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Chapter Thirty-One

SKYLA

“Should I be worried that the forgery turned out this good?” Joshua looks over his shoulder at me with a smile, the bruises covering his face healing and the shallow cuts scabbed over.

“Maybe.”

He smirks and hangs the framed marriage certificate across from his desk.

My heart seizes in my chest as I look at him, wishing that I had gotten there sooner.

It has only been a week since I got him down from those chains and brought him to the hospital. One week of waiting for my chance to find Zoe again and kill her.

Joshua turns back to me, striding across the room and putting his hands on my hips.

He pulls me closer, his lips brushing against my jaw. “You know we’re going to hunt her down. Stop worrying.”

The corner of my mouth twitches. “It’s almost like you can read my mind.”

He chuckles. “You need to stop worrying. I’m alive, and we’re going to figure everything else out.”

“You’re alive, but you might not have been. What if I didn’t get you down?”

A mischievous look enters his gaze as his hands drop down to my ass. “You know, I’ve been thinking that maybe I should get some anchor points put into the ceiling. We could tie you up and hang you.”

I snort, the feeling of his bulge digging into my lower stomach. “Turning your trauma into kink. I like it.”

“I love you.”

My cheeks warm. “I love you, too.”

His lips graze my earlobe, his breath warm against the side of my neck, making my heart skip a beat.

He smirks. “You know, one of these days, you’re going to get more comfortable with saying that to me.”

“And what happens then?”

He leans back, his gaze searching mine. “Obviously, I come in my pants like I’m some simp.”

I burst out laughing, wriggling away from him. “Simp?”

“Summer and Jade said I was a simp.” He shrugs, grabbing a letter from his desk and ripping it open. “Obviously, if they’re going to be using made up words to insult me, I should know what they mean.”

“And what is simp?”

“Well, apparently calling me whipped was no longer good enough.”

My eyebrows raise as I perch on the edge of his desk beside him. “Now there’s an idea for some kink.”

He pauses with the letter halfway out of the envelope. “You know, if you keep talking like that, we’re never going to be able to get everything else done we need to do today.”

“I was just thinking you would spend more time resting instead of pushing yourself too hard to get the work done around here. You don’t need to rebuild your business from the ground up immediately.”

Without an importer or a supplier overseas, Joshua is going to have to spend time rebuilding the drug side of the business, and until he does, both he and my family are losing money.

All the while, Zoe is sitting on the empire he built.

Joshua rolls his eyes and pulls the letter out, skimming it over before handing it to me. He turns, pacing in front of the windows that frame the city.

I glance down at the letter, my mouth going dry.

Looks like you got the whore you wanted, brother.

Shame that it had to come at such a high cost, isn’t it?

At least Zoe has a vision for the future. She sees what I’m bringing to the table. She isn’t going to push me to the side like you always have, waiting for the moment when I’m done being useful to her.

She knows the power of having someone like me on her side.

I fold the letter in half and hand it back to him when he paces over to me. “Well, I think it’s needless to say that Logan sounds angry.”

“We’re going to have to tell Aiden about this.” Joshua tosses the letter onto the desk, shaking his head. “It’s like he’s trying to get himself killed. I can’t stand in the way anymore, and I don’t think he realizes that.”

“Of course, he doesn’t. He’s never seen what you’ve done to keep him alive.” I hook my leg around his, pulling him closer to me until he’s standing between my legs. “Aiden is going to kill him. There’s no way around it. Logan is too much of a risk.”

“You’re not going to kill him?”

“I’ve been killing everyone who reminds me of him for the last two years. I’ve worked out my aggression.”

He makes a noise in the back of his throat, his hand cupping the side of my neck. “Somehow, I don’t believe that.”

“Okay, so maybe that’s a lie.” I skim my hands beneath the hem of his skirt, loving the way his body tenses at my touch. “But at least you know you’re not at the top of my murder list.”

“Am I even an honorable mention?”

I press my lips together and shrug, the corner of my mouth curling. “I think it really depends on the day, don’t you?”

He leans down, his lips brushing over mine and sending sparks through my body.

His fingers hike the long skirt I’m wearing higher, the letter forgotten.

My hands roam his chest before I grab the shirt and pull it over his head.

He looks down at me, lust burning bright in his eyes.

I shuffle to the very edge of the desk, my pussy grinding into his hardened cock through his thin shorts and my lace thong.

Joshua sinks to his knees in front of me. He hauls my legs over his shoulders, his teeth grazing my clit through the fabric.

I lean back, a breathy moan escaping me as he rips the thong out of the way, his mouth closing over my pussy.

His tongue flicks against my clit as two fingers slam into me. He rocks against my inner walls, pressing harder and faster.

“Fuck.” My back arches, head tilting back as my eyes squeeze shut.

“You’re not going to come already.” He sits back on his heels and looks up at me.

His tongue flicks over his bottom lip, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“We have the rest of the house to unpack, so if you want to get your dick wet, I suggest you do it now.”

“Bossy.” He slams his fingers back into me as he stands, his thumb pressing against my clit.

I roll my hips in time with the rocking of his fingers, needing more.

He curls them against my inner wall.

His smirk when my pussy clamps harder around him sends my heart fluttering.

It’s as he leans down to kiss me, his mouth slanting over mine, tongues tangling, fingers rocking, that I get closer to the edge of my orgasm.

He groans into the kiss as I rake my nails down the side of his ribs.

I come hard and fast when he thrusts as hard as he can.

My arousal coats his fingers as he keeps pumping, drawing out the orgasm for as long as possible.

His teeth sink into my bottom lip, and he drags it out before stepping back.

His shorts and boxers hit the floor.

Heat builds low in my core, my pussy and inner thighs slick.

I reach between my legs, toying with the little bundle of nerves while he grips the base of his cock.

His hand strokes up and down, the thumb brushing over the head.

I could watch him fuck his fist all day, but we don’t have the time.

Joshua knows that, but he doesn’t seem like he’s in any hurry to fuck me until I forget my own name, even though I want him to.

With a smirk, I dip two fingers into my pussy, head tipping back and a low moan falling from my lips.

His eyes flash before he’s in my space again, pulling my fingers out of my pussy.

He grabs both my wrists in one of his hands, slamming me back against the desk and holding them high above my head.

All it takes is one smooth thrust of his hips and he’s buried to the hilt inside me.

I dig my heels into the backs of his legs, trying to pull him closer even though I’m in no position to take control.

He smirks down at me, stopping with his cock throbbing deep within me.

“You look freshly fucked. What is your family going to think when they come help us unpack?”

“I would be freshly fucked if you would move.” I wriggle my hips, and his hold on my wrist tightens.

“Ask nicely.”

“Please, fuck me.” I arch my back off the desk too, trying to get any sort of friction from him.

“God, your pussy is so fucking tight and wet.” He pulls out and slams back into me, stilling again. “But I don’t think you want it enough yet.”

“Please.” I strain against his grip. “Please.”

He smirks, grabbing my hip with his free hand.

As he thrusts hard and fast, his cock throbbing and filling me until it feels like I can’t take any more, his gaze never leaves mine.

Heat pools in my core and the beginning of an orgasm starts to build.

I need him like I’ve never needed anyone else. It feels like he was meant for me.

My safe harbor, my home.

Joshua groans, his cock stiffening as my inner walls shudder around him.

He lets go of my wrists to wrap his hand on my neck, kissing me and capturing my whimpers as I come hard.

His thrusts slow, his fingers digging deeper into my hip as he comes.

My legs wrap around his waist, holding him to me as he finishes, taking every drop of come he has to give.

When he finally pulls out, he gives me a lopsided smile that has my heart jumping in my chest. “I might have ruined that thong.”

The corner of my mouth twitches. “I don’t even know why I bother wearing underwear anymore. You’ve destroyed most of it.”

Joshua pulls me up, kissing me until he’s stolen my breath from my lungs. He pulls back, resting his forehead against mine. “If you don’t wear underwear, I’m going to start insisting that you only wear skirts and dresses so I can fuck you whenever I want.”

I trail my fingers down his chest, brushing against his cock. “You know, I was thinking that I was only going to wear a chastity belt from now on.”

He laughs and kisses my temple. “Kinky.”

Laughing, I haul off the ripped thong and toss it into the cardboard box with all the other garbage leftover from unpacking his office.

“Come on, I want to at least get some of this unpacked before my family crashes through the door and starts touching everything.”

When his smile falters, I cup his face, forcing him to look down at me.

His gaze searches mine like he’s looking for the answer to something.

I don’t know what that is, but by now he should know that I’d burn down the entire world to get him whatever he needs.

Joshua sighs, his fingers grazing my hip. “Logan.”

“I can cancel on my family if you want to just spend the night together.” I smooth a thumb over his cheekbone. “I know none of this has got to be easy for you.”

“It’s not that. I just have no family left other than you.”

My heart aches as I force a smile. “My family is always going to be yours. You’re probably going to want to kill them more often than not, but they’re the best people in the world to have on your side.”

“Despite everything, I barely know them.”

“Well, I have a solution to that.” I step back, giving him room to get dressed in case any of my siblings come crashing through the door earlier than expected.

“And what’s that?”

“A fresh start. My family always goes to my place in Vermont for a week or so in mid-October. You’re going to come with us, and you’re going to see that you still have a family, even if it looks a little different now.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“And what if they don’t want me there? I doubt your brothers are ever going to warm up to me.”

I smile and stand on my toes, pressing a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Lucky for you, you married a serial killer.”

“You’re going to kill your family if they don’t like me?”

“No.” I take his hand and pull him to the door as the sound of laughter comes from outside.

They’re early, which isn’t surprising in the slightest. They probably think that I’d lock them out if they came any later.

They’re not wrong.

“Then what does your body count have to do with anything?”

I spin to face him with a grin. “The power of fear is a wonderful thing.”

He laughs and pulls me back to him. “You’re not half as scary as you think you are.”

“You might change your mind.”

Joshua rolls his eyes. “How?”

“Spend a lifetime with me.”

“I plan on it.”