“He’s my ex.” She looks up, her eyes filled with uncertainty, knowing me well enough to detect that I’m about to lose it.
Keeping her neck pressed tight against the door, I slam my other hand against the door with full force, millimeters from her face. She winces before shutting her eyes. Deep down I feel like an asshole, making her uncomfortable like this. But the thing is, I want her to be uncomfortable. I want her to feel the tight grip she has on my heart that is slowly suffocating me.
She opens her eyes, which are now moist with tears. My gaze is entirely fixated on hers until they widen in terror, and she gasps for air. Realizing the tight grip I still have on her, I take a step back in shock, releasing her from my stronghold.
“Fuck,” I exclaim as I scrub my hands over my face.
As her hands reach up to comfort the delicate skin on her neck, I feel guilt move into my body, regretting that I hurt her the way I did.
I take another step forward, pressing my forehead against hers.
“I’m livid.” It’s not an excuse, but I’m not the kind of guy who apologizes.
“Yeah, I noticed,” she deadpans.
“How long?”
“Do you really wanna know? Or are you going to keep trying to strangle me with every sentence that rolls off my tongue? Because to be honest, it’s only sexy until I really can’t breathe.”
I take a deep breath, my nostrils flaring as I feel my dick twitch inside my jeans.
A hungry moan escapes my mouth before I place an encouraging kiss on her lips.
“Start talking.”
“He’s the one who saved me from Junior. He was one of the boys running around with the Distuccis, and he saved me that night, preventing any more from happening. He took me home.”
Twenty-Two
Callie
Present Day
I take a deep breath and tell him, “He’s the one who saved me from Junior. He was one of the boys running around with the Distuccis and he saved me that night, preventing any more from happening. He took me home.”
“Then what?” His breath fans my face.
“You want me to spell it out for you?”
He pushes off of me and starts pacing through the room. All the muscles in his chiseled face look like they are filled with tension and are hard as rock. He’s rubbing his knuckles as if he’s ready to punch someone, making his solid arms seem even bigger in his t-shirt.
It’s kinda hot.
Well, as long as it’s not directed at me.
I press my lips together, trying to suppress a smile since I know it will piss him off even more.
“I’m going to kill him,” he announces, walking around like a madman.
“Kill my brother, kill Reign, that’s a lot of killing,” I mumble mockingly, resulting in a glare from him.
“Are you going to kill every guy I ever slept with?”
“How many are there?”
“Jesus, Kane, does it really matter?” I fold my arms in front of my body and roll my eyes at him. The balcony door is still open from earlier, and I rub my arms to keep them warm. I drop my body against the door before I cock my head, staring at the human ball of burning energy in front of me. It sucks when his wrath is aimed at me, forcing me to use every ounce of energy in my body to hold my own against him, but it’s kinda fun when it’s pointed at someone else.
He snaps his head my way.
“How. Many?”
It’s not even a question anymore, and I know I’ll be pushing him off the edge any minute now.
But it’s so damn entertaining.
“Fucking hell, Callie!” he shouts while running his hands through his hair.
“Fine! Five. You included. Well, five with consent anyway.” I casually wave my hand in the air, brushing the rape away as if it’s nothing while he gives me a troubled look, his anger instantly gone.
Sadness washes over his face, which is the exact reason I don’t tell people.
Ever.
I don’t want pity.
I don’t need pity.
“Don’t do that. It happened. Shit happens. I’m fine. To be honest, Reign was a big part of that.” I shrug.
“How come?”
My feet are aching to move towards him and wrap him into my arms. To fix it for him, even though it’s not even his problem. A full feeling fills my heart, seeing the love this man holds for me. How fiercely he wants to protect me and fix my world for me.
It’s the feeling I was longing for before I left the yacht. It reminds me of Reign and the feeling he gave me six years ago. A sense of security, giving me the confidence I could take on the world on my own, but that I didn’t need to.
I won’t tell him, but they are more alike than he would like to hear.
“He taught me how to fight. After that night, he wanted to make sure I could defend myself. So for the first three months, he would drag me into the gym, teaching me everything he knew. And after that, it just became something I wanted to do. I loved how strong I felt because of it. I felt more confident. I felt like I mattered.”
“Why wouldn’t you matter?” He slowly walks back to me, gripping the small of my back, pressing my body flush to his.
“It’s kinda what happens when your brother sells you to the highest bidder for the night.”
“I’m really going to kill him, baby.”
“I know. I don’t care. The only reason I haven’t is because I thought he was family. He was blood. Now he’s just a psychopath. But Reign … I need you to keep him alive.” I reach my hands up to cup his neck, hoping the affection will calm him down. His still racing pulse throbs in my palm, and I give him a coy smile when he dips his chin a bit farther towards my face.
“Give me one reason,” he growls, even though I can hear the surrender in his voice.
“Well, for one, he’s the best hacker there is, and you know it, or you wouldn’t be working with him. Two, you can’t blame him for being there first.”
“You bet your ass I can.”
“Three,” I continue, ignoring his tantrum-like behavior, “and I know you aren’t going to like this, but he made me who I am. He’s my friend, and I will never forgive you if you hurt him.”
He narrows his eyes at me, moving them back and forth with a piercing gaze. A hint of annoyance reaches his eyes, mixed with a little bit of fear.
“Do you still love him?”
It hurts my heart to see the vulnerability in his face, since I’ve only known this man to be cold, ruthless, and confident to the core. But I can’t lie to him.
Not anymore, and not after my betrayal of stealing from him is still fresh in his head.
“I do.”
He inhales a sharp breath, taking a step back to distance himself from me. But before he can get out of my reach, I grip his shirt, pulling him back with a glare.
“Don’t, Kane. Less than twelve hours ago, you were yelling at me for not being honest. Don’t make me lie to you because you don’t want to hear it.”
He just stares at me with a blank face, not saying a word, so I take that as my cue to keep talking.
“Yes, I still love him. I probably always will. He’s my friend, and for a long period in my life, he was my best friend. He saved me in a way no one could, and I owe him a lot.”
A scowl appears on his face, but I continue before he gets the chance to open his mouth.
“But I am not in love with him. Not anymore. We fell out of love long before we broke up.”
Twenty-Three
Callie
Five years ago – 19 years old
I fumble with my keys before I put them in the lock and open the door, expecting the smell of food to hit me when I do. I’m surprised when I see Reign sitting on one of the bar stools, playing on his phone with no hint of anything cooking in the air.
“Hey.” He looks at me, giving me a troubled smile that cuts through my heart, leaving me clueless as to why. His normally bright energy now feels heavy as fuck, and my brows
furrow in confusion.
“Are we ordering in?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood.
With Reign, it’s not when he talks that something is wrong.
It’s when he stops talking that you know everything is going to shit.
We’ve been here before. When he has bad news, he gives me a troubled look and sits me down, hoping to lessen the blow. Like when he found out that Vernon Walt never stopped ‘buying’ underaged girls, or when Ronnie stopped shadowing Junior. Even though I knew I was bound to face my big brother sooner or later, anyway.
But this time it’s different.
This time an ache settles in my stomach, growing bigger by his lack of words.
“Not exactly,” he begins, running a hand through his shaggy hair.
He’s clearly uncomfortable as fuck, making me uncomfortable as fuck.
“Reign, what the fuck is going on?”
“I have to go.”
“Go? Go where?” I ask, impatience etched in my voice.
“I need to get back home.” He turns his chair towards me, then snakes his fingers under the waistband of my jeans, tugging me into his chest in one quick move.
“Okaaaaaay,” I drag out the word, not sure why this is such an unsettling conversation since he goes back home every other weekend. “When will you be back?”
He inhales deeply, staring at the floor before he breathes out through his nose, making his nostrils flare as he lifts up his head to meet my eyes.
“I’m not coming back.”
I’m sorry, what?!
My eyes widen in shock, thinking he must be pulling some kind of joke, but I know my Reign. He jokes about different kinds of stuff. About how handsome he is. About how my favorite candy was all sold out when really it wasn’t. About how he doesn’t want to go to the movies when he already bought the tickets.
Not things like this.
Realizing he’s serious about this, I start to shake my head while I try to push myself out of his grip. He holds me flush against his body while my eyes shoot daggers at him.
“What the fuck? You’re breaking up with me?”
“It’s not like that. I have to go. My family … I can’t explain it.” He presses his forehead against mine, sharing his pain with me as disappointment rushes through me.
“You wanted to chase my demons away.” I swallow hard, not wanting to let the tears stream down my cheeks. I know this is final. I can see it in his eyes. There is a spark missing that has always been reserved only for me. His green eyes are still hypnotizing, captivating me in every way, but a piece of his soul is missing, and he can’t, or won’t, tell me why. Somehow, I feel the honesty in his words, though. This is not about me.
He pushes a strand of my hair behind my ear before he cups my cheek.
“We both know you’ve been able to chase your own demons away for a long time now. You don’t need me anymore. You and I, we have this invisible connection, and you will always be my girl. But you know we are not endgame.”
“I do need you. You’re my best friend.” A sole tear escapes the corner of my eye, and he wipes it away with his thumb.
“You don’t need me. Not really.”
“Are you leaving because you don’t love me anymore?”
He lets out an amused chuckle that doesn’t match the sad look in his eyes.
“Angel, I will always love you. And I know you will always love me. But you stopped needing me a while ago. You’re strong enough to fight your demons, and I’m sure you’ll kick ass doing it. Even though I’m sure you will one day find a guy who will kill for you.”
“Then why? Why are you leaving me?”
“Because I have to deal with my own demons.”
My eyes flutter shut, and I feel the tears running along my cheeks because those words tell me I have to say goodbye.
But I really don’t want to.
He’s been my rock for the last year, and even though I’m not in love with him anymore, I still want him around. I want him to stay, and I’m sure I could make him stay, but it would be a selfish thing to do because I know he’s right. Even though he will always have a piece of my heart, after a while the passion died, and all that is left is a friendship. A lifelong friendship, but it hasn’t been more for a while now. I didn’t care, and since life didn’t give us a reason to do anything different, he didn’t either. But now life has come knocking at the door, telling us it’s time to move on. That it is time to go our separate ways, even though it feels like a knife is slicing through my already broken soul.
He starts kissing my tears away, and I savor the touch, knowing it will never again be more than this.
Finally, he gets up, holding my head in his hands before he leaves a lingering kiss on my forehead. A touch that says so much more than words, a memory that will be burned into my soul forever.
“I paid the rent for the next three months,” he says after he pulls his warm lips from my skin. He lowers his head to lock eyes with me while still cupping my cheeks. I can see him swallow hard, and even though he’s not the kind of guy who will cry, I can see the sadness in his eyes.
“This is not about you. This is not about us. I will always be your friend. You can call me whenever you want. I will always be there for you. If you’re in trouble, call me. Okay?” He raises his eyebrows, waiting for me to answer, but I can’t voice a word.
I close my eyes again, then nod while I do my best to push the tears away.
“Hey, look at me,” he demands while his nose brushes against mine.
I take a deep breath before my eyes flutter open, and I try to force a smile on my face.
“Always, Angel. You hear me?”
“Yes, I hear you.”
“Good.” I expect him to pull back, but he presses his lips against mine one last time.
It’s warm.
It’s affectionate.
It’s loaded.
It’s goodbye.
It’s a kiss I will remember and savor for the rest of my life.
Finally, he pulls his head back and gives me a coy smile while he brushes my cheek with his thumb.
“Don’t forget me,” he whispers.
“Never.”
He lets go of my face, then grabs his bag off the floor before he gives me one last kiss on my hair and heads for the door. I stare out of the floor to ceiling window, not sure if I can keep it together if I turn around.
“Angel?” I hear him say as he opens the door.
Hesitant, I turn around, my hand on the kitchen island to keep from collapsing.
“Hmm?” I hum in response.
“Stay out of trouble, okay?”
I let out a chuckle.
“I will if you will.”
That brings a smile to his face, and he gives me a wink before he closes the door behind him.
I suck in a sad breath before I slowly lower myself to the floor, staring at the gray tiles.
After the first tear pushes through, I don’t even try to hold them back. Within seconds, tears are running down my cheeks, and I’m sobbing on the floor with my chin on my knees.
I’m not even sure why I’m crying. I’m not even sure if it’s really Reign I’m crying about. It feels fucking scary to have to face this world without him. Even though he hasn’t been in my life that long, I feel like he is such a huge part of who I’ve become. He made me stronger in every way, and I feel like a little bird being pushed out of the nest, not quite ready to fly but with no option other than to try. As if he can read my thoughts, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, so I pull it out. My hands reach up to wipe my tears so I can read the message.
* * *
REIGN: FLY, ANGEL. YOU ARE READY.
* * *
And just like that, despite my heart being cracked, Reign Delaney puts one last smile on my face.
Twenty-Four
Kane
Present Day
I look into Callie’s teal eyes.
“I know you’ll never like hearing it,
and we don’t ever have to talk about it after today, but Reign is important to me, and he always will be.” Her eyes seem to be pleading more with every word she says. “He’s the reason I’m who I am. He’s part of my past, and my past brought me here. He’s my friend.”
She gives me a daring look, making a grin appear on my face.
Thinking about her wrapped in another man’s arms makes me angry as fuck, but I missed this, having her sass twenty-four seven.
Like I said before, it’s entertaining as fuck.
“You sure about that?” I growl, just for the sake of it.
Wolfe’s a nuisance for me right now, and if she wasn’t right about him being the best hacker there is, I probably would’ve put him back on that jet, giving him a one-way ticket back to Boston.
But he really is the best there is, and we need answers because it’s time to end this war.
“I’m standing here with you, aren’t I?” she snarls, a vein throbbing in her temple.
I forcefully grab her hips before I twist her around, pushing her cheek against the closed door. She gasps but keeps her mouth shut when my hand reaches for her neck, slowly wrapping it around her throat while my body presses her against the wood.
“It’s not like you have any other choice,” I whisper, my mouth flush against the shell of her ear. My other hand reaches in front of her to unbutton her jeans. I caress the soft skin of her belly before I push my hand inside and cup her already wet pussy.
She closes her eyes at my touch, letting out a responsive moan.
“There is always a choice.”
Her tone is rebellious, and I can see she is fighting to suppress her seductive grin.
Her entire posture bold as fuck.
Just the way I like her.
“Is that so?” My teeth scrape the skin on her shoulder hard enough to leave a mark, but not hard enough to draw blood. She whimpers in my hands while my hand roams through her drenched folds. My finger starts to knead the flesh around her clit with every intention to torment the fuck out of her.
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