Page 29 of It Takes a Thief (Ring of Thieves #2)

Catching her as I stand, I lift her into my arms. After flipping the water off, I bundle her in a towel and carry her over to the bed.

I’m not taking her against the tiles. I want her in a warm, soft bed when I tell her…

I love you.

My chest tightens. I’ve never said those words to any woman—other than my mother, of course.

But I never thought I could love a woman like this—with every fiber of my being. The way I wished my father would’ve loved my mother.

I never had an example of what love should look like growing up, but now I know. I see it with Knox and Hunter, and now I see it with me and Merritt.

Nerves flutter in my belly as I gently lay her down on the mattress and lower myself down on top of her, always conscious of my size and making sure to keep my weight on my arms.

“Linc, please,” she begs. “I need you inside me.”

“As you wish.” I carefully push her legs further apart, forcing myself to go slow even though it’s killing me. When I finally slide my weeping cock into her slick pussy, I swear to Christ, I see a flash of heaven. “Jesus,” I hiss.

Coming together with this woman is the most powerful experience—physically and emotionally.

Our bodies connect, and I don’t move, just take a moment to savor it.

Her eyes lock onto mine and I drown in their infinite blue.

Brushing her hair back, I find the courage to say what’s in my big, bruised heart. “I love you, Mer. So damn much.”

Her mouth briefly parts in surprise then her lips curve into the most gorgeous smile. “How many rules have you broken for me?”

“Every fucking one,” I admit sheepishly.

“Regrets?”

“Not a fucking one.”

She slides her hand around my neck, nails scratching lightly against my skin. “Good. Because I love you, too.” Her hips arch, encouraging me, and she lets out a soft moan. “Now please start moving before I die.”

“With pleasure, my Princess.” Our mouths crash together, tongues tangling, and I begin to thrust, determined to take her to new heights.

I’m not sure what exactly it is, why this time feels more intense than ever before, but I think maybe it’s because we expressed our love out loud.

Whatever is happening right now is raw and primal, and it wallops me with more force than a TKO.

Because just like a technical knockout, I can no longer defend myself.

All I can do is let go and give in to the incredible sensations rocking through my entire being.

Merritt fractures, screaming my name, and I follow almost immediately, erupting within her pulsing heat with a roar.

My release is all-consuming, and I shudder through it.

Breathing hard, our gazes never breaking, I lower my face and kiss her deeply.

Thoroughly. As though my very life depends on it.

When we finally pull apart, I bury my face in her hair and breathe deeply. Her jasmine scent surrounds me, fills me, lulling me into some kind of magical space where everything in my world feels perfect. Divine.

After pressing a kiss to her neck, I slowly pull out of her body. “Be right back,” I promise, then amble into the bathroom to grab a washcloth.

As I run it under warm water, I consider how we didn’t use protection.

Again. A wicked part of me hopes we just made a baby.

Or maybe that’s the lost boy still deep within me, craving a family of his own to love.

I think, above all, it’s my desire to create another human that’s part me and part Merritt.

Padding back over to the bed, I carefully clean between her legs and toss the washcloth. Her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink, and I climb back in beside her. Laying my head on the pillow, I just stare at her, not sure how I got so damn lucky.

She reaches out and lays a hand against my cheek. “So serious. What’re you thinking, my love?”

The endearment makes my chest hitch.

“Just wondering how a bum like me got a woman like you.” I tangle my fingers through hers, turn her hand and press a kiss to her palm. “Maybe I’m only dreaming.”

“You’re not dreaming,” she assures me. “And you’re not a bum. You are, in fact, the best man I’ve ever met.”

“I have things to tell you,” I say slowly. “And I’m terrified they’ll scare you off.”

“You could never scare me off. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m all in.”

“You don’t know what I’m about to say,” I warn her.

“There’s nothing you could say to change what I feel in my heart.”

I sure as shit hope that’s true. Because I don’t want any secrets with Merritt. I need her to know who and what I am, and to still want to be with me.

“I’ve never talked about this,” I begin, and she nods encouragingly. “I told you I grew up here. It’s where I picked up my questionable talents and bad habits. I had a rough childhood, and after Ma died, I was angry. Turned into quite the rebel.”

She gives my hand a squeeze, giving me the courage to let it all out

“I wasn’t what you’d call a good kid. I spent a lot of time on the streets and used to get into all sorts of trouble.

For some reason, being the biggest guy always made me a target.

Maybe because other boys wanted to be able to say they fought the biggest kid in class and won.

But no one ever beat me. I learned to fight, even took some free karate classes down at the Y.

That’s where my love for martial arts started. ”

“And that served you pretty well tonight, I’d say.” She smirks, and I can’t help but press a kiss to her lips. But before I’m distracted or lose my nerve, I pull back and force myself to continue.

“My dad left when I was eight. Ma was heartbroken and never got over it. I spent a lot of time wondering if he left because of me.”

“Why would you think that?” she asks, sounding sad.

“Because I was a dumb kid who sucked at school and was always in trouble. For a long time, I blamed myself. But then I found out he’d had someone else on the side.

For years. When he married her, Ma didn’t handle it very well.

She was still in love with that asshole, right up to the very end.

I think she died of a broken heart. It made me angry, scarred me, and I vowed never to love someone like my mother did. She’d self-destructed.”

“I’m so sorry, Linc,” Merritt murmurs. “Have you talked to your dad at all?”

“No,” I grit out. “But, after I went pro and started making a name for myself, he reached out.”

The memory bothers me more than I care to admit.

It’s hard cutting out a blood relation. And when it’s your father?

Yeah, it fucking hurts. But I knew I had to for my own peace of mind.

He was a toxic presence, a selfish man, who was on his fourth wife when he contacted me.

He’d left a string of broken hearts in his wake, including Ma’s, and I promised I’d never be like him.

I’d have rules—rules that wouldn’t allow my heart or anyone else’s to get broken.

“In the back of my mind, I think I was foolishly hoping for some kind of reconciliation. An apology at the very least.”

“What happened?”

“He asked for money,” I say flatly. “No apology for leaving or sending Ma to an early grave. Not even a ‘Hey, kid, how’ve you been?’ Just wanted me to deposit a chunk of cash in his bank account. He said I ‘owed’ him.”

My throat tightens with emotion. Thank God for my found family. Addie, Knox, Ryder and Brighton have saved me in a way they’ll never fully understand.

“Owed him for what?”

I shrug. “For being my sperm donor? Who knows.”

“What a jerk. If I ever get the chance to banish him, I will,” she promises, and I can’t help but give her a small, grateful smile. My fierce royal princess. “Where did you go after your mom passed?”

“I went to live with her brother, my Uncle George. He never had any kids of his own, and he loved me as best as he could, but he was married to his bank job. And that made more sense to me than marrying another person.

“Anyway, school never appealed to me like fighting, and eventually I stopped going. Uncle G was too busy with work to care for an eleven-year-old punk like me. A few times, he made me go to work with him because he often worked on weekends and didn’t want to leave me home alone.

That’s where I learned about safes and vaults.

Figuring out how to open them intrigued me and was way more of a challenge than schoolwork had ever been.

When I wasn’t taking Jiu Jitsu or Muay Thai or some other martial arts class, I would go to the bank and study the locks and their security system. I learned a lot,” I say carefully.

“Makes sense how you ended up working for a security company.”

I pull in a breath, preparing for the worst. “A-Squared is, ah, a little more than that.”

“What do you mean?” She blinks those pretty, clear blue eyes. So innocent.

I let go of her hand and sit up, my back against the pile of pillows. Tell her the truth, Lincoln, I can hear Ma say. Come clean now, not later.

Whether I like it or not, she’s my voice of reason. Even though sometimes I wish I could tape her mouth shut like Laurent taped Dumas’s.

“Merritt, I’m not who you think I am. I’m more than a bodyguard, a fighter and a security expert.” I huff out a breath then blurt out the truth before I change my mind. “I’m also a thief.”

She slowly sits up, studying me closely. “The second time you took the crown… Did you do it because Jeffrey coerced you to or—”

“Yes, of course. I’d never steal from you, Mer. You have to believe me.”

After a long, torturous moment where I’m terrified she’s going to tell me to go to hell, she lays a hand on my arm and whispers, “I believe you, Lincoln.”

Relief pours through me.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” I lay my hand over hers, dragging it onto my chest and covering it with mine.

“How did you meet Addie and the others?”

“Addie recruited me not long after I retired. She said The Man knew all about me and told her I’d be a good fit to come on board.”

“How would he know?”

“Good question. We don’t know much about him, but he seems to know everything about us. He’s always right, too.”

“Hmm,” she murmurs, considering my words.

“We’ve been doing good stuff lately,” I add. “More like vengeful Robin Hoods than thieves. Knox wants to keep things on the up and up ever since he got together with Hunter, and I’m all for it. For whatever reason, I think The Man might be, too.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea.”

“I have another excellent idea.” I pull her onto my chest.

“Oh? And what is that?” She trails a finger around my nipple then up, scratching through the light growth of hair.

“Remember when you said you needed a fake fiancé? Well, how about a real one?”

Her blue eyes widen, and her wandering finger abruptly freezes.

“If you choose me, I promise to always be in your corner. To fight for you and guard you with my life.” She searches my face as though she can’t quite believe the words coming out of my mouth. “I’m no one fancy, but I promise to love you more than anyone else. To always be by your side.”

Her mouth opens, quickly closes. I think I’ve made her speechless, and I hope to God that’s a good thing.

“I love you like crazy, my Princess, and I want you to be my wife.” I give her a lopsided grin. “I know the competition is stiff with Elliot and all, but—”

“Shut up and kiss your fiancée,” she orders in her most royal voice.

My mouth takes hers, and I feel her melt like a puddle of hot butter on top of me. We kiss passionately and I pull her up to straddle me. “I like when you boss me around. It turns me on.”

“Good.” She gives me a naughty smile and begins undulating her hips, nails digging into my pecs. I grind up with a groan, and she sinks down on my cock, taking it all, right to the hilt.

“I think I’m going to enjoy married life with you,” I rasp as she starts riding me into an explosive orgasm.