Page 16

CHAPTER

TEN

HARLOWE

W e make love again in the shower before he gets dressed and goes out to my truck to get my bag.

I have a change of clothes in there. I slip on my thong and look at my body.

My skin is marked up from where Crue nipped and bit me in the shower.

I left a hickey on his thigh and told him if another woman saw it, I’d use his knife on her before I took his cock as my trophy.

He laughed and told me no other woman would ever get that close to him again.

I feel happy and blessed in this moment. Life has been so good, and I know there is still the threat on my life hanging over our heads. I can’t not think about it, but I also can’t focus everything on that.

We drive over to Rylan’s house, where the barbecue has already started. My brother is sticking close to Marnie, who looks frustrated with him and something else I can’t identify.

When I walk into the kitchen to grab a beer for Crue, Marnie follows me in. “Would you mind driving Oly and me home? I’m getting a headache and not feeling the best. Oly’s also getting tired.”

“Okay. Give me a second.” I walk out to give Crue his beer.

“I’ll be back soon. I have to run Marnie home,” I tell Crue as I give him a kiss. “Love you.” I smile at him.

It’s already been determined that I’m staying with him. He watched me pack a bag as soon as we got here.

“What?” Rylan jumps up and storms into the house. He cages Marnie against the counter and whispers in her ear. She shakes her head and finally gives in.

“Just tonight, Ry,” she says.

“Not until I’m done with you. Which will be never, sugar,” he says before kissing her deep.

I turn and walk back out to Crue and sit on his lap.

“Yeah, I guess I’m not taking Mar home.” We both chuckle when Rylan leads Marnie out of the house.

My brother drops her hand and walks over to where Icarus is playing with Oly with a sparkler.

“Want to let off some other ones, little miss?”

She jumps for my brother, who holds her tightly in his arms before he walks over and hands her to Marnie.

We watch the fireworks and spend the evening having fun and teaching Oly new things.

My brother gets the fire pit going and has one of the prospects run out for s’mores supplies.

Rylan lets Oly have a few, and by the time she’s done, she’s ramped up and running around the yard, singing until she drops to the ground and waves her arms like she’s making snow angels in the grass.

“Oh dear, she’s had enough.”

“Let’s get her ready for bed.” Rylan walks over and leans his tall body down to pick her up and take her into the house.

“Mar, you okay if we take off? You going to be okay?” I check with her.

“Yeah.” She looks toward the house. “He won’t hurt her, and I’m okay. Just freaked out.”

I walk over to her and take her in my arms.

“I get that feeling,” I whisper in her ear before I turn back to Crue, and we head out.

When we get to his house, he lets Fezzik run around for a bit before we go inside. We head straight to his room, and he closes Fezzik out. Fezzik’s bed is all set up in the living room.

“You know he sleeps with me.”

“Not anymore, Starlight.”

I just smirk because Fezzik will paw at the door soon to come in and lie with me. When Crue takes off his shirt, I finally remember a question I’ve wanted to ask him for a while now.

“Crue?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“The tattoo on your chest has lily of the valley in it. Does that mean something?” I know what it means to me, but I don’t want to get my hopes us.

“Yeah, babe. It’s the flower of the month for the woman I love.”

I rush over to him and jump into his arms.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” I kiss him long and deep, but as usual, he takes over.

Before I know it, we are in bed again and both naked. He rises above me and opens my legs wide, holding them up as he slowly penetrates my body. I’m already so wet and ready for him. I’m a bit sore from earlier, but I can’t stop myself from wanting him. I need him.

He is watching where his cock is slicing through my folds. I look down, and it’s so erotic to see. His cock comes out covered in my juices, and he slides back in again.

“That’s so fucking hot.” I moan.

He flips me to my stomach before I can say another word and swats my ass.

I cry out when he takes me from behind. He groans.

He’s so deep in this position. He lifts me up so my back is against his chest and slowly takes me.

I thrash my head against his chest, the feelings so overwhelming.

I’m so close. When he settles back on his knees and my legs go to the sides of his and I’m straddling him, I swear I can feel him in my belly.

“Fuck, it’s so deep like this, baby. Ride me,” he says, and I start moving.

He helps guide me with a hand on my waist, and I come from the deeper penetration and cry out again.

“I need you harder.” He drops me back to the bed and starts taking me harder and deeper. Before I know it, I’m coming again and screaming into the bed as he groans my name and comes deep inside me.

He rolls us to the side but doesn’t pull out. When I get my breathing under control, I tell him what I’ve been worried about all day.

“Crue, if you keep taking me bare, I’m going to get pregnant before we get married, and I don’t want my brother to kill you.”

“Already taken care of. Don’t worry about it.”

I pull away and moan as he slips from my body. I roll over to face him. My palm against his cheek. “Crue, honey, I love you, but it’s my body. I need to know your plan.”

He sighs and rolls to the side, reaching for something in his nightstand.

“I wanted to wait until your property patch was done, but you want to know the plan.” He rolls back over and takes my left hand in his.

“Had this ring since you came home. I’m marrying you.

I already got your brother’s permission.

You have three months to put it together.

I want to marry you in October, at your parents’ place. ”

“Yes.” I jump on top of him and kiss him all over. He slips the ring onto my finger.

“Wasn’t asking, Starlight, but okay. Now look at your ring.”

I look at the beautiful blue and green sapphire, surrounded by diamonds. Something about it feels slightly familiar. I’m about to ask him when he tells me instead.

“Your brother gave me your mother’s ring.

He took the center diamond to use in a piece he’ll give the woman he wants to marry someday.

After today, I think that day might be coming soon.

” He chuckles. “But the rest of the ring, the surrounding diamonds and the band, were all hers. The band I’ll slide onto your finger in a few months belonged to her too. ”

“Really?” I can’t stop the tears as I look down at my hand. “I thought she was buried with it.”

“No. Your father made sure your brother got it so you both could use it.”

“I love it. Why the sapphire?”

“I knew you’d love it. Sapphires represent nobility and loyalty. Both of those represent us. We’ve been loyal to each other all these years, and you are the princess.”

“I love you,” I say, then lean down and kiss him.

We make love slowly before we fall asleep in each other’s arms. I look over at the chair where my Paddington Bear is sitting, the same one that was in my room until we moved to Texas.

I never thought I’d see him again. Crue told me he took him from my room before they closed up the house, just so he could have a part of me with him.

Aftershock

M y cell pings in the middle of the night, and I roll over to see a text from Icarus.

He took care of Jerry. He was beaten and left at the police station with a note stating all his crimes.

Jerry won’t be giving our names to the officials, or he’ll die.

This way, he has a chance to live until we make it known in jail that he’s a date rapist and uses drugs.

He was planning to do that to my woman, then basically suggested he’d do it to Marnie, which upset Kodiak.

I’m not sorry about what we did, and I never will be.

We protect those who can’t protect themselves.

It’s not easy, but we walk a fine line between legal and illegal acts.

Some call us blue-collar workers because of our construction jobs.

I just call us the Granite Peak Grizzlies.

I roll back over and hold my fiancée in my arms. When I hear scratching at the door, I shake my head and roll out of bed.

As I walk across the room, I see our clothes strewn everywhere and pick them up as I go.

Standing on the other side of the door is Fezzik, and I let him in.

He walks over to Harlowe’s side of the bed, checks on her, then goes to the second dog bed I put in our room for him.

I don’t want him in here when I’m making her scream, but I’ll let him be close when she’s sleeping.

When I crawl back in bed, Harlowe wraps her body around mine, and I hold her tight as I drift off to sleep, trying not to think of the fact we still haven’t taken care of Aaronov.

The man who attacked Harlowe at the brewery was found dead near a homeless camp in Anchorage a couple of weeks ago.

He must have pissed off his boss. Vortex is still looking into the files my father gave him.

There was a lot of information. Vortex has said he wants to have a meeting on Monday to go over everything.