The Danger You Know

by Lily White

  Despite our differences, Ari is the missing piece in my life, his sharp edges fitting perfectly with mine.

  He’s a killer, yet the only person who helps me sleep. He’s been the constant shadow, once again within my reach. It doesn’t make sense, but then nothing in life really ever does. Especially when it comes to what matters. What we choose to keep. And what we choose to let go.

  “I was standing right by that tree on the night I first saw you.”

  My hands slide over his, our fingers tangling together. “Did he say anything that night?”

  Ari sighs. “Not a word.”

  “And you didn’t find it odd he’d asked you to do what you did?”

  Silence for a beat, and then, “It mattered little to me. I was doing a job. Just like any other.”

  I don’t answer, and he presses his lips against the side of my neck, his breath warm against my skin. “Do you want to stay a little while longer?”

  Thinking back on all the nightmares, all the pain, all the ghosts of the past that kept me spinning out of control, I realize now that I’m finally free of them, my hands letting go, my heart softening with what it means to forgive.

  “No. I’m ready to leave.”

  Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, too.

  Ari grasps my hand tight as he leads me through the house and out to his car. Opening the door for me, he waits until I’ve buckled my seatbelt before shutting the door and running around to the driver’s seat. I watch the house grow smaller in the side mirror until we turn a corner and it’s gone entirely.

  I’m not sad to see it go.

  Ari pulls out onto the highway and floors the gas, Deftone’s Passenger blasting from the speakers, yet another song he’d hijacked from the playlist I’d built through the years he’d watched me.

  Cars fly past on either side of us, Ari smoothly weaving through traffic, lights from the street lamps sliding across his skin as he focuses on the road.

  “Is there a reason we’re going a thousand miles an hour?”

  My hand grips the handle on the door, my heart climbing into my throat. He drives like a maniac.

  “I’m an excellent driver. You have nothing to worry about. Nothing can break my focus.”

  I cock a brow at his arrogance, the corner of my mouth curls with a devious idea. “Nothing?”

  “Not a thing,” he says, grinning that damn smirk of his that drives me mad.

  “Ah, well, in that case, I guess you won’t mind if I have a little fun.”

  Determined to prove him wrong, I undo his belt and pants, my hand slipping down beneath his boxer briefs to slide a fingertip over his cock. It’s just like Ari to grow hard immediately. The man is always ready to go.

  Watching his face, I don’t see any indication that his focus has wavered, so I up the stakes, lean over and take him into my mouth.

  “Fuck...” he breathes out, one of his hands moving to my head, his fingers curling into my hair.

  I feel the car shift but straighten again, my tongue running up the line of his shaft before I take him deeper to prove my point.

  The engine revs as he speeds up, his voice rough when he teases, “Is that the game you want to play, baby bird? Let’s see who’s the better player?”

  Wind whips into the car as the windows roll down, the privacy I’d relied on with the dark tinted windows lost. Ari’s fingers guide my head as he says, “There’s a truck next to us at the moment.”

  I feel the car slow as he paces whoever is beside us, his voice still teasing me.

  “They’re looking at what you’re doing.”

  I hear them hoot at what’s going on, male voices egging me on from outside the car.

  My lips pull into a smile as I pull up enough to release his cock and say, “Let them watch. You won’t stop me. I don’t care who sees us.”

  He growls as I take him into my mouth again.

  “You’re fucking nuts. It’s like you were made for me,” he laughs as the car speeds up, smoothly changing lanes as he drives us home.

  The car shifts again just a touch when I softly drag my teeth over his skin, his fist tightening in my hair.

  “Such a dirty girl. I’m going to spank your ass for this. I hope you know that.”

  A few quick turns, and I hear the familiar echo of the underground parking garage at his penthouse, the car rolling to a stop as I tease him, taking him deep before pulling up until just the tip is between my lips.

  A low growl. “You’d better climb over my lap right this second, baby bird. Otherwise, I’m coming after you.”

  I smile and lift my gaze to see a set of grey eyes staring down at me, heat blazing behind them.

  Just looking at him sends a shiver down my spine. I’ve never felt this way for anybody besides Ari.

  Pulling my head up, I brace my hands on his strong thighs.

  “I won’t fit.”

  Ari reaches down the side of his seat, the entire thing shifting back as he runs his thumb over spit on the side of my mouth from what I’d already done.

  “You’ve fit before, you just don’t remember.”

  He guides me to straddle his lap, his hands making quick work to flip up my skirt and shove my panties to the side. People walk around the parking lot on either side of us, an audience that neither of us care if they can see. The world dissolves when we’re together.

  It’s just Ari and me as my body sinks down over his cock, our eyes locked together, the horn beeping when I lean back against the steering wheel. The sound echoes through the garage, but it feels too good to care, my hips rolling as I bounce on his lap, his eyes darkening with pleasure as his hand cups my breast.

  “Always such an eager girl,” he whispers before pulling me forward, our mouths colliding while our bodies move in tandem.

  Every part of me trembles as an orgasm tears through me, his teeth biting down on my lip as he finds his own release.

  As we’re catching our breath, I look around the parking lot and laugh. “How the hell did you get us here so quick?”

  “Like I said: excellent driver. Now hop off, I have a surprise upstairs for you.”

  My brows tug together. “Is that where you were all day?”

  He stares at me thoughtfully, his fingers softly brushing down the nape of my neck. “I couldn’t bring you home without giving you something I know you’ll need.”

  Surprised by the statement, I blink. “What more can I possibly need?”

  “You’ll see,” he says as he taps my thigh.

  We both fix our clothes and get out of the car, his hand locking protectively over mine as he leads us to the elevator and types in the code.

  After we step in, it shoots up fast enough to sink my stomach to my feet, the doors dinging open to the penthouse, a bank of windows to our left revealing the lights of the city beyond.

  Ari walks me past the piano, all my photographs adorning the walls with small lights above them to reveal the images.

  Guided down the hall, I think we’re going to the master bedroom, but Ari stops at a guest room door and opens it to reveal a space that takes my fucking breath away.

  I step inside, unable to speak while looking at the tapestries on the walls, the statues, and different paintings. Photographs hang on a string that lines one wall, clothespins clipping them in place.

  Absolutely stunned, I know by now not to ask, but I turn to him anyway. “How did you do this? This is everything from my old bedroom.”

  His mouth crooks at the corner. “I believe we’ve discussed my secrets and the fact I won’t discuss them. Must I always remind you?”

  Throwing my arms around him, I breathe out as he holds me. Still, I don’t understand why he did this.

  “Why?”

  “We’re not always going to see eye to eye. We’re too stubborn for that. But I’ll never accept you running off. Not where I can’t get to you. Never again. So, when I piss you off, which I will because I enjoy doing it, you have this door to slam i
n my face.”

  I laugh and look at the door. “Why is the lock on the outside?”

  He glances at it and back to me. “That’s for when you piss me off. Keeping you prisoner had its benefits.”

  A shake of my head. “Just don’t lock me in alone for too long. I can’t sleep without you.”

  He smiles. The real one this time. An expression that is so rare, yet blinding when it occurs.

  “You’ll never have to worry about that again. Your shadow is real, Adeline. And now that he has you, he’ll never let you go.”

  It’s strange, this new reality, this place where we’ve ended up. In so many ways, it should have never led to this, for him or for me, but yet it’s the only place that’s right.

  Ari, for all his screwed up acts, has proven he’s the man I’d written about when I was younger. The man who couldn’t exist, yet was always nearby.

  Watching.

  Waiting.

  Protecting me even when I didn’t know he was there.

  Speaking of which...

  “Let me guess, you also installed cameras today?”

  Another wicked grin. “I’m Ari. I’m sure you remember me. I’m kind of hard to forget.”

  As if that’s the only explanation needed.

  In the end, it is.

  He will always be a damn stalker.

  And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Ari

  Two years later...

  I’m going to go broke if Adeline keeps doing these gallery shows. Every couple of months, she comes up with a new set that Rebecca can’t help but show off immediately, the images sometimes dark as fuck, but others so hopeful it makes my heart bleed.

  How we’re making this work, I’m not sure. It’s not like our lives go together. I still kill people for a living, and she keeps living in a happy little bubble believing everything is good in the world.

  Sure, she’s gone through some shit, parts of which were caused by me, but there’s a light in Adeline that can’t be snuffed out, a glimmer of truth that makes it damn near impossible for me not to feel hopeful, too.

  It sucks. I won’t lie. I’m much better off being a bitter son of a bitch who can’t care less about the world around him.

  Staring at her like this, seeing her in her element surrounded by other women in their fancy gowns discussing the imagery she’s created about the life we live, it’s astounding to me.

  My little monster has grown the fuck up. She’s blossomed into a woman that I can’t live without. She’s become something that makes me believe there might be a reason I exist other than for the express purpose of fucking up people’s lives.

  “How much did you pay for these shots?”

  “Five million,” I answer, my gaze sliding to Lincoln where he stands next to me. The asshole looks good in a tux, not as good as me obviously, but he runs a close second.

  His deep laughter rumbles. “Can’t you just get her to print them out for free?”

  “That’s not the point.” I glare at him. “We have a system. Stop questioning shit.”

  His mouth crooks just as two men step up to stand beside us. My skin bristles immediately because like recognizes like.

  Both Lincoln and I turn to lock eyes with Aiden Oliver and the darker haired man that stands next to him. Aiden grins, just the corner of his lip curling up like he knows a secret.

  “I was hoping you’d be here tonight. I’ve wanted to talk ever since you abducted Adeline from Grant Cabot.”

  Lincoln and I answer in unison. “She wasn’t abducted.”

  Aiden grins again, his slimy expression stuck in place as he glances at Adeline and Rebecca across the room.

  “If that’s the story you’re going with, I’ll pretend to believe it.”

  My eyes narrow on him as his friend offers a hand in greeting. “You must be Ari. I’m Anthony Bernal.”

  My eyes lock with his, but I refuse to shake his hand. It doesn’t matter that he’s the picture of sophistication, complete with foreign accent and all. There is something unsettling about these two.

  Lincoln introduces himself as well, and once the introductions are done, Aiden leans in to speak with a low voice.

  “Did she kick and scream much?”

  I lick my teeth, my fingers stretching out in an effort not to fist my hand. “I didn’t abduct her.”

  Aiden and Anthony give each other a pointed look before they both laugh and relax their postures.

  “Fine. I’ll accept that you didn’t abduct her, but please tell me you were the reason Grant met such an ugly end.”

  Shoulders tense, I answer, “That was his sister.”

  “Sure it was. From what I heard, every bone in his body was shattered to dust, his skin split and head cracked open like a watermelon. That doesn’t exactly scream murder-by-female to me.”

  Anthony glances over at us, his expression unreadable.

  I’m starting to hate these shows.

  Adeline needs to find a new gallery.

  “Listen, all I’m saying is that I like your style. If you’re ever up for hire, you let me know.”

  Glancing at him, I size him up.

  “You seem like the type that takes care of his own problems.”

  “I am, but I also have a daughter now. That doesn’t give me a lot of time.”

  Pulling a business card from his pocket, he hands it to me.

  “Give me a call. With the way you’re blowing money on your girlfriend’s photos, you’ll need the extra cash.”

  With that, Aiden and Anthony incline their heads and walk off. I pocket the card and look at Lincoln.

  “Do they rub you the wrong way, too?”

  Lincoln’s distrustful gaze follows them across the room.

  “It’s getting late, we should get Adeline out of here.”

  We walk toward the group of women, and my hands slides over Adeline’s lower back.

  “I think it’s time I take you home, baby bird. I have all sorts of wicked plans for tonight.”

  Lincoln says his goodbyes and slips ahead of us, nodding at me once before stepping through the door to walk outside.

  Head against my shoulder, Adeline looks up at me with heat behind her eyes. “Let’s go.”

  We make the rounds of bidding farewell and are walking down the street toward my car. Adeline’s hand is warm in mine, her gown fluttering apart where the split runs up her thigh.

  “Do you remember that night at the company event when you pulled me into a hallway and fucked me against a wall?”

  Glancing down at her, I cock a brow. “How could I forget? I have a thing for sex in public. Dirty alleyways have their benefits, too.”

  Pure mischief lights her eyes. “Like the one we’re walking up to now?”

  She doesn’t have to say another word, the predator in me coming to life as I tug her to the side, drag her into the shadows and lift her up to pin her against the wall.

  My mouth runs down the line of her throat as my hands explore up the damn slit in her dress that has been driving me crazy all fucking night.

  Adeline moans as my fingers flick her panties aside and thrust inside her, our mouths colliding sloppily, all teeth and lips and tongue.

  She’s fighting to undo my pants, her dirty mind going straight to the prize as she frees my cock and slaps my hand away to notch it at her body.

  One thrust and I’m inside her, the city moving all around us, but we don’t give the first fuck about being caught.

  This is us.

  Wild and slightly mad.

  Fucking filthy and so starved for each other that it will never be enough.

  Her body slides up the wall with every thrust of my hips, her hands burying in my hair as her inner muscles clench.

  Mouth sliding to my ear, Adeline is breathless when she says, “You’ve always been dangerous for a girl like me, Ari. I never stood a chance.”

  But that’s where she’s wrong.

  The danger was never what I would d
o to her life, it’s what she did to mine.

  She swept in and stole everything I am. Changed me in ways I could never have imagined.

  Breathed warmth into a soul that knew only cold.

  It’s never the dangers that lurk in the shadows you have to worry about, it’s the ones you know. The people who can turn your world upside down without any effort at all. The terrifying monsters that sneak up when you least expect it to steal your heart and drive you insane.

  Gripping my hand in her hair, I devour her mouth as we both reach a release at the same time.

  “I was never the fucking danger,” I growl against her ear. “The only danger in my fucked up world has been you.”

  She grins at that, and I laugh at the blush running across her cheeks.

  Adeline Kane has always been mine.

  And I feel fucking sorry for any idiot who tries to challenge that.

  I may not be the hero in this story, but I’m definitely the demon that rocks her world.

  Nothing will ever touch her again.

  Nobody will hurt her.

  Not while I’m watching.

  THE END

  (Keep reading for a sneak peek of Treachery (Book 1 of the Antihero Inferno Series)

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  ANTIHERO INFERNO SERIES

  NINE RUTHLESS MEN. NINE UNREPENTANT SINNERS. NINE IRRESISTBLE MANIPULATORS YOU’LL HATE TO LOVE…

  FIRST CIRCLE (LIMBO)

  MASON STROM

  SECOND CIRCLE (LUST)

  JASE KESSON