AS THE SKIRT of her black dress fans out behind her, I keep watching.
I’m impressed by how fast those legs can go considering she has those sky-high heels on. Pocketing my phone, I chase after her. She’s fast, but I’m a hell of a lot faster. Catching up to her, I wrap my arm around her being careful not to touch her midsection in case I hurt her.
She yelps but stops.
“Why did you run, Trouble?” She is breathing heavily and locks eyes with me. “Are you scared?”
“No,” she states.
And I believe her.
“How long have you known it was me?” I ask. “Every time I called, I mentioned the other woman. When did you figure it out?”
“In the bar, that first night when you walked up to me to save me from that dude.”
“I heard you speak that night, and when I asked for your name, and you told me it was, Alaska I thought I must’ve been mistaken. But then…” I reach for her and pick her up bridal style and carry her back to her place.
“But then?” she asks, her eyes on me as I walk. “When did you work out it was me?”
“When I stayed here the first night and your phone wouldn’t shut up.”
Oh, shit.
“Do you need money? Is that why you do it?”
“I always need money. I’m going to hustle for money until the day I die,” she answers truthfully. “It’s what you do when you go from never having any to finally finding some. You never want it to go away again.”
“You can have what I have,” I offer, meaning every single word.
“You have nothing. I burned your house down,” she reminds me.
I kick her front door open and stroll inside. Striding into the bathroom with her still in my arms, I carefully set her down before my hands lift to unzip her dress.
“I have four other houses, two apartments, and one hotel chain,” I inform her, and her head swivels around to face me. “In fact, you stayed in one of my hotels. Why do you think the doorman didn’t call the police on me? It’s because I pay his wage.”
“Holy shit!” She breathes out as her dress drops to the floor. I turn the shower on, and she steps in. I pick up her dress and my bloody shirt and strip off my pants. Then I carry them out and place them in a plastic bag. They will need to be burned, but that’s a tomorrow job.
When I go back into the bathroom, she’s already done cleaning up. So I step into the shower and wash myself as she ties her hair up for the night. She takes one last look at me before she walks out. I turn the water off, step onto the bath mat, and dry myself off. By the time I enter the bedroom, she’s already half asleep. I take a few moments to gaze at her perfection before turning to head to the couch. But before I get through the door, she calls my name.
“I might have nightmares tonight,” she whispers.
And she doesn’t have to ask me twice.
I round the bed and climb in, pulling her to me.
I wrap my arm tight around her, and before long, she’s asleep.
With no nightmares.
“Pops is mad,” Kyson says, kicking a can. He came over to meet me for my morning run.
“That’s none of my business. He can either fuck off and leave me alone or deal with it.”
He turns to face me. “You have never turned against him before. He’s confused.”
“There has never been a her before.”
“So you love her?” he asks, surprised. “She isn’t a phase?”
“She is not. I would take your life if you hurt her.”
He scrunches his forehead in thought and looks away.
We start running again until we near her apartment. She was sound asleep when I left and probably will be when I return.
“I have news,” he announces.
I stop and face him.
“Lilly’s getting married and sent me an invite.” He pulls out the crumpled paper from his pocket.
I’m surprised my brother is bringing her up but I don’t let my expression show that. “You said you didn’t love her,” I remind him. “So what does it matter?”
“I said I didn’t know if I did.” I take the invitation from him and check the date.
“The wedding is in a week.”
“I’ve had the invitation for months,” he confesses. “I think I’m going to go,” he adds.
“That would be a mistake,” I state. “You should not go to her wedding. You let her go. And now she is marrying someone else.”
His hand lifts, and he scratches the back of his head.
“What if I want her back?”
I inhale a deep breath.
Lilly loved Kyson more than he could ever love her. If he ever did, that is.
“Is this why you wanted out?” I ask.
“No. Yes. Maybe.” He sighs. “I just thought… I want what you have right now. I know most men like us don’t. But this life is lonely, and I want to share it with someone. It’s hard to do that in this life though.” He isn’t wrong. It takes someone extremely special or fucked-up to agree to this lifestyle.
We are all fucked-up in more ways than one.
“Do you still want to leave? If you do, you know I will support you.”
He smiles, lifts his hand, and smacks my arm.
“Look…she’s making you soft already.” He laughs.
“No, she isn’t. But you are in this life because of me. I am a lifer and there is no way I will ever leave. It’s what I know. And it may be what you know, but you can leave, Kyson.”
He seems to process what I’m saying.
“I’ll sort it out.”
“Have you told Kenzo?” I ask.
“No, Kenzo is like you… A lifer.”
He is. Kenzo and I are different from Kyson. Kyson shows more…feelings, I guess I would say. Kenzo and I prefer to be silent. It’s safer that way.
Not that Kyson isn’t as deadly as Kenzo.
They are different—no matter that they are twins.
“I still don’t think you should go to her wedding,” I say again.
“Whose wedding?” Alaska asks from the door. “I love weddings.” She grins.
“Be my plus one,” Kyson says.
I told her Kyson was warming up to her.
“Ha, that’s a no. You will take her to make Lilly jealous, and that would mean you are touching Alaska. That is not going to happen,” I add, walking inside.
Kyson follows, not even caring that it’s not my house. “Come on, let me take her,” he begs.
“Nope,” I reply, parking myself at the stove to start cooking breakfast. Kyson sits at the breakfast bar next to Alaska.
“Shouldn’t this be my choice?” Alaska asks.
“Nope,” he and I say in unison.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “Why not?”
“Because it’s not you that he’ll hit. It’ll be me,” Kyson replies.
“Oh…” Alaska says.
“Yeah.” Kyson looks back at me. “How long do you plan to stay here? It’s too far for runs.”
“You ran here?” Alaska asks, surprised.
“I did. We always run.”
“Maybe I should start running,” she muses. “Nah, fuck that. Too much effort.”
Kyson laughs at her response.
“Yeah, you should run, just not with us.” He winks at her before he looks back at me. “What do I do?”
I dish up the food and give a plate to each of them.
“About the wedding?” Alaska asks.
“You just want to fuck her again, at her wedding, of all places,” I say.
Kyson smirks, and I know it’s the truth.
“Oh Lord… I am so not going to that as your date, then,” Alaska adds.
“You wouldn’t be his date.” I growl.
“I can find you someone, if that’s what you want,” Alaska offers.
“Nope,” Kyson says, shoving his mouth full of food. “I’ll find my own date to make her jealous. Then I’ll fuck her in her wedding dress so she remembers me forever.” He winks at Alaska.
I shake my head as I eat my food.
Alaska stands and turns to me. “I need help picking an outfit,” she says.
I stand tall, ignoring my food as I study her. “What for?” I question.
“A new job. I need to find work, and I applied for a few jobs and got an interview.”
“I’m sure you can go back to the bar,” Kyson interjects.
“Nope, never want to go back there again.” She turns toward her room and peers over her shoulder. “Are you coming, or am I getting naked by myself?”
“Kyson, get the fuck out and lock the door as you leave,” I bark out. I wipe my hands on my basketball shorts and follow her into the bedroom.
Alaska pulls up her shirt, leaving her standing there gloriously naked.
I hear the front door close as she lays back on the bed.
“I hope you don’t mind my little fib. I mean I do need help picking an outfit but right now I’m ready for you to play again, but with your hands, Zuko. No knife or bag. Do you understand?”
I nod my head as I make my way to the shower.
I hear her voice follow me, calling, “Where are you going?”
After stripping off my clothes I move straight under the spray. Quickly washing my body, I turn to see her leaning against the counter, naked and smiling.
“I was sweaty, and I can’t contaminate you. You are simply too stunning for that.” She blushes, and it makes my cock hard. She notices, her eyes falling to my erection.
I turn the water off and step out. Securing a towel around my waist, I cup her chin in my hand and ask, “Are you sure?” I don’t want her to be nervous or have any regrets about our sex life.
“You’ll stop when I say stop?” she questions.
“Of course I will,” I whisper, leaning in and kissing her lips. Kissing them once, twice, and a third time just to be sure. I pull back and smile.
“No knives,” she reiterates.
“Not until you ask.”
She huffs a laugh. “Yeah, that’s never going to happen.”
I don’t reply as we make our way back to the bedroom. She sits on the edge of the bed, and I stand between her legs. Lifting her chin with a finger, I gaze down at her.
“I’ve never wanted to fuck someone so much in my life.”
Her hand raises and wraps around my cock.
Gripping it tightly, she smirks. “How bad?” Her voice is like silk.
“Are you Sage or Alaska right now?” Because that voice is how she spoke to me on the phone.
“Which one do you prefer?” she purrs.
“You. I want you.”
She gives my cock a squeeze.
“Both are me.” She leans forward, and her lips touch my cock. “Sage wants you to let her taste. Alaska wants you to fuck her.” I growl as her mouth envelops me. She is stunning with her lips stretched wide around my cock. I’m careful not to slam her head down my length because she is still healing, and I have to be mindful of that.
Mindful of her.
Her mouth works me over perfectly, and she grabs my balls and rolls them in her hand.
Fuck.
How is she so perfect for me?
How did I get so lucky?
Pulling back, she wipes her mouth as I stare down at her. She peeks back at me, with her lavender hair in a messy bun on top of her head.
I step back so she can’t reach me again. “All in due time, Trouble. It’s best you lie down, so you don’t hurt yourself.” I smile.
Her eyes go wide for a second before she does as I ask.
Now it’s time to play.
With my favorite toy to ever grace this earth.
Oh, what fun we will have.
