place. A good thing too, because the door opened behind her a moment later and we almost crashed to the ground.
I caught her easily, meeting the glares of the two men who had gone through every threat in the book before accepting that I wasn’t going anywhere without Naomi. They turned a blind eye to the fact that I intended to wait for her on the porch weeks ago. Freezing.
As if a little cold would deter me from my goal.
The three of us had a long conversation that day. Didn’t mean they were happy to catch me dry-humping her against the door, but oh well. I was still a Sinner. That wasn’t about to change.
Lawson tried to scowl at his sister, but it lacked any real ire. “Think you two can take this somewhere else?” he asked, tone clipped. “This one.” He hooked a thumb towards the older man beside him who hadn’t stopped shaking his head since the door opened. “Gets enough letters from the Homeowner’s Association for not taking care of the house. I don’t want to see one for public indecency show up. Especially not when I’m related to the subject at hand. Gross.”
Naomi giggled, linking our fingers together. Backing her body up against mine. “Don’t be such a downer, Law. We were probably going to stop before he shoved his hand down my-”
“Nope!” Lawson covered his ears and retreated into the house. He called over his shoulder, “I’m not listening to this. Do whatever you want as long as I don’t have to go blind, or deaf.”
“Let me take you home,” I whispered into her ear, aware my cock was digging into her hips, and that this was an incredibly inappropriate time for it. But what could I do about it?
This girl could get me going in a clown costume.
She nodded in response, subtly shifting against me. I was sure her dad wasn’t fooled, given our close proximity, but he didn’t call us on it either.
“I’ll be back to check on you,” she told him sternly, pointing a finger. “Both of you.”
He frowned at her but there was humor in his eyes. “I needed the wake-up call, kiddo. I even appreciate it. Now don’t mess it up by trying to baby either of us. Your brother and I are adults. We’ll work it out.”
She flew out of my grip and into his arms, hugging him around the neck. They rocked back and forth, and while I had no clue what the hell they were talking about, it didn’t matter. She was happy.
“Stay in touch,” he said to her. Then, to me, “Don’t make me come down there. I haven’t gotten out of this house as often as I should’ve, but I’ll certainly make an exception if need be.”
“Dad!” Naomi huffed, lifting my arm and putting it over her shoulders.
He shrugged, winked, and closed the door in her face. Thank God, because I wasn’t sure I could wait much longer.
I started pulling her towards the car that had always represented something deeper to me than just being a set of wheels. Once upon a time, it was an escape.
Now? It was so much more.
“Wait,” Naomi said after I tucked her into the passenger seat and secured her seatbelt. I hovered in the open doorway. “What about my car?”
I flashed her a quick smile. “I’ll take care of it.”
“What about my-”
I leaned down into the car, letting my eyes drift across her face. “Whatever it is. Whatever you need. I’ll take care of you, Smoothie Girl. Always.”
She reached out and pulled me closer, lips moving against mine. “Always,” she whispered. “I like the sound of that...”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Naomi
The ride seemed to go by impossibly quick, and I expected nothing less. Tone and I were experts at sealing out the rest of the world. Even the great, churning machine that was the passage of time.
We drove out of the neighborhood, onto the main roads, out to the highway. The sun lowered in the sky. Trees passed by. Headlights came on. But nothing mattered except for his hand in mine.
We didn’t say anything for the entire trip. The sound of the engine switching between rumbling purrs and fierce roars was the only sound that existed between us. But the silence wasn’t awkward or strained or anything less than perfect.
Because once again, it was ours.
My knight kept his hand in mine, and mine stayed in his.
Even when our palms started to sweat. Even when the seconds blended into minutes that turned into hours. Even when my fingers ached at being in the same position for so long, and I knew his must have as well.
The same way our fingers lingered, so did my smile.
I smiled at the little pieces of him I saw scattered around the car. The green tea in the cupholder. The scent of pine soaking into my bones, easing them with every breath. The way he kept one hand at the top of the wheel, commanding the powerful car with the same single-minded determination he did everything else.
I was wet from watching him. From seeing the sun highlight his strong jaw and reflect off the shades he wore while it was still up. From seeing those dark eyes that had drawn me in even before the rest of the man captured my heart once the sun went down. From seeing the tilt to his lips every time he glanced from the road and caught me watching him shamelessly.
There was no reason to hide how much he fascinated and enthralled me. No reason to pretend I wasn’t completely under the spell of my dangerous, capable, loving knight. I was his. And even though everything in my world wasn’t sunshine and rainbows, knowing our hearts beat in sync and would continue to do so made me feel above it all.
Eventually, I was going to come down.
Eventually, I was going to think about all the things I still had left to deal with.
He pulled into my driveway, parking us in front of my house, and I knew eventually wasn’t going to come just yet. I wouldn’t let it.
Tone glanced at me, eyes intent. He raised my hand to his lips and kissed each of my knuckles before finally releasing me and getting out of the car. His look alone told me not to move, so I stayed right where I was as he came around and opened my door for me. Taking my hand again to bring me to my feet and walk me up the steps.
A passing thought occurred to me when I got to the door and unlocked it, hand pausing on the knob. “There’s going to be cobwebs,” I said lamely, feeling a shudder pass through me.
Tone caged me in with his body. Warmth and hardness and male surrounded me, and I closed my eyes, leaning back against his chest.
“You’ve been away f
rom me for too long,” he rumbled against my hair, smooth voice stroking between my legs like he already knew about the wetness there. Maybe he did. He was too observant for his own good. “I craved you when I could take you multiple times a day. You know what’s about to happen. Cobwebs should be the least of your fucking worries.”
His voice was filled with dark promise, and my body remembered how he fulfilled those promises so, so well. Heat simmered in my belly, spreading out from there. It dropped to my thighs and legs and toes. Came back up through my heart and lungs until I could feel my pulse in my throat.
Already, I was turned on enough to be throbbing for him. Clenching my thighs together to satisfy an ache only he could cure.
And he hadn’t even started touching me yet.
“I told you.” He reached around me, fitting his hand over mine as he turned the knob and pushed the door open. “From here on out, I’ll always take care of you. Don’t make me keep repeating that.”
I stepped inside, glancing around in surprise. I wasn’t exactly sure what my place would look like after sitting abandoned for nearly a month, but it certainly didn’t look abandoned.
Everything was how I’d left it, suspiciously untouched by a speck of dust. I knew my knight had something to do with it, and I turned to ask him exactly what he’d been up to over these last few weeks.
Except he hadn’t followed me. He was on the other side of the open door, both arms braced while he leaned against the frame. And his eyes...they beckoned to me with something I almost failed to understand.
And then I did.
Despite the barely curbed intensity he was vibrating with, this man I loved so much I wanted to cry looking at him because I was just that fucking lucky, was waiting on me.
Asking for permission.
And realizing what he was doing told me so much more.
This was why he had brought me home. Not just to back to Oakdale. But back to a place that was mine and mine alone.
He could’ve just as easily stopped in front of his house. Carried me into his cave and had his filthy way with me. I wouldn’t have complained.
Tempted by a Sinner (Seven Sinners Book 4) Page 33