Page 24

24

SEAN

Even face down in the mud with the rain pouring around us, it’s easy to roll onto my back and grab Ellie by the ankle, dragging her down with me.

She kicks back, her foot catching me hard in the forearm until I release my grip.

Ellie lurches to her feet, nearly falling back down as more mud slips beneath her foot. Thunder rolls overhead as she darts into the trees at the edge of the property, nothing more than a flash of soaking wet hair and a bright-orange sports bra and matching shorts.

I’m hunting a damn pylon.

After taking a moment to shake out the ache in my wrist, I push to standing.

The mud is slippery beneath my feet, sending me careening like a newborn deer taking its first steps.

Fucking Christ.

The second I catch her, she’s dead meat.

Chasing after her through the woods in the rain has me soaked to the bone, smelling like a barnyard, and wishing I had just thrown her over my shoulder and carried her to the bedroom to teach her a lesson.

My cock twitches at the thought of a bright-red handprint or two on her ass.

Groaning, I stare up at the trees for a moment longer before pushing to my feet once again.

Another patch of mud nearly trips me, sending one leg stretching far from the other, pissing me off more.

If I could’ve been given a less irritating wife, I might be a happier man.

I certainly wouldn’t be doing this shit.

As soon as I have my footing, I take off into the trees after her, dodging the branches and nearly slipping on some of the rust-brown leaves that have fallen to the ground.

To my right, a bright flash of orange streaked with mud flashes between the trees, and I lunge after her.

My muscles scream as I try to keep up. I don’t know the last time I ran this much, but it seems like she spends most of her days running.

At least, that’s the conclusion I’m coming to when I finally catch up to her and she’s not even breathless.

Ellie glares at me, the look in her eyes challenging. “What do you really think you’re going to do? You can barely keep up with me.”

“Barely. I’ve caught you again.” I lunge and catch her around the waist, twisting so my shoulder takes the brunt of the impact when we hit the ground.

She wriggles against me, my cock standing at attention as I flip her onto her back and climb on top of her.

Her nails rake into the side of my hand as she fights to get free, thrashing against me like she’s in the fight of her life.

Though, I know she’s holding back. I can see it in the way she rolls her eyes when my grip tightens.

Her nipples pebble against her sports bra as she strains against me. I bite back a low growl, pressing her harder into the ground and grinning when her thighs shift beneath me, pressing together.

She might not want to run around like this, but she’s turned on by it.

Ellie might like to give me hell all the time, but we both know she loves it when I take control, molding her to my every whim.

And right now, I’m in the mood to take her back to the house instead of chasing her through the downpour for the rest of the day.

She thrashes beneath me again, but there’s no real power to it, only the glare that makes her look like she’s torn between begging me to fuck her and ripping my head off.

Ellie’s lips press together, and I know which one she’s settled on. “Is there a point to all this beyond proving that you can control my life in whatever way you see fit?”

My teeth grind together as I look down at her. “The only reason I’m controlling anything right now is to keep you safe. When things die down, I’ll consider you going back to work without the security detail inside.”

“And that’s the problem right there. You’ll consider it. You’re not the boss of me and you know you’re not, so why the hell do you keep acting like you are?”

“I’m the head of this family whether you like it or not.” I tighten my grip on her wrists again, shifting back so my knees are nestled between her thighs, the bulge of my cock pressing through the thin layers of fabric that surround us and grinding into her pussy.

“I don’t like it.”

She uses the opportunity to get her legs under my stomach, kneeing me in the chest and shoving me away.

I’m left in the mud as she rips her wrists from me and gets to her feet.

As I stagger to mine, she takes a large step back from me.

Sighing, I advance on her, stalking her between the trees until her back hits the rough bark of one nearly as wide around as she is tall. “You should make this easier on yourself and stop trying to fight me every step of the way, Ellie.”

She cocks an eyebrow, a saucy smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, even though frustration still shines in her eyes. “You like it when I fight back, or is that erection just a coincidence?”

I grab her chin, tilting her head back until my mouth is hovering inches from hers. “You better get running before I make you run.”

“I’d like to see you try.” She swats my hand away, but there’s nowhere for her to go, every inch of our bodies pressed together while she’s trapped between me and the tree. “I’m done with this, Sean, and I won’t be running anymore.”

“You’re going to keep running. We’re not done training yet.”

Her chin juts out as she reaches up to plant her hands on my chest, trying to push me back a step. “If you want to be running through the woods and hiding in the rain and the mud while an asshole chases you around and tackles the hell out of you, then be my guest, but I’m done.”

I take a couple of large steps back, opening my arms wide to the sides. The last of the mud washes from her body, leaving her soaked and angry in front of me.

Just the way I like her.

I smirk at her, knowing that it’s only going to infuriate her more. “You want to be the one doing the hunting and tackling? Try it. Unless you’re too weak and this is all just talk.”

She leans back against the tree, not giving anything away.

And then she lunges, throwing herself at me.

Except, just when I think she’s about to make contact, she dodges me and heads deeper into the trees.

The rain starts to slow as I chase her into the woods, but there’s no sign of my little pylon.

She’s gone, and as I turn and try to pick up her tracks, I can’t see anything.

Then a weight collides with my back, arms wrapping around my neck and legs locking around my waist.

Ellie drags my earlobe between her teeth. “And you thought I was weak.”

One leg drops from around my waist and slams into the back of my knee, sending us toppling to the ground. She lets go of me and jumps free before I bring her down with me.

The moment I’m back in the mud, she leaps on top of me, pinning me down and leaning with her forearm too close to my throat for my liking.

She leans closer, grinding against my cock as she does. “What was that about thinking that I couldn’t handle myself?”

“You might be sneaky, but that doesn’t mean that you can handle yourself. It just means that you think fast. You might be willing to do what it takes to survive in theory, but when it gets down to it, we both know you’re going to be the woman who saves people, and not the woman who kills them.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” she asks, sitting back just enough that I can grab the back of her thighs and shove her off me.

I roll and get on top of her, yanking her hands above her head once more and holding her wrists in one hand. “What’s wrong is that you’re going to get yourself killed one way or another. Whether from being too weak to fight back or too righteous to kill when you need to.”

Ellie’s scowl deepens as she wriggles beneath me. “You don’t know the first thing about me if that’s what you really think.”

“I know that your attitude throughout our marriage has been the one constant thing about you, and that it’s starting to grow old. I know that you agreed to try to get along, and for a while there, it seemed like it was possible.” I lean down and suck on her pulse, grinning when it falters slightly. “And I know that for all the times you fight me, there is also nothing you want more than me.”

“You’re a bastard,” she says, though her words have no true weight.

“And you’re a spoiled brat.”

“You really want to call me that after all you’ve put my family through? Years ago and now? You have the balls to say that to me after you know exactly what I’ve been through?”

My teeth grind together as I hold on to her tighter, keeping her from thrashing too hard and hurting herself. “Your father was cheating on your mother with mine. They were sleeping together from the moment after your youngest sister was born until the day he died. He was plotting against my father.”

“I know all the reasons he died, but it still doesn’t change the fact that I’m married to the man who killed him!”

“He was doing business behind Dad’s back and sleeping with his wife. Your father was no saint, and he had his death coming the entire time.”

“And you were the one who just had to kill him. You saw him standing there with me and you thought oh, now is as good a time as any to kill him .” Ellie’s tears track down her cheeks, but her voice doesn’t break.

She goes still beneath me, and for a moment, I see myself through her eyes.

I’m the man who killed her father, even if he did have it coming.

“Get the hell off me,” she says, venom spewing with her words. “And leave me the hell alone.”

Ellie and I have given each other hell for years, and I’ve pushed about every single one of her buttons, and yet she still hasn’t killed me in my sleep.

Instead, she’s become someone I care about more than I want to admit.

She’s the woman who threatened Dominic at gunpoint for me.

I sigh, letting go of her wrists. “If it’s just Kara who goes into the clinic with you and sits in the staff break room throughout your shift, will that be fine with your bosses?”

Ellie stills, her eyes widening. “Alright, so, let me get this straight. Now that we’re fighting yet again, you’re willing to give me what I want, even though you could have done that from the beginning. What the hell, Sean?”

I groan and get off her, hauling her to her feet. “I don’t know what the hell you want from me right now. First, I tell you that I’ll consider the clinic, and now that I’ve changed my mind, there’s a problem?”

“Of course there is, because you only change your mind when there’s something that benefits you!” She throws her arms in the air before they drop down to her thighs, hands slapping against her flesh.

I stare at her, wondering what the hell to do. “You know, I’ve tried to be a good husband despite everything that’s happened between the two of us over the years. I tried to make you happy despite the clear contempt you have for me. I thought we were getting to a good place, but now look at the two of us.”

Her eyes sparkle with tears as she wipes the tracks from her cheeks. “Maybe this would all just be better if we got a divorce.”

The pulse that had been pounding in my ears comes to a screeching halt. “Excuse me?”

She lifts her chin higher. “You heard me. I think that we should get a divorce. Even if the two of us care about each other, it’s clear that this is never going to work.”

It feels like she’s pulled the ground out from beneath me. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. You know that?”

I close the distance between us in two large steps, grabbing her by the hips and dragging her against me. She looks up at me, and when her lips part, I slant mine against them, claiming whatever curse or biting remark she was about to throw at me.

Her soft moan as our tongues tangle is the truth, not the words she was saying.

Whether she’s ready to admit it or not, she wants this.

There’s a part of her that’s gotten used to marriage to me. Hell, as I pick her up and toss her over my shoulder without getting a foot to the balls, I would venture as far as to say that she likes our marriage.

I smack her ass hard, smirking when she whimpers and presses her thighs tighter together.

“Ellie, you wouldn’t be soaking wet for me if you wanted a divorce. You like this game of back and forth between the two of us. You crave it as much as I do and you’ve made it clear that you’re willing to do just about anything to pick a fight.”

“Not anything.” She swings a foot, but I wrap my arm just below her knees, keeping her legs pinned in place. “I’ve never met anyone else who pisses me off the way you do. That’s not the way a marriage should be.”

“We can talk about what a marriage should and shouldn’t be after you’ve cooled off and had time to think about what you’re saying.”

I stop in front of the gym and yank open the door. Though the thought of tossing her in the pool is appealing, we’re both splattered with mud.

As I carry her to the shower, she pounds her fist against my back. It doesn’t get her anywhere.

I put her down in the shower, enjoying the feeling of her body sliding against mine as I push her back and pin her to the wall.

When I turn on the cold water, she glares at me and slicks her hair back from her face.

Ellie sputters as I splash more water at her. “We’re going to get a divorce. There’s nothing left to talk about. It’s clear that this isn’t working, and we should both get to move on with our lives.”

I spin with her in my arms so she’s fully under the water. “You’re delusional if you think that I’m going to agree to a divorce. It’s not happening. Especially not when I know as well as you do that you care for me.”

She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth. Her gaze becomes distant and unreadable, like she’s looking through me rather than at me. “I don’t see what that has to do with anything when you don’t care about me.”

“You’d be an idiot to think that, and I know you’ve never been an idiot, Ellie.”

Her eyes flicker back to mine and I cup the back of her head, guiding her mouth back to mine.

If she thinks that I don’t care about her, then she hasn’t been paying attention the past few weeks. She’s been taking two steps back for every step I take forward and it ends now.

She’s mine in every sense of the word and it’s time she knew that without a doubt.

The kiss is soft and slow, our mouths moving together as my hand slides down her back. Her fingers crawl up my chest and over my shoulders, sinking into the hair at the nape of my neck.

A little moan drawn from her lips has me throbbing, desperate to be in her and showing her how much I do care.

This time, though, I want to take things slow with her, worshipping every inch of her body until we’re both spent. I want to leave her in my bed, waiting for me to get back just so I can taste her again.

And when she finally thinks we’re done, I’m going to prove to her that we’re never going to be done.

At least, that’s my plan until she pulls away gasping, just as the lights go out.

“Ellie, stay close.”

I turn off the shower and take her hand, wondering if the winds were enough outside the property to knock out the power.

Ellie follows behind me, her footsteps whispering through the building.

Until I realize they’re not her footsteps, but by then it’s too late.

Something heavy collides with the back of my head, sending me pitching forward, as Ellie’s scream fills the gym.