“I didn’t expect that things would always be sunshine and unicorns but yes. I think all they really want from us is to just be there for them,” I answer her, and know deep in my soul that it’s the truth. Silas knows my history, he knows the parts of me I’m most ashamed of and yet, he still held me through it. I know I could give him the same if he lets me.
I’m about to ask how she juggles everything when the door opens and Matt walks in with Jason. “Ciaran and the boys are waiting. We’re sending you young‘uns home for the night.”
Saylor laughs and hugs them both, much to Jason’s surprise, before we leave and head over to the guys. Saylor jumps into Ciaran’s arms, while I shyly approach my own Midwest boy.
He eyes me as I get closer, his jaw ticking until I’m right in front of him. “I’m glad you’re okay,” I tell him, tilting my head back.
His green eyes widen before falling down to my lips. He takes a step forward before Kai huffs. “Of course I’m the 5th wheel. You all suck,” he complains, ruining the moment.
Silas shakes his head and takes my hand. “Let’s get back. Everyone will be getting up soon.”
I realize he’s right, as my phone now reads six a.m. I still feel wired and can’t even think about sleeping. By the time we get back, Saylor has fallen asleep. Ciaran takes her out of the truck and carries her toward his cabin. Kai watches them with a ghost of a smile on his lips, before heading to his own private area.
“Going to sneak in?” Silas asks, laughter in his voice.
“Can I stay with you?”
“You want to?” he questions, sounding surprised, and I nod my head, sliding my hand into his.
Silas leads us into his cabin, and once again, the air crackles with energy around us. I turn in his arms, my lashes lowering, my gaze fixed on his full lips. The whirlwind emotions of this day slam into me, but nothing tampers the need inside me.
A whimper escapes my mouth and that’s all the motivation Silas needs before he’s on me, half-carrying and half-walking me back to his bed. My hands fist in his shirt, balling the material before easing it up his body and off over his head. My own shirt follows, before his hands land on my leggings, his fingers dipping into the waistband and tugging them down. I gasp into his mouth, giving his tongue better access, while my own hands undo the button on his jeans. The rest of our clothes drop in a pile until we’re skin to skin. Silas walks me backward until my knees hit the bed and I go down. He follows right after me, crawling up my body, leaving a trail of kisses and bites along my skin. He stops at the juncture of my thighs, before slinging my legs around his neck. I watch with a hooded gaze as Silas’ mouth dips down, sucking at the skin, before sliding his tongue through my slit.
“Oh god.” I moan, my head tipping back, my hips thrusting up toward his face, chasing the high he’s offering. Silas smirks, his grip on my sides tightening before lowering back down and devouring my pussy like I’m his last meal. One of my hands stays fisted in his sheets, ready for the ride while the other lands on his head, grasping the silky strands of his hair. He makes a noise in the back of his throat, letting me know he must not care. His tongue is aggressive inside me; I’ve never felt anything like this before. I twist and turn, reaching for something I can’t name, and Silas follows my every move, his mouth more intense in giving me what I need. When I feel two fingers at my slick entrance, my eyes slam closed, and I cry out as intense pleasure ripples through my entire body. Silas pulls back, taking his time, kissing the insides of my legs and down my calves while I find a way to think again, my brain officially turned to mush. When I can manage to open my eyes, he’s watching me closely, his tongue running over his glistening lips. “Mmm.” He hums low in his throat. “You are the sweetest taste of summer, Lux.”
A flush creeps across my chest at his words, and the way his eyes burn into me. Never breaking eye contact, he reaches over and grabs a condom from the bedside table and rolls it on. I watch, my chest rising and falling, as he lines up with my entrance and thrusts inside. My back bows off the bed, his lips meeting mine, before moving down my neck, his tongue sliding out to tease one nipple and then the other. My hands land on his shoulders, pulling him to me as closely as I can. When he finally has me twisting under him, moaning his name, he starts to take me faster, harder, until my body is moving up the bed under him. His cock rubs against the insides of my walls with every thrust, while intense pleasure courses through my body.
“Silas,” I murmur, my arms sliding over his back, trying to get closer, struggling to meet his every thrust. The pleasure builds and builds until my body physically and emotionally can’t take anymore. I detonate around him, waves of my release so intense I cry out. Silas kisses me, catching my sounds against his lips. His forehead rests against mine. “Fuck, Lux,” he murmurs, his eyes closing while he finds his own release. When his body stills, his head drops to the sensitive skin where my neck and shoulder meet. We lie like that until his heartbeat returns to normal. When he pulls back and hops out of bed, I miss him instantly. Silas goes to the bathroom and discards the condom before coming back to me. He slides in, completely unabashed with his nakedness, and pulls me into him. I go willingly, craving the intimacy only he can give me. I feel a part of my heart break off and turn itself over to him. I only hope he is willing to keep it safe, and maybe, just maybe, give me a piece of his in return.
Silas
I should be used to the sound of the alarms going off by now, for how frequent it’s been happening, but I’m not. I swear I just fell asleep after gifting Lux three mind-blowing orgasms, her words not mine. She stirs next to me, but somehow manages to keep sleeping. I reach for my phone, careful not to disturb her.
ACQUIRE TARGETS. LOCK DOWN ADVISED. ROGUE TO HEADQUARTERS.
The message flashes across my screen. “Fuck.” I slip from bed and throw on the shorts I wore earlier along with my favorite Henley top. “Lux,” I call her name, my hand landing gently on her shoulder. “Sweetheart, we have to go.” Finally her eyes open, and she sees me dressed and hovering over her.
“What happened?” She sits up and searches for her clothes.
“I don’t know yet,” I tell her, searching for my gun and vest. “I just got the message.”
Lux dresses quickly. I tuck her under my arm as we head outside. Ciaran and Kai are already moving. Saylor, Reed and Bentley are with them. Matt and Jason took Mila. Everyone looks exhausted. It’s Fourth of July weekend, and we got back late as it was from the carnival in town. Matt gave us one night and now the alarms are going off. Shit is getting worse, and we have no leads since the incident a few weeks ago. I’m hoping maybe some fireworks just got set off too close to a sensor, and we will get to head back soon.
“Maybe it’s a false alarm,” I mutter to myself, as we drive out of the parking lot toward headquarters. Lux yawns next to me. I only feel a small twinge of guilt that she’s tired. Ever since we crossed the relationship line, things have been moving forward steadily between us. Once Lux spilled her truths to me and everyone else, it’s like she’s become freer. She, Saylor and Oaklynn have grown closer even, all three of them running off from us to the Ferris Wheel tonight. They think they’re funny, keeping us on our toes.
“Mmm,” Lux answers, nestling her face against my shoulder. “I’m tired.”
I lean down and kiss the top of her head, my heart squeezing inside my chest. Feelings I’ve been too scared to name float to the surface. I’m dying to say them, but I keep holding back. Summer is almost over and Lux will leave. There is a good chance she may not want to remain involved with Rogue or me once she graduates, and we both know I’ll be in the service for a few years too.
When we reach the compound, everyone guides the targets in, and the door is locked behind us. Erika is already on the screen, firing off directions to someone behind her camera. Matt and my dad are pacing in the front of the room.
“Have a seat,” Matt instructs us.
Lux sits next to Saylor, with Ciaran on the other si
de. I don’t sit, instead posting up against the wall next to Kai, who’s watching the room anxiously.
“The hell happened now,” he mutters, his eyes sliding to me.
“No idea.” I shrug, my hands coming up to rest against my vest.
“I’m turning my mute off now.” Erika’s voice gets louder in the room, her fingers pushing against her temples.
“What happened?” Matt asks, and her eyes find him easily, almost greedily.
“It’s not necessarily good,” she responds, her voice hallow.
“Another attack?” My dad questions, and she shakes her head no.
“Two weeks ago was our last contact with Calvin. He was moving deeper into the family and any trace of Rogue would have been bad for us and for him. I tried to get any message I could to him earlier this week and he was unresponsive. Then today I got…this,” she hesitates, her gaze seeming to fall on Saylor, who is now leaning forward in her seat, “I’m sorry.”
Calvin’s face fills the screen, what’s left of his face that can be seen anyways. Half his face is purple and welted, the other side is bloody and raw. Saylor’s intake of breath can be heard from where I am. Ciaran’s arm wraps around her and Lux takes her hand. Saylor reaches for Mila who watches the screen, her eyes filling with tears before she looks away.
Calvin appears to hit a button on a recorder, and his sigh becomes audible in the room.
“Erika, I hope you get this and can get it into the right hands. I don’t know how much time I have. The DeMuccis and the Connellys have reached an agreement that their heirs must be found. Which means Kelly is in danger if she doesn’t give the Connellys what they want. Right now, she’s alive, but they want to trade. Her for me in order for the secrets to spill. They know their heirs are in hiding and are being fed information from a third party, The Establishment. These fuckers are merciless and have been working overtime to get to your people and turn them against you. Kristen Aimsworth is laundering funds for The Establishment. Red Harding, find him. Check records from the past twenty years that involve an incident in Toronto.” Calvin exhales, his head falling forward. “They aren’t safe there.” His eyes move up to glance one more time at the camera before the screen goes black.
“This is all he sent,” Erika speaks, her voice echoing in the silence.
My heart thuds against my rib cage, blood pulsing in my ear drums. Calvin just confirmed some of our worst fears, pieces of a puzzle we’ve been working on for months fall into place, finally making sense.
“What’s the accuracy on this video? Are we sure it’s actually Calvin?” my dad asks, everyone turning to look at him. “I’m just wondering because they made a dead body look convincingly like Kelly. And half his face is bashed in.”
“Fair point,” Erika answers. “He left his DNA on the sealed envelope. We matched it with one hundred percent accuracy. Since we have international reach, I’m pulling all incidents in Toronto and we will start checking them against possible aliases used and targets that have come out of there. I don’t know anything, though, about Red Harding. Matt, does that name mean anything to you or your family?”
Matt shakes his head, no. “We’ll start concentrating on that here.”
“Who isn’t safe and where is here?” Kai questions. “Minnesota, the cabin, Savage Lakes or is he talking bigger like America in general?”
“Right now, your guess is as good as mine. One thing for sure is that we have targets and we have potential heirs, as well as a laundry list of employees we’re still combing through for information on The Establishment,” Erika lists out.
I feel my jaw tick, and anger build in me all over again. I don’t even notice Lux, until her hand slides into mine, to see that she moved from her seat to be by me. She squeezes my hand, silently sending me strength with a much-needed dose of calmness. My eyes stay transfixed on her. Mine. Whatever happens we need to come to an agreement where she considers being all-in because I can’t lose her.
I miss the last of the exchange between Matt and Erika, but reading the room, I guess it was an intense one. Matt takes a few minutes before glancing at all of us. “I’ll ask the Saffrans to take their family outside of the home tomorrow for a few hours. We need to have a meeting and start nailing down what we need if we’re staying here.”
“I think we can all agree something is coming,” my dad adds, his hands sliding up to the top of his own vest, adjusting it around his neck.
“I agree. And we need to prepare. I’ll send word to Randy. Savage Lakes is officially on lockdown until further notice. No more leaving the home base either.” Matt’s gaze slides over all of us. We all nod in agreement. “Let’s get out of here.”
The same way we entered, we head home. I keep Lux behind me while ushering her to my truck and helping her in. I jump in and gun the gas to keep up with Ciaran, who is moving fast with Saylor and Reed with him. We’re all anxious, and maybe even a little desperate, to make it back. By the time we get to the cabins, everyone files inside, but I keep my hand gripped on Lux, leading her away from the main house. My eyes catch Ciaran, who nods at me, letting me know he saw and will cover. Lux is safe with me, so I lead her back to my cabin and lock us in.
“I’m scared,” she whispers in the dark, and my arms wrap around her.
“I’m here,” I tell her, my hands cupping her face. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Her brow lifts. “It’s not me I’m worried about. Who protects you?”
Her eyes darken while they search mine. I can feel the sincerity in her stare. Warmth spreads throughout my chest, gripping my heart and waking it up. I’ve never felt this way before about anyone. It scares the shit out of me, but I’d be lying to myself if I denied it. It took a lot to get us here. I don’t care about the lies. I won’t survive if she leaves me too.
“You do,” I tell her, my forehead resting against hers. “I don’t trust people easily, Lux. But I trust you,” I tell her laughing lightly. “I’ve also never wanted to keep someone like I do you. I’m used to running into danger and that will never change. But it feels damn good knowing you will be there when it’s over. That I have someone to fight to come back.”
She sighs, and tears gather on her bottom lashes. She rises on her tiptoes, bringing her lips to mine. I chase the taste of her lips, inhaling her coconut scent and tasting the sweetness only she has. We end up back in my bed where I hold her close and try to figure out how we’re all going to make it out of this alive. I need a future where Lux and I exist and Rogue is safe. There is no other alternative.
Lux
The Saffrans didn’t take the news well. They still somehow managed to fool Oaklynn and Oliver into spending some quality family time off the property. The rest of us camp in the living room, reliving the meeting from last night. Saylor hugs Mila, who manages to stay strong despite the fact that Calvin is her biological father. Maybe after everything he has done, she has reached her limit. Reed listens as intently as he did last night. The person who appears to be struggling the hardest is Bentley. His body rocks on the couch, his elbows on his knees and his hands holding his head.
“You okay, Rhodes?” Kai asks, actually sounding concerned.
“I can’t go back to them. My real family. I know who they are and what they do. It’s why my mom left, why they killed her.” His face pales, and he swallows.
“You’re going to be okay,” Kai reassures him. “We aren’t giving them anyone. Not targets or heirs.”
I try to keep Kai’s perspective and offer help wherever I can. There seems to be a common struggle amongst everyone. What do we do? After last night, I’ve made my decision; I just have to talk to Silas about it. I’m going to stay with Rogue. No matter what happens and how this plays out, I see my future here. It’s exactly how Saylor said it would be. Obviously I’ll need to return to New York and finish out school before I can bring it up to Matt, but it’s what I want. Silas will be in the military for a little under four years and I can take that time to
go to college and figure out my niche in the business. The timing just sucks right now.
My gaze finds Silas across the room and he instantly knows it’s me watching him, his lips turning up into an easy grin when his eyes flick to mine. God, he’s perfect.
“I think the best plan right now would be to keep Bentley, Reed and Mila at the compound. It’s more stable and we know for certain they’re at the top of the list with the DeMuccis and Connellys,” Matt announces, bringing everyone’s attention back to him.
“What about looking normal?” Reed questions.
“We will still move about our business here, while we gather the rest of the information we need. But you three would be safer at the compound,” Matt responds. Saylor holds Mila to her, both girls wearing grim expressions.
“We’ll work on pulling information on Red Harding and continue to reach out of state to other employees, letting them know what’s going on,” Matt adds.
“I need you three to compile a list of what we’re going to need. We’ll make one last run into town.” Jason looks to Silas, Kai, and Ciaran.
“What about the Saffrans?” Kai questions. I hold my breath, waiting for the answer.
“I’ll talk to Valerie, but given the circumstances, it may be better if they head home. We can’t keep this under wraps and sooner or later, her kids could be exposed. I’m sorry, Raina, I know that means you would be going back as well,” Matt announces.
My body deflates on itself, the love bubble I was wrapped in popping. I was hoping for more time with Silas. I wanted him to know how serious I am about being a part of Rogue permanently. My mind spins with ideas. I need to get him alone so we can plan. I refuse to leave for New York without one.
“What about my mom?” Saylor speaks and the room hushes again. “What’s our plan to help her? Calvin could trade her life and not think twice about it, I’ve seen it before. If she’s trapped between these crime families and holds Rogue secrets…she’s a sitting duck. Calvin could care less if it means saving himself.”
#SummerGirl Page 13