I’d be lying if I said I missed the confines of this plane while lying on the white sand beaches and underneath Ronin for the past three days. Sighing, I settle into the cool leather chair and tighten the seat belt, getting ready for takeoff.
Ro’s already half passed out from his stupid anxiety pill or whatever, and there’s a strange tension in the air between Indy and Penelope. Both of them are going out of their way to not look at the other, and it makes me cranky.
Normally, I’d be all for stirring shit up and making them deal with it to entertain myself on the way home, but I’m too wound up at the prospect of leaving my own personal heaven to go back to my real life, which includes being stalked by a possibly homicidal maniac and a day job that most people would find so stressful it’s a hazard to your health.
Okay, so I might be a little bit moody about having to leave this place, but c’mon. You wouldn’t want to go, either. Unfortunately, I can’t just up and abandon my real life. I’ve worked too hard, and even if I hadn’t, my clients mean everything to me. They’re not just business associates, but I like to think of them as friends.
I couldn’t possibly walk away and leave them hanging. How big of an asshole would that make me?
At least on the private flight, I don’t have to turn off my phone, so while the plane bumps its way down the runway, I settle in with a movie. Checking my overflowing inbox can wait until I get home. I might have to leave my new favorite place on earth, but I don’t have to fully dive back into reality just yet.
A notification pops up over my video, and I frown, noticing an attachment from an unknown number. Unease pricks down my spine, and the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It’s obvious I shouldn’t click into the message. Unknown numbers just scream major creep factor—or at the very least some sort of scam.
At this point, I’m hoping for the scam.
Of course, my shitty luck strikes again as a video starts to play. My stolen panties are the stars of the show, wrapped around a fist clutching an erect dick. The faceless man—who I’m assuming is my tormentor—strokes himself sheathed in my panties. My stomach churns because I know where this is going, but I can’t look away.
Sure enough, cum shoots all over the place, making a gag-worthy mess of my missing panties, and the video cuts off. I shudder with disgust, and now that we’re airborne, I unbuckle with shaking hands. Ro may be sleeping, but Indy’s wide awake, staring out the window with a very un-Indy-like irritated expression on his face.
When I step up beside him, he blinks, and his face clears. He looks up at me with concern. ‘What’s wrong?’
My hand trembles as I hand him my phone. ‘Watch.’ I think at this point, I’ve reached my limit. Everything is catching up to me, and my emotions are all over the place. I’m not a crier, and yet tears prick my eyes, and I don’t think I can hold them off. I look toward the full-sized bedroom at the back of the plane and decide Indy can keep my phone until we land. I’m about to take a page out of Ronin’s book and try and pass the hell out until we get home.
Probably after a good cry that hopefully no one will witness.
Leaving him behind, I stumble toward the bedroom and don’t bother turning on the lighting. Instead, I curl up in the middle of the surprisingly comfortable mattress and let the tears come. I don’t know how long I lay there with hot tears streaming down my face and shuddering sobs that make my chest hurt.
Why the fuck is this happening to me? I like to think I’m a decent person. I donate to charity, I’m not an asshole when I drive, and I sometimes pay for the person behind me in the coffee line. So, why is this my life right now?
Honestly, the pity party is in full swing. There are balloons, noisemakers, and even a cake. All I need is a party hat that says My Life Sucks, and the picture will be complete.
I’m still ugly-crying my eyes out when the mattress dips and Ronin’s leather and vanilla scent wraps around me a second before his arms do. I’m pulled back against his chest, and he doesn’t say anything, just holds me tightly and lets me cry until my tears dry, and I’m left wrung out and exhausted.
The fact that he’s here, that he woke up from his drug-induced nap and managed to give me exactly what I need, makes me warm and comfy inside and chases out the cold fury and revulsion from the video.
‘Sleep, baby,’ Ronin murmurs into my hair, his fingers tracing slow paths along my skin—across my chest, down my stomach, and then up again, over and over and over. ‘As long as I’m around, he can’t touch you, and when I find him—and I will find the fucker—he’s going to regret the day he ever laid eyes on either one of us.’ His touch and the confidence in his words lull me into the best dreamless sleep I’ve had in forever.
We part ways with Penelope at the airfield. She looks about as excited to dive back into her life as I am, but with a promise to text, she leaves, and I have no other choice but to get in the waiting SUV and face everything I took a much-needed break from.
My apartment building looms over us as we pull up to the curb, but all I can manage to do is stare out the window. For the first time, possibly ever, I can’t bring myself to go inside.
I don’t want to go in. This place doesn’t feel like home anymore. After everything that’s happened, it doesn’t feel safe. It’s not where I want to be, a fact that I’m reminded of when I think about the video on my phone right now and how the bastard got in so easily.
‘How about we get a hotel?’ I suggest, tearing my eyes off the tower of glass and steel before me and focusing them on Ro instead.
‘We can if you need to, but that’s not going to solve the problem long-term,’ he reminds me gently, and I let my head fall against his shoulder. He brushes the hair off my forehead and presses his lips to the smooth skin there instead. ‘Being here, where he’s been active, gives us a better chance of catching him.’
Ronin doesn’t need to tell me who he is.
‘You know, I really hate having to be strong and brave all the time,’ I complain. Do I sound whiny? Probably, but ask me if I give a fuck right now. I really think I’ve earned the right to be a little bit unbearable right now.
‘I know, baby,’ Ro croons, stroking his fingers through my hair. Indy’s standing outside, and I can see him getting impatient out of the corner of my eye while he shifts around, but Ronin doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. ‘Asher texted that your new custom bed was delivered while we were gone.’
I lift my head. ‘Are you trying to bribe me to go upstairs?’
‘If I wanted to do that, I’d have told you we can break in the new bed when I slide between your legs and fill you so full you choke on my cock.’ Fuck, Ronin’s dirty talk really did it for me.
My thighs squeeze together, and of course, he notices, his hand slipping between them and teasing the sensitive skin there as the tips of his fingers danced along it. Flickers of electricity follow in the wake of his touch, making my clit pulse and throb. Damn. I swear I’ve never been ready to have sex at a single touch until I met Ronin. My attraction to him is all-consuming and unexplainable. It’s sure as fuck not logical, but here I am.
And I’m more than willing.
He pulls back, though, and my earlier pouting intensifies. ‘I’m perfectly happy to stay in this car and finish what you just started, big guy. I’ll pick up your slack.’ I disentangled myself from him and slid onto the floor of the car, reaching for the button on his jeans, but he caught my hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing my knuckles.
‘As appealing as that sounds, I’m not about to let Indy see you with my cock in your mouth. Besides, Asher’s waiting upstairs for us, and that grumpy fucker isn’t getting any happier with every minute that ticks by.’
I pulled my hand back and folded it across my boobs, well aware I probably looked ridiculously childish. ‘I don’t think I can do this.’
His expression softens. ‘You don’t have to be strong or brave right now, baby. All you have to do is put your trust in me. If shit goes sideways or you want to go, we’ll go. But lean on me. Let me protect you. We can’t let him win.’
How the hell can I say no to that? Putting my hand in his, I let him pull me out of the car and circle his arm around my waist. Ronin tucks me against his side as we make our way into my apartment building. Raul at the front desk looks up and scowls but doesn’t say shit, which is good because he and his so-called security are a goddamn joke. If he opened his mouth, I’d have to open mine, and I don’t think he’d like what came next.
The trip up the elevator is uneventful. Indy’s been a moody dick ever since we got on the plane yesterday, so he’s quiet, and he and Ronin both are tense. I know they’re on alert for whatever we might find, but as far as I know, Asher’s been here all day, so there shouldn’t be anything going on.
Right?
I sure as fuck hope not, because if I walk into my apartment and find another brand new bed shredded, I’m going to lose my shit. I’ll officially pack everything and move across the world to Bali. I’ll even live in a hut if I have to, as long as it has air conditioning and Ronin comes with me.
Yeah, I’m kinda attached to the guy. What can I say? Life without him in it just isn’t going to work for me anymore. I peek up at him through my lashes. His jaw is sharp and dotted with stubble that I already know I love the feel of under my palm. His attention isn’t on me but locked on the numbers rising as we ride the elevator to the sixteenth floor. It’s like he thinks an ambush is waiting for us as soon as the metal doors slide open, and I have to wonder why the hell he insisted we come inside if that’s the case.
Ronin must notice me staring because his eyes find mine and study my face, but he doesn’t say anything.
Suddenly, I’m filled with a sense of dread so strong the very last thing I want to do is step off this stupid elevator and into my apartment. I’m not afraid for myself, but for him. The thought of something happening, of someone taking him away from me, is enough to induce a freak out the likes of which the world has never seen.
Yes, I realize I’m being dramatic.
But seriously. It’s one thing for my stalker to fuck with me or come after me all he wants. It’s quite another for him to set his sights on my man.
Yeah, I said it.
My man. That’s what he is, and when the corner of his eyes crinkle in amusement at whatever he sees in my face, I want to punch him and jump him all at the same time, which sounds about right for the man who would claim my heart.
‘You look like you’re about to get violent, Spitfire. Is there something you want to share?’
‘It’s just hitting me how out of control my life is and how much I fucking hate that.’ Saying the words out loud hits differently, and I realize just how much this has been bothering me. I’m okay with spontaneity, but not a lack of control. It fucks me up inside, makes me feel like the world isn’t real, and I’m detached from everything. Gripping tightly onto control keeps me grounded in a way nothing else does.
At least not until Ronin. Now I find myself clinging to him to keep me sane.
‘You’ll get through it,’ he says, pulling me closer. ‘We’ll get through it together.’
‘Yeah, we will,’ Indy chimes in, and I can’t help but laugh.
‘Are you finally done throwing a mantrum?’ I tease, and he huffs and tilts his chin up.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m fine.’
‘Says the guy who spent the entire twenty-hour flight pouting in a corner and has permanent lines in his forehead from how hard he’s been frowning since we got off the plane. Didn’t your mom ever tell you, your face might get stuck like that? You totally added at least five years to those wrinkles on your face over the past couple of hours.’
Indy whips his head forward, squinting his eyes to take in his distorted expression in the mirrored elevator doors. Ronin chokes back a laugh as we watch him turn his head back and forth, looking for signs of premature aging. He’s more concerned about his skin than I am, and I’m a woman in my thirties who checks the mirror daily for any signs of crow’s feet. The only thing that stops him is the doors sliding open, and Indy stomps off the elevator.
‘Shit. Guess I ruined his mood all over again,’ I say, but I’m not mad about it. In fact, I actually feel a little better. I needed some nice, satisfying fucking around like a druggie needs his next fix. I’m not talking the sexy kind of fucking around, either, though as I watch the muscles in Ronin’s back bunch and flex while he steps off the elevator, it wouldn’t take much to convince me to go that route, either.
‘He’ll get over it. The coast is clear, baby. Let’s get inside,’ Ronin rumbles, holding out his hand for me, and I take it, following him down the hall. Asher holds the door open for us, and we step inside. I have no idea where Indy went, but the brooding third member of our usual crew looks like he has a lot he wants to say.
All I want right now is a hot bath. I don’t really care to know what my stalker’s been up to while we were away. As delusional as it may be, I’d rather pretend everything’s fine a few minutes longer. ‘I’m going to take a bath, then check out my new bed. Meet me there?’ I murmur after pulling Ro down close enough to kiss.
He closes the distance between us, not caring that we have an audience as he devours me where I stand. My knees are weak when he lets me go, and I stumble off down the hall, happy to let him have his pow-wow with Asher and presumably Indy unless he’s locked himself in the bathroom inspecting his face for lines that aren’t there.
A while later, I’m sunk down neck-deep in lavender-scented bubbles with my eyes closed when the bathroom door creaks open. I blink my eyes open as Ronin sits on the edge of the tub and runs his palm down the side of my face before dropping a kiss on my mouth.
‘I’m going out for a little while,’ he says like it’s no big deal and every ounce of calm I’ve managed to muster up since I climbed in this tub pops like one of the bubbles floating around me.
Panic starts to well up inside me, and I sit up fast, the water around me sloshing up and over the sides of the tub. Ro jumps up to avoid getting soaked. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Don’t leave me,’ I hear myself say, though my voice sounds like it’s coming from someone else’s body. I’m aware I may be having some sort of breakdown, but there isn’t shit I can do to stop it.
Ronin doesn’t hesitate. He strips out of his clothes faster than I’ve ever seen and slips into the bath with me, making more water slosh out as he pulls me onto his lap, so we’re sitting nose to nose. ‘Baby, I already told you you’re mine now. I’m not going anywhere. I was going to pick up something for us to eat, that’s all.’
My whole body relaxes, and I sink into him. I drop my forehead onto his shoulder, breathing him in while he traces patterns only he knows up and down my spine with the tips of his fingers. ‘Sorry, I-‘
‘Never apologize for wanting me here with you.’ Ronin’s voice is firm and leaves no room for argument. Surprisingly, I find myself not wanting to fight him on this. I do want him around. I’ve always considered myself a strong person, but the thought of going through this by myself now is unimaginable.
Ronin’s fingers tease down my back and across my hips and thighs before his hand comes to rest on my stomach. ‘You think I was bad before, but now that there’s the possibility of my baby in here, I’m going to be fucking unbearable. I hope you’re ready.’
I smile against his shoulder, breathing him in. ‘Bring it on, big guy.’
Jet lag is a real bitch, and if it wasn’t for some high-pitched wailing sound, I’d still be asleep right now. As it is, I’m rolling over in bed and finding Ronin already sitting upright, reaching for his joggers, completely alert as the ear-splitting shrieks continue on at regular intervals.
I reach up and cover my ears with my palms as my pulse races. Adrenaline tears through my veins, and my body starts to tremble. Something feels very, very wrong.
‘What the hell is happening?’ I yell, hoping Ro hears me over the sound of the alarm going off.
‘The fire alarm is going off,’ he yells back, matter of fact and completely calm.
I jump out of bed and rush to find clothes, frantically pulling them on. ‘Should we be getting the hell out of here?’
He shakes his head. ‘Not yet. Stay here.’
Ronin grabs his gun from the bedside table and stalks out of the room. I have two choices right now—I can trust him and wait at the risk of burning alive in this apartment, or I can give in to the instinct to run and get the hell out of here. I’m at war with myself, but I decide to trust Ronin. He’s never given me a reason to doubt him, and if he says we should risk the fire, he must have a good reason for it.
Keeping my hands over my ears, I sink back down on the edge of the bed, waiting.
I’ve never been very good at waiting.
Ro steps back into the room with Asher at his back. The alarm is so loud, but at this point, it’s almost numbing, shifting into a messed up forgettable background noise. Ronin sits next to me and pulls me into his side while Asher kneels down in front of us and holds out his phone. He presses play, and I immediately recognize my apartment building and the black-clad figure sneaking around outside of it.
‘What the fuck?’ I say, grabbing his phone and hitting play again.
‘Sebastian sent that over from the building’s security feed at the same time the alarm started going off. Looks like your stalker knows you’re home and wants to see if he can flush you out.’
‘So, we’re waiting out the alarm and letting him get away with this?’ I ask, looking up at Ronin with his pissed-off expression and ticking jaw.
‘Indy’s on his way downstairs, but the elevators are stopped, so it’s going to take a while,’ Ro grits out. I can only imagine how bad he wants to be the one heading down to the sidewalk to try and catch the guy that’s been plaguing us for weeks, and him possibly for years. This man has cost Ronin so much—too much—and I can’t blame him for wanting to strike some good old-fashioned vengeance.
‘This is the first time he’s tried to lure me out,’ I point out after a few minutes of silence between the three of us.
Well, not silence because the goddamn alarm just will not quit. Seriously, I think my ears are actually bleeding.
‘Yeah, it seems like maybe he’s getting tired of his own game,’ Asher agrees, shifting so his back is against my nightstand and his long legs are kicked out in front of him. His gun sits openly on his lap, the fingers of his right hand curled around the grip. Both guys may look relatively at ease, but if even a hint of anything dangerous were to happen, I have no doubt there’d be bullets flying through the air before I could blink.
‘What do you think it means?’ I ask, turning my face up toward Ronin again.
His frown deepens, and a crease forms between his eyebrows. ‘I don’t know, but whatever it is can’t be anything good.’
Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of.
Shit.
