“Shit,” I choked out as I scrambled from the booth.
I didn’t look back at Einstein or the guys—or to where Maxon was in one of the other booths. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing how worried I was that she might say something to one of them.
“What are they doing here?” she demanded when I walked past her, but I continued until I was outside. Her voice reached me before she caught up to me in the parking lot. “Answer me, Libby.”
“They’re eating. You know, I think you gave up the right to ask that when Lily started managing the place for you.”
“This is still my restaurant,” she said softly, her eyes glowering in a way she reserved for me alone.
“Technically, it’s Dare’s.”
“Damn it, Elizabeth, don’t push me. I want to know what they’re still doing here. You said it was over between the two of you.”
My head listed to the side. “Oh, you don’t like when someone pushes you? Funny. Neither do I.” I took a step closer to her and lowered my voice. “Especially if the person doing the pushing is supposed to love you unconditionally. Is supposed to protect you. But instead, is the one blindfolding you, binding your wrists, and shoving you into enemy hands.”
“I was protecting you. I am still trying to protect you,” she yelled. She cleared her throat, her gaze darting around as she lowered her voice. “You are putting yourself in danger. You are putting him in danger. You’re putting us all in danger. You and you alone.”
“Now who’s being dramatic, Mom?”
“I sacrificed my life for this family, and I would do it again,” she seethed. “The men have their roles and we have ours. It is our duty to do what needs to be done for the greater good, to keep the peace. And your actions incite wars. Your decisions destroy alliances.”
Same argument. Different day.
I wondered if a day would come when we stopped having it.
I just prayed if the day came, it wouldn’t be because her fears had turned to reality.
“Your precious Dare took care of it. I destroyed nothing.” I stretched my arms out wide and looked around. “Would you look at that . . . no war.”
“You are so naïve.”
“I’m not the one who let an unfounded fear dictate her life for ten years.” I rolled my eyes and looked away so she couldn’t see the lie in my eyes.
Because I had.
I had let my mother’s fears bleed into my own and rule my life for so long. Denying Maxon was proof of that.
I stiffened when I caught sight of Maxon starting toward us. Before he could make it to the door, he looked over his shoulder to where Einstein and the guys were.
“He needs to leave,” she said gently. “They all do.”
“That’s not happening.”
When I turned, Mom was shaking her head in disappointment.
“They’re moving back here,” I whispered, as if I was afraid of her reaction.
Not that I didn’t know what it would be.
But I didn’t want her to taint my excitement over Maxon coming home.
“Oh, Libby.” Her eyes slowly shut and one of her hands covered her mouth. “What have you done?”
I looked in Maxon’s direction again, to where he was now facing away from us. “I stopped worrying about the fallout. I let myself love him on the outside the way I’ve always loved him on the inside.”
“You’ve always been defiant and headstrong. I didn’t realize you were stupid too.”
I looked at her as shock and hurt pulsed through me.
“The greatest hunter is silent, invisible, and attacks when you least expect it. I’ll pray for the rest of my life that my fears won’t become a reality. But I’m not the fool that blindly hopes that they won’t. For you to laugh in their face . . .” Her head shook quickly before a quiet sob hitched in her throat. “I buried your father. Don’t make me bury you.”
She walked into the café without another word, and a few seconds later, Maxon touched my shoulder.
I cleared my throat and angled my head toward him, but kept my stare on the ground so he wouldn’t see the conflict in my eyes.
“Wasn’t that your mom?”
“Uh-huh.”
Confusion coated his words when he said, “She didn’t respond to me or look at me.”
You should consider yourself lucky. I offered him a brief smile. “Sorry.”
His eyes caught and searched mine. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I tried to assure him.
He studied me for a few seconds before hesitantly nodding. “Uh . . . Nate wants to meet you. But we can do it another day.”
“No, today’s . . . today’s great.”
Nothing like being reminded of every fear you overcame to make you want to live each day as if it’s your last.
Libby
WHEN I GOT HOME FROM work that Friday, the Henley boys and Einstein were spread out around the living room. The TV was on and the volume was up loud, but no one was paying attention to it.
Maxon was in the far corner with a pad of paper and his guitar.
Jared was on the couch on his phone.
Ledger was sprawled out on the couch opposite him, beer in hand and neck twisted to be involved in the conversation happening on the floor . . .
Between Lincoln and Einstein.
A very cozy-looking Lincoln and Einstein.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said under my breath.
Ledger caught sight of me when I stepped closer to the couches, a smile lighting up his face. “Hey, look who decided to grace us with her presence.”
I watched Einstein’s every move, noting the way she stiffened and refused to look at me.
I forced a smile. “Shouldn’t you be at work, Einstein? Could’ve sworn you said there was a case being closed out tonight.”
She shrugged and leaned in to whisper in Lincoln’s ear.
Shrugged.
Einstein didn’t know how to stop working. She’d also never bail on closing out a case.
That was where most of her genius was needed.
Her work helped people. Saved them.
My eyes fluttered shut when a strong arm curled around my waist and familiar lips pressed to my neck.
“Bedroom.”
My mouth twitched into a smile. “Caveman.”
“Something like that.”
I twisted in his arms to kiss him slowly, letting my lips linger against his when I said, “Three minutes.”
His heated stare raked over me when he released me and stepped away, his voice all gravel when he said, “Hurry.”
I turned for the hall leading to my room, snapping at Einstein as I went.
I didn’t have to look behind me to make sure she followed.
I could feel her guilt and pain.
“What the hell, Einstein?” I hissed as soon as I set foot in my room and whirled around in time to see her shut the door. I lifted my arms out to my sides. “I’m going to skip past the work thing and go straight to you practically sitting in Lincoln’s lap and whispering in his ear.”
She just stood there, staring at me without giving anything away.
I huffed and pressed my fingers to my forehead. “I’ve never seen you whisper in someone’s ear for the sake of flirting. God, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you flirt. What are you doing? What about Maverick?”
Pain and panic flashed through her eyes and her body bowed slightly.
She recovered by leaning against the door.
“What about him?”
My shoulders slumped at the careless words following her obvious pain.
My heart twisted and ached for Maverick. For Einstein.
“Einstein—”
“Am I a horrible person for not missing him?”
I was so caught off guard by her question considering she’d seen Maverick recently that I stared at her for a few seconds. “Johnny?”
She jerked her head in a sharp nod.
How was I supposed to answer that?
Johnny had been family—Borello by oath. And Einstein’s boyfriend for . . . God, forever.
But Johnny had also possessed the darkest, cruelest soul I’d ever encountered.
I missed the Johnny who had been there for nearly every day of my life. I didn’t miss his sadistic mind.
But I hadn’t loved him the way Einstein had.
Though I’d often thought if Johnny hadn’t been so volatile, Einstein might not have stayed with him until the end. Then again, she was always surprising me. Tonight was testimony to that.
“I don’t think so,” I whispered. “I didn’t know that you didn’t miss him.”
She looked at the floor. “There are days I do.”
I nodded but didn’t respond.
Einstein had slipped into my bed random mornings for as long as I could remember.
She was always cold and liked to cuddle to warm up.
Ever since Johnny’s death a year and a half ago, I woke up to her ice-cold toes pressed to me more often than not.
I’d been sure it was from grief.
Now I wondered if I’d been wrong.
If it was a combination of emotions Einstein wasn’t used to dealing with . . . and Maverick was at the head . . .
“I know letting yourself love Maverick doesn’t make you a horrible person.”
Her eyes flashed to mine and hardened. She grabbed the doorknob and jerked the door open. “He’s better off without me.”
“I—Jesus.” I let my head fall when she stormed out.
I glanced up when the door clicked shut a few moments later and offered Maxon a brief smile.
“She looked happy,” he mumbled sarcastically and pulled me into his arms.
“Yeah, I bet.”
He searched my face, his tone hesitant. “Wanna talk about it?”
“I’d rather forget,” I whispered and leaned close to kiss him slowly. “Think you can help with that?”
A laugh climbed up my throat when he grabbed my thighs and lifted me so I could wrap my legs around his waist.
Maxon’s lips twitched into a carnal smirk then slanted over mine as he walked us into the bathroom. Pushing me against the wall and deepening the kiss when he leaned into the shower to turn the water on. Setting me carefully on the edge of the counter while he waited for the room to steam up.
His mouth never left mine.
The kiss turned frenzied.
Hands searched and breaths grew ragged.
By the time he pulled me into the shower, we were still half-dressed and frantically tearing at each other’s soaked clothes.
His mouth and hands were everywhere.
Burning and branding me. Teasing and torturing me.
Until soon, I was trembling and pressing against him, silently begging for what he was keeping from me.
When he finally pushed into me, I shattered. I arched against the water-slick wall, my mouth falling open on a silent moan as my orgasm rolled through me. His thrusts took me higher and higher, demanding more of me until I fell apart again.
I dug my nails into his shoulders, trying desperately to hold on as he moved. Each roll of his hips was rough and relentless until he found his release inside me.
Tremors rolled through my body and passed to his as he carefully set my feet on the floor and pressed me harder to the wall.
His lips ghosted down the side of my neck to my collarbone.
Each rough breath brought my skin in contact with his lips.
Each kiss left chills in its wake, reminding me we had a lifetime of this to look forward to.
Libby
MY EYES FLASHED OPEN, MY body already hyperaware of everything that was wrong with the situation before I woke.
“Seriously?” I bit out, but she didn’t wake from where she lay in front of me.
Ice-cold toes wedged between my legs. Hand wrapped in mine. Head taking up most of my pillow.
And Maxon was nowhere to be found.
I let out a sigh and carefully maneuvered out of my bed, wondering why I had taken so much care not to wake Einstein once I was standing. With a glare over my shoulder, I kicked my mattress before storming out of my room, forgetting I was in nothing but Maxon’s shirt until I stumbled into the living room filled with sleeping Henley boys.
I tiptoed through the room to keep from waking them and made my way to where Maxon stood shirtless in the kitchen, watching me with that possessive and predatory stare of his that always made my knees weak. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth as I closed the distance between us, my stomach warming with need and desire and the memory of what he’d done to me last night.
By the time I made it to him, I was trembling.
He pulled me into his arms and kissed me slowly, sensually. “I want to see you walk out in my shirt every morning for the rest of my life.”
“Caveman.”
He laughed low and gravelly and pressed his large hand against the small of my back, bringing me closer so I could feel his hard length against my belly. His lips brushed against mine when he said, “Something like that.”
A tremor moved through me, and his mouth stretched into a smile in response. Then I was suddenly moving backward until I was against the counter and arching back—his hands searching and pulling and claiming . . .
A shuddering breath tumbled from my lips when his mouth moved down my neck and chest, my hands flying to grip his hair when he slowly dropped to his knees in front of me.
“Maxon,” I hissed and tried to pull him up. “Everyone is asleep behind me.”
His hands ran up my bare thighs as he prodded my legs apart, his tongue and teeth soon following the path. “Then don’t make a sound.”
My mouth opened on a silent moan when he teased where I was bared to him, only to do it again and again.
Each time bringing him closer to where I was aching.
Each time bringing me closer to begging him to put me out of my misery.
Then he was there—his tongue swiping against me before he was pulling my clit into his mouth and pressing two fingers inside me.
I released his hair and grabbed the counter when my knees buckled, a strangled whimper catching in my throat when he gently rolled my clit between his teeth.
“Oh God.”
I felt the loss of him immediately.
But not a second later, he delivered a swift bite on the inside of my thigh before quietly hushing me.
And then he was spreading me to him. Devouring me and fucking me with his tongue in a way that had my eyes rolling back and my grip on the counter loosening as I tried to hold on to reality.
My core tightened.
My breaths turned ragged.
My limbs trembled.
My body yearned for the release that was so, so close.
And Maxon was suddenly standing and righting my shirt—his eyes full of panic and carnal need and fury—before heading to the sink, cupping water in his hands and running them over his face . . .
Are you fu—
My front door was unlocking and opening.
Shit, shit, shit.
I looked at Maxon in time for him to give me another heated and frustrated look over his shoulder before turning toward the door, my eyes already narrowed as it opened to reveal my brother and the twins.
Maverick stormed in, his stare searching the apartment and immediately falling to where the Henley boys were sleeping on the floor and couches of the living room. Pain and anger flared in his eyes, his hands curling into fists as Diggs barreled past him.
“Oh, oh,” he called out, headed straight for the kitchen.
“Can’t you afford hotel rooms?” Dare asked, not bothering to be quiet either, his eyes locked on where Maxon now stood behind me.
An irritated laugh sounded in my ear, but Maxon didn’t respond otherwise.
“We were hanging out. It got late. They crashed here,” I explained, then smacked my hand on the counter to get Diggs’s at
tention, causing the sleeping men to stir. “We already don’t have any food because of you, so stay out of the pantry.”
He shot me a pout from over his shoulder but didn’t stop looking for food to steal.
“Yeah, I’m sure the rock stars don’t have much experience with trying to find their way home after late nights,” Dare said with a taunting smirk. He suddenly stiffened, his gaze darting over my body before flashing to Maxon’s. With a quick, assessing look at my face, anger filled his eyes and his jaw clenched, the muscles straining. “Go put some fucking clothes on, Libby.”
“I’m fine,” I said through gritted teeth, mirroring his tone. “You can’t come in here, uninvited and unannounced, and then tell me how I should be dressed. Actually, you know what? You can leave.”
One of Dare’s eyebrows lifted in surprise and challenge.
Maxon’s fingers drifted over my waist. “Rebel,” he murmured in warning.
“You’ve been hiding out ever since you told Maxon you didn’t want us together. And the first time you show your face, you come in here with the twins as backup and immediately tell me what to do in my place?”
Maxon’s fingers tightened.
Dare let out a sharp, dull laugh. “Backup? Yeah. Yeah, all right. Let’s go with that.”
“Oh my God,” Einstein mumbled from the hall, her groggy voice stopping me from lashing out at Dare again. “Can you be any . . . louder . . .”
I looked toward her, noting the panic in her eyes as she stared at Maverick.
His frustration and pain filled the apartment and made me forget about my own anger for a moment.
After a few seconds, she locked her jaw and forced a look of indifference that faltered when he left the apartment.
The tension pressed down around us for long seconds until Einstein took a few steps toward the front door, but Dare held a hand up to stop her.
“I didn’t—”
“You didn’t show up to work this morning. No one could get in touch with you,” Dare said softly, darkly. “And then, of all fucking people, Kieran Hayes called me to see if I knew where you were, because you didn’t show to close out a case last night. Maverick lost it after that.” His gaze swept to me. “But the twins are my backup . . . yeah?”
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