Carven turned from watching his brother and strode through the bedroom door, leaving the low moans behind. But I couldn’t move. I’d thought watching her with Colt might ease that hunger inside me…
But I was wrong.
I wanted Vivienne even more.
I stared, mesmerized as she dropped her head back and slid her fingers through Colt’s hair. The way she touched him…the way she talked to him, made that longing ache inside me even stronger. My body responded and deepened my breaths. My cock hardened as I watched him enter her again.
She’d started out as a means to an end, a way for me to get to King. But over the years of my watching her, she’d become more. My obsession. My need.
Colt gripped her around the waist and turned in the tiny bed, gently throwing her onto her back. I wasn’t the only one falling for this kitten. She howled even louder than the darkness, her needs more tempestuous than any storm. Even if she did drive me fucking wild with fear.
I left them as Colt lowered his head and gently nipped the flesh at her collarbone, which made her yelp and laugh. That sound stayed with me as I made my way to my bedroom. Even with the doors closed and the snarl of thunder from the lingering storm above us, I still heard them.
I knew I always would.
Thunder growled above as I worked my tie and tore it off. I reached for the buttons on my shirt and jerked it free then froze. I thought I’d lost her…
That ache grew until it beat bloody fists inside my chest. My shoulders sagged as that fear rolled through me. In those blinding moments as I’d raced for the storage yard, I thought she’d somehow been able to get inside. A tremor coursed through me. If she’d been able to get to Jack Castlemaine, then he’d…what?
Tell her how dangerous I was? I clenched my fist, which still ached from my blow to Guild’s cheek.
I was pretty sure she knew that already.
I kicked off my shoes as I made my way into the bathroom. I turned the faucets for the shower and lifted my gaze to where the sons’ bedroom was. That ache grew as I shoved my boxers down and stepped into the heat of the water. Faint memories of Ophelia tried to push in, but they didn’t have a chance, not where Vivienne was concerned.
I dropped my head, let the fine spray hit against my shoulders, and reached down to grip my cock. I was hard, maybe harder than I’d ever been. She made me that way, like I was headed to my fucking grave and I didn’t care. Because Vivienne wasn’t just a means to an end. She was my result, my salvation. If the last hour watching her and Colt told me anything, it was that she was the balm for our souls.
Because I might be too far gone, but the sons weren’t.
I braced a hand against the cold tiles and stroked my length, working my cock.
She is ours…
I squeezed my eyes tight and replayed the image of her splayed out on the hood of my car. I would’ve fucked her, would’ve broken the contract in a thousand different ways, and I wouldn’t have cared about the consequences. At that moment, I would’ve taken all of us and run.
My balls tightened as the feel of her pussy returned. Christ, it had just been my finger and my tongue. But the sensations of her lingered. I closed my eyes, dropped my head, and unleashed a moan as I came.
Hard breaths filled my ears.
It wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t anywhere near enough.
But until the contract was signed, I had to stay away.
Colt would take care of her. There was no doubt of that.
I straightened and finished washing before I turned the water off, and stepped out then dried myself and headed for bed.
Sleep didn’t come, not for a long damn time. Instead, I thought about her upstairs in the son’s bed and stared up at the ceiling until my eyes burned. Eventually the darkness came and when it did, it brought with it Ophelia’s face, haunting me like I deserved.
I CLIMBED out of the Mercedes and pressed the code into the keypad at the storage yard, then watched the buckled gate wobble when it opened.
“Fuck.” I stared at the damage, then lifted my gaze to my goddamn Audi where I’d parked it late last night. But there were more reasons than one for me being here. I climbed back into the Mercedes and drove it in, then parked next to the beat-up sports car and climbed out.
There wasn’t as much damage as I’d expected. I pulled out my phone and made a call to a friend who would come collect it and take it to the Audi dealership. The damn car was less than six months old and here I was buying another. Because the woman was unpredictable at best.
I headed for the door, punched in the code, and walked through, glancing at the other doors as I went.
“London.” A male voice filtered out. “Talk to me. Tell me what you want to let me out of here. You know I’d never tell them about Killion.”
I stopped and stood in the middle of the hallway.
“Tell me what you want,” he begged.
I scowled and glanced at the door beside me. Kill him or use him, that was always the question. But one for another day. So I kept going and just left the heavy thud of my footsteps behind.
“Let me out of here!” he screamed as I entered another code and opened the door.
Silence greeted me when I stepped inside Jack Castlemaine’s room. There was no yelling, no pleading, just the kind of silence that felt empty. I scanned the gloom and found him sitting cross-legged against the wall, his eyes closed and his breathing steady.
As I neared, he opened his eyes, and for a second, I saw a flicker of the dark depths he held inside. But then the glimpse was gone and he inhaled deeply before speaking. “Don’t tell me, you want information on King.”
I stopped in front of him. “He hasn’t reached out to me.”
Jack rose slowly and stretched his arms over his head. “I’d be surprised if he did.”
I scowled. “You would?”
He settled that careful focus on me. “King isn’t the kind of man who asks for permission. He’s the kind of man who takes when you least expect it.”
But this wasn’t just about information now. This was about controlling all the threats. There was no way I’d let any man come for her, even if he was her biological father. “How did he find out, do you know that, at least?”
Jack turned to me and scowled as he slowly shook his head. “He never told me. He just said that one day he’d find them both and he’d get them back somehow.”
“And you were okay with that?”
“What choice did I have? Her mother made it very clear to me that Ryth was never mine.”
“And still you risked your life to save her.”
That hit a nerve and that steely glare shone once more. “Blood or not, Ryth is my daughter. She always has been and always will be. There is nothing I won’t do to ensure she’s safe.”
I reached into my pocket, took out my phone, and hit the icon.
On the other end, the phone rang and rang and rang…until it was answered.
I held the cell out and listened to them as they had their fleeting moment of happiness before I pressed the icon and ended the call. There was a flare of happiness behind the pain in his eyes before he smothered it with steely control.
I didn’t like hurting him. But he’d pissed me off. No one was going to come for Vivienne, not without me knowing. My phone gave a beep as I slipped it into my pocket. I pulled it back out and looked at the screen.
Ashwood: You’ve been requested to bring Vivienne Evans to The Order for processing.
For processing? I stared at the words.
“What is it?”
“They’re signing the contract,” I whispered before I even knew I’d spoken.
Blood rushed to my cheeks as elation took hold.
“You’re playing a very dangerous game,” Jack murmured. “I don’t think you realize how deep you’re in here.”
I lifted my gaze to him and it all hit me, the desire, the excitement, and the danger as I answered. “Oh, I know, believe me.”
I left him behind as I made my way out of the storage yard to head for home. The sooner I took her back to that hell, the sooner she was finally free. I only hoped after what had happened last night, she’d hold it together…and lie.
For both our sakes.
