Page 24 of A Midnight Romance

River

L ux killed Nolen and she did it without a second thought. The way she came down from the high of taking a life, was worse than my first time, reminding me that even though she has a darkness within her, it only seeks revenge.

I may let myself indulge in the fantasy of our likeness, but deep down, I know this is only temporary for her.

I stare at her in a restless sleep from the cameras in my office, the afternoon light spilling onto her delicate face. In a moment of daydreaming, I envision a life where I wasn’t born a flawed human or that I won’t always carry the tragedy of watching the murder of my parents.

Lux may believe we slept together in a moment of passion—but she’s mine and I plan on keeping her as long as she’ll let me. Because no woman I have ever met has come close to the vast obsession I have with her.

I tear my eyes away and walk over to my desk. Picking up the secure landline, I call Christian to update him about what happened with Nolen.

He answers on the first ring. “How’d it go?”

“Everything is done and taken care of,” I tell him. “That’s good to hear.” He breathes a sigh of relief. “Unfortunately, I have no new information on Duncan Jones. But I’m hoping to have something for you by the end of day tomorrow. The ring only works on the weekends, right? ”

“According to the calendar we found at Richard’s house, we shouldn’t have to worry about them until next weekend. But if we find something sooner, we don’t have to wait until his weekend to get him.”

“I spoke with Lieutenant Levinson a few days ago and he didn’t mention the missing accountant.”

“It’s been over a week since I killed him. It won’t be long, especially since he has a wife.”

“Yeah, I’d expect her to report him any day now,” he points out.

“Nolen mentioned that he got cold feet, which means Sebastian’s text to them from Rich’s phone worked.”

“Yeah, that’s probably why they’re moving forward with everything,” he adds.

“How is the lieutenant’s daughter?”

“Since staying with us, she’s doing better. I feel more secure with her here.”

A light chuckle from the other end of the phone perks my ears.

“Something funny, Christian?”

“Nothing at all, my friend,” he utters, a friendly quip at my expense.

“What?”

“Is it for her benefit or yours?”

“I needed to make sure she stays safe. Once Andrew catches on to us, I’m sure he will be after blood.”

“Fair enough.” His voice is tight, like he’s biting back a smile. “You have a thing for that woman and that’s okay, River. You are human, after all.”

I think about the night I had with her and how good she felt in my arms, and with a sense of protection, I decide not to discuss it further. “Okay, this conversation is over,” I cut him off, refusing to address my affection toward Lux any further. “We’ll keep you updated. ”

“Talk soon.” He ends the call.

I lay the receiver back on the analog phone and lean back with my elbow bent on the armrest. My eyes gaze through the windows and out into the lush forest while dark clouds roll in, preparing for a downpour.

With a quick flash of movement from the corner of my eye, I swing around to where a tall tree stands inches from the glass. The raven lands on a branch.

“Hey, buddy.” I roll my chair closer. I recognize him immediately, because he’s the one who always hangs out around the property. Ravens are thought to bring bad luck, but that’s never been the case for me.

I quickly turn with a buzz of my daytime cell phone on the desk. The raven flies away, leaving the branch bouncing in its wake.

Before I get the chance to say anything, Andrew’s voice is on the other end.

“You’re up, fucker.”

“Me?” I ask, surprised to hear from him.

“Don’t get too excited, you only get to shadow this time.”

“Shadow?” I recall the information Lux shared about the other guy in the room who could only watch. And then Rich mentioned his turn was the following weekend— am I getting trained first?

“Yeah, like training. I planned for you to shadow Nolen last weekend, but his aunt, grandmother, or whoever the fuck she was, passed away. Now you’ll be with Duncan.”

“I don’t need training to fuck a woman,” I grit out.

“If you’re going to do this, you’re doing it my way,” he scolds me in an even tone.

I fight the urge to bite back and instead I swallow my pride. “Fine. But why not Rich? ”

He scoffs. “The little chicken shit must have thought he was getting in over his head and disappeared during his weekend. Nolen tried to warn me about Rich, but I didn’t listen.” He pauses. “So we’ve had to switch a few things around.”

“Do you have an idea where he went?” I ask, gauging whether it has spooked him or not.

“Nah, he was a deadweight, anyway. As long as he shows up before tax season, we’re all good,” he says.

“One of the girls got away a few weeks ago so we need to remain vigilant. The police mentioned only three women, but there were four. And I have an idea of who it was. But for some reason she hasn’t gone to them, which I can’t figure out why.

Maybe skeletons in her own closet.” He chuckles.

He’s talking about Lux. And I’m glad she’s here.

“How do you know who it is?”

“It’s a long story, but let’s just say she’s no stranger to law enforcement.”

“That’s all I get?” I poke him, hoping to get more information.

“For now,” he says. “I’ll text you Friday evening exactly an hour before you’re supposed to meet Duncan at the club. That’s where you’ll choose two women, and leave everything else to me.”

“Where will we keep them?”

“One of my LLCs purchased an old house down the street from University of Washington. College girls love this club because it’s close to campus. Every night, they walk home past our house, drunk and vulnerable, which means it won’t be much of a struggle.”

Fucking monster.

I squeeze the pen, white knuckling the thin plastic until it splinters. “Perfect. ”

“You’ll get the weekend to have fun. Then Duncan will call me and I’ll get our crew to come and…” He pauses briefly. “Dispose of everything.”

“Sounds good.”

“Cool—” Andrew says.

I end the call without letting him finish.

Anger and rage whip at my back. Beyond that, she can’t know that Andrew may have targeted her because of her dad. But I have to inform Christian and Sebastian—not now, though. The conversation I had with Andrew rips at my soul, and right now all I want to do is see Lux.

I lift from my chair and thunder toward the door, exiting my office.

With a quick set of the alarm, I sprint down the long dark hall of the North Wing, then take a hard left heading down the East Wing.

Possession has overwhelmed me, causing my dick to stiffen with a desperate desire to reclaim what is mine.

I walk to her bed, kick off my shoes and remove my shirt, tossing to the foot of the bed.

“Lux,” I say her name as I come closer to her bed.

“River?”

“I missed you.”

A soft giggle comes from underneath the blankets before she opens them to invite me in. “I’m glad you came to me.”

Climbing into her bed, I turn to my side as she tucks herself into me. “Andrew contacted me.”

Her body stiffens. “He did?”

I smooth my hands over the top of her head. “We’re on for this weekend. He still thinks I’m planning to be a part of it and wants me to shadow Duncan.”

The air leaves her lungs. “Oh my god. ”

“We’ll talk more about the plans later. Right now, I want to make you feel good,” I say, kissing her temple. With a hand, I glide my fingertips up along the outside of her hip, bringing her silky nightgown with it.

In one motion, I slide myself on top of her as she rolls on to her back.

“You’re too good to me.”

“You deserve the world, Lux.”

She bows her back to get closer, her hard nipples tease my chest, brushing it lightly.

“It was the most amazing fucking feeling in the world to be with you.”

Taking one leg, I push hers to the side separating them from one another. Lux whimpers, her eyes rolling back as she prepares for me to fill her once again. “Eyes on me.” I gently grip her cheeks with one hand and move her face to look at me. “There, beautiful.”

She smiles through a moan. My dick prodding at her wet core.

“It was amazing for me, too.”

I push into her and she’s as slick and wet as she was earlier this morning.

Lux gasps.

Rolling my hips into her, I groan at the feel of her body continuing to suck me in. It’s worth dying for, and I would easily take my last breath inside her.

She quickly slides her hand down and between us, cupping my balls gently, then massaging them for a minute before tightening her grip.

“That’s a good girl. Tell me what you need.”

Her head tilts back, her eyes now facing upwards.

Continuing to pump my dick into her, my limbs stiffen, but I want her to use my name. I want her to know who is going to take care of her. I slow my movements, her insides clenching around my hard cock, but I pull out, letting it tap the outside of her pussy. “What’s my name? ”

“River,” she whines, lifting her hips to chase my pulsating length. “Please.”

As my climax peaks, I thrust back into her, my frantic movements matching hers as we both release together.

And that’s not all I plan to do to show her how a woman like her should be treated, because she is perfection—and I’m unapologetically obsessed.