Page 65

Haven

On graduation day, the Glass Rooks host a small party for their seniors before the ceremony. I wear a pretty black dress that Colton bought for me the moment I indicated I liked it. The boys are dressed in suits, and it makes me smile. We look amazing together.

“Take my arm,” Colton says as we enter the party. “I want you to stay close to me, all right?”

Nodding, I loop my arm through his. By his side is the only place I want to be today. His, or Xander’s, or Lucas’s. There are too many people here.

Too many potential enemies, according to Colton.

Soft music is playing as we walk into the room, and I realize there’s a live band on a small stage off to one side. The lighting is warm, mostly from the sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceilings.

It’s obvious that every detail of this party was thought through, from the crisp white tablecloths to the blooming centerpieces. The colors are tasteful—a soft, dusty rose with golden accents.

People are chatting and laughing, dressed to perfection. Colton scans the crowd, probably looking for the people he needs to warm up to. This is the last chance he’ll get before the boys enact their plan.

“There’s my family,” Lucas says. “Give me a second, I want to check on Rora. Xan, come with me.”

They make their way through the crowd. A large, older man steps in front of us with a huge grin on his face. “Colton! Congratulations.” He pulls Colton into a hug, and I step back so I don’t get bumped into.

“Thank you, Arthur. This is my wife, Haven. Haven, Arthur.”

“Nice to meet you, young lady.” He shakes my hand with a bright smile. “And congratulations to both of you again. I didn’t know you got married, Colton.”

“A recent thing,” Colt replies. “Now tell me, how is Nancy doing? She retired a few months ago, right?”

The two of them fall into conversation, so I assume this is one of the people Colton wants to have on his side. When Arthur asks about Mark, Colton explains what happened in hushed tones. He leaves a lot of details out, but the story is still horrifying enough that Arthur looks shocked and angry on our behalf.

Just as Colton switches the subject again, I feel a hand wrap around my arm. When I turn, I’m shocked to see Aaron towering over me. His expression is grim, and his jaw is clenched as his eyes flick between me and Colton.

“Come with me,” Aaron says quietly, and the iron grip he has on my wrist tells me I don’t have much of a choice.

Almost automatically, I turn my head toward Colton. He’s a few feet away, still engaged in conversation with Arthur. Problem is, he’s facing away from me.

“Don’t cause a scene,” Aaron says lowly in my ear. “I just need to talk to you for a minute. It’s important.”

Alarms are going off in the back of my head, but I’m frozen as I stare up at Aaron. He won’t cause me any harm, but I don’t want to leave the safety of being close to Colton. There are too many other people here I don’t think I can trust.

Before I can make up my mind, Aaron is already dragging me back through the entrance we just came through. He pulls me away from the entrance, and panic spikes in my chest. I don’t want to be this far from Colton.

“What are you doing?” I try to pull him to a stop, but he yanks me forward so hard, it feels like he almost dislocated my shoulder. “Ow! Aaron, let go of me.”

Whipping around to face me, he grits out, “Are you going to run back to him the second I do?”

“I—”

Of course I would, but my voice falters. Aaron hasn’t seen the way Colton and the boys have changed. He won’t understand.

“What are they doing to you?” he demands harshly. His eyes are wild and dark in a way that has my hair standing on end.

With all my strength, I try to yank myself free from Aaron’s hold. He grabs my other wrist, keeping me still with both hands.

“Stop,” he hisses. “I’m trying to help you.”

“It really doesn’t feel like it.”

“This time last year, you hated those three assholes. And now you’re—you’re what? Dating them? Fucking them?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

With a harsh, angry exhale, Aaron tips his chin up and stares at the ceiling. He takes a deep breath, like he’s trying to calm himself down, which only has those alarms in my head ringing louder. I have too many memories of men not being able to control their anger and taking it out on me.

This was a mistake. I should’ve called for Colton.

“Are they blackmailing you? Threatening you? Hurting you?”

“What? No, nothing like that.” Desperately, I try to twist out of his hold, but it’s useless. “They’re not forcing me to do anything. Now let go.”

He narrows his eyes. “No. There’s no way that’s true. Have they manipulated you so thoroughly that you’ve forgotten who they are? What they’ve done? God, Haven, they bullied you for years!” His anger is getting the best of him, and his grip on my wrists tightens even more.

Panicking, I try to pull away from him again. “Aaron, you’re hurting me. Please—”

“Get your hands off my wife,” Colton growls from behind me.

Oh, thank god. My shoulders sag in relief, and when I turn my head toward the party, I see Colton stalking toward us. In this moment, with his shoulders tense and a deadly glare fixed on Aaron, he looks just as dangerous as I know he is underneath his suit and charming smiles.

“Your wife?” Aaron’s gaze snaps to mine. His face is full of disbelief, but when I don’t refute Colton’s claim, his focus drops to the wedding ring on my finger. His expression goes from confused to irate to pitying all within a single second. “Haven, no. No, you don’t have to stay with—”

“Aaron,” Colton snaps, his glare turning lethal. “Remove your hands from my wife now, or I’ll cut all your fingers off one by one and force you to choke on them.”

Aaron ignores him. “You can leave with m—”

Colton grabs him by the throat and slams him against the wall. Shocked, Aaron releases me, and I stumble out of his reach and rub at my wrists.

“Trust me.” Colton’s eyes ignite with a dark fury so strong I can feel the way the atmosphere shifts. “I’ll take great pleasure in it.”

Aaron’s gaze cuts to mine. “This is really who you want to spend the rest of your life with? Someone who turns violent the second he doesn’t get his way?”

“You mean someone who’ll stop at nothing to protect me?” I counter. “Yes. You’re the one who turned violent the second you didn’t get your way.”

Aaron scoffs. “That’s not—”

“What did he do to you?” Colton asks without breaking the deadly glare he’s pointing at Aaron.

“He just yanked me around a bit and gripped my arm really hard.”

That causes Colton to look my way. His eyes flit down to where I’m still rubbing my wrists. “You’re okay?”

I nod.

Colton shoves Aaron toward the exit. “Get out, and don’t ever speak to Haven again, or you’re a dead man.”

Aaron steps back but hesitates, his gaze flitting past Colton to me. “Haven, if you ever need me to help you—”

“She won’t,” Colton cuts in. “Now fuck off.”

I can see how badly Aaron wants to fight, but he knows he can’t win. He gives me one more pleading look, and I immediately glance away. With a disbelieving huff, he turns on his heel and stalks off.

Colton is in front of me in a flash. “You’re sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah, just…” Grasping at his jacket, I shake my head to dislodge the terrified thoughts that were running through my head as Aaron dragged me away. “Just shaken up, I guess.”

Colton breathes a sigh of relief. “When I realized you weren’t right behind me, I panicked.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, leaning closer and letting his cedarwood and lemon cologne wash over me. I’ve found myself searching for it more and more over the past few months. It’s a scent that used to bring me dread, but now it soothes me.

He must be able to sense my lingering unease because he slides both his arms around me and tucks my head into his chest. “It’s all right. I’ve got you.”

My heart squeezes, and I cling to the relief that comes with those three words. I didn’t realize how much I’ve craved hearing that little phrase until he said it the other day.

“But I thought I told you not to leave my side.”

I wince. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. I should’ve reached for you or called for you, but the way he was staring at me… I don’t know, Colt. I just froze. It was like…”

It was like I was a teenager again.

“I’m going to kill him,” Colton grits out.

“Fine, do whatever you want to him, just not right now. Please.”

The terror in my voice jostles him from his anger, and he looks down at me, his expression almost startled. “You think I’d leave you?”

“I—”

“The only time I won’t be right next to you today is during the ceremony, and I’m finding you right after. After that, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Thank you,” I breathe out, relieved.

“But I mean it when I say I’m going to kill him.”

I nestle closer to him. “I know.”

“That doesn’t upset you?”

“I…” The answer takes me by surprise, and I look up at him to see the same shock in his expression. “I don’t think it does, no.”

In a way, Aaron is right. I did hate Colt, Luc, and Xan a few months ago. But so much has happened. So much has changed. In the process of keeping me safe, they developed a loyalty toward me that’s as deep as their loyalty for each other. And somehow, despite what they did to me, I’ve done the same.

“Haven,” Colton whispers, his eyes softening. Then he’s moving in and taking my mouth in a gentle, reverent kiss. His arms tighten around me, and I stretch upward to meet him.

This side of him has only come out a few times since Mark tried to kill me. I can see it now, always there, simmering just beneath the surface. But with Colton preparing to take Mark’s place, everything in our lives shifted just as we were beginning to find our footing. He’s been distracted and stressed, and I’ve been more than willing to let him use me in whatever way he needs to blow off steam.

But this? Being pressed up against Colton while he kisses me like I’m precious to him? Like I’m something to be handled carefully, caringly, lovingly? There’s nothing quite like it.

“I love you,” he says breathlessly, only pulling away for long enough to look into my eyes before he’s kissing me again.

As what he says fully registers in my mind, I smile against his mouth. Heart soaring, I rise onto the balls of my feet while I run my fingers through Colton’s hair. He lets out a sharp groan, and the next thing I know, my back is pressed up against the wall, and Colton’s thigh is pressed between my legs.

Damn. I figured out a while ago that he goes feral when I play with his hair, but I didn’t think he’d lose control like this in public. Thank god there’s no one in the hallway, but that could change at any moment.

Colton grabs at my waist as he slips his tongue into my mouth. I suck on it lightly, still playing with his hair.

“Need to make you come,” he mutters feverishly. He yanks my dress up just enough to push my panties to the side. With his other hand, he gathers both my wrists and pins them to the wall above my head.

I whimper when he strokes my clit. In a few short months, he’s figured out exactly what my body needs to get worked up fast.

“Shit,” Colton rasps. “I love how wet you get for me.”

And then he’s back to kissing me like he never has before. He’s almost animalistic with it, like he’s trying to embed himself onto my soul. Desperate. Obsessed. Mesmerized.

“You’re mine,” he growls. “Say it, Haven.”

“I’m yours.”

His eyes darken. “You belong to me.”

My back arches when he lightly pinches my clit. “I belong to you.”

“You’re my wife.” Colton’s voice softens on that last word.

“I’m your wife,” I whisper, smiling up at him.

He drives three fingers into me, and his thumb finds my clit a split second later. My mouth drops open on a silent cry as I clench around him.

“Come for me, angel. Let everyone hear how good your husband is making you feel.”

And just like that, I shatter. Colton captures my cries with his mouth on mine. He’s far too possessive to let anyone hear me come except Lucas and Xander, no matter what he says.

Colton keeps fingering me until my knees give out. He keeps me upright while he slowly pulls his fingers out of me and then holds up his hand. He twists it slowly, my desire glistening in the light.

“Look at that. So messy, angel.”

I’m already parting my lips before he moves his fingers toward my mouth. I suck every drop from his fingers greedily. He pushes them further into my mouth until I gag, and the sight makes his eyes light up.

“God, you’re such a good girl for me,” he says as he withdraws his hand.

I blink back tears and stare up at him, stunned. How did he know that I needed this—needed to feel owned by him?

“Colton, I lo—”

“There they are.”

Colton and I both glance toward the party to find Xander and Lucas heading our way. God, they look good dressed up.

When Xander realizes what we just did, he smirks and shoves Lucas to his knees in front of me. “Clean her up, Ace.”

I gasp when Lucas pushes my panties to the side again and gently licks my clit. He doesn’t even hesitate, just hooks my right leg over his shoulder so he has better access. And then his tongue is deep inside me, and I’m clapping a hand over my mouth to hold in my moan.

Xander and Colton watch as Lucas works me up to another orgasm. As I come, I realize my legs are close to giving out again. I try to squirm away, but Lucas’s grip on my thighs is too strong.

Colton grabs my throat to hold me in place. “Uh uh, you’re not going anywhere.”

“But I—”

I’m cut off by Xander taking my mouth in a hard kiss. I can barely keep up with him, and between that and Lucas still sucking on my clit, my orgasm rolls right into another. I grab at Xander as a startled, faint sound falls from me.

“That’s our girl,” Xander croons against my lips. “Coming twice on Luc’s tongue. You’re such a good doll for us.”

“Can’t,” I gasp. “Luc, I—”

He finally pulls away, and when I collapse, all three of them catch me. When I can finally stand again, I cling to Lucas, who kisses me so I can taste myself on him.

“Well, you look absolutely ravaged,” Xander says with a smug smile.

I groan weakly and breathe in Lucas’s earthy, woodsy scent. “I need to get cleaned up.”

“We’ll wait.” Colton nudges me toward the bathrooms. “Go.”

In the bathroom, I do my best to erase the evidence of what the boys just did to me. My panties are a mess, and there’s not much I can do about that, but I’m able to fix my hair and straighten my dress.

When I step back into the hallway, Lucas is glaring at Colton, furious.

“What do you mean, Aaron grabbed her?” he asks. “How the hell did you let that happen?”

“It was my fault,” I say before he yells at Colton more. “I was barely three feet behind him.”

Concern burns in Xander’s eyes. “You’re all right, though?”

“I am, yeah. Honestly, I’m more surprised that he’s in the Glass Rooks than anything else.”

Colton’s shoulders sag. “I forgot he’d be here. His older brother is graduating this year. Peter is the only member of their family in the organization, though. Aaron has no idea what’s going on behind the scenes.”

“How? I mean, he’s here. Doesn’t everyone know who’s putting on the party?”

Xander shakes his head. “To all non-members, this is a graduation party put on for the kids of families who’ve donated a considerable amount of money to a charity.”

“Let me guess,” I say weakly. “That’s an organization-run charity? For money laundering?”

“Smart girl,” Lucas says, gazing down at me proudly.

I can’t help the tired noise that leaves my throat. Every day, I learn of a new facet of the Glass Rooks. It keeps growing and growing, and Colton having that much responsibility on his shoulders has me worried for him.

Colton kisses me again, keeping it short this time. “We should head back in. You’re sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah.” Reluctantly, I pull back and look at my wrists. They’re a little red, but I doubt they’ll bruise. “Just… don’t let go of me?”

His hand slides into mine as a mask of calm confidence slips over his face, and then Xander and Lucas surround us. It’s a reminder that, while we’re surrounded by allies, there are a few enemies in the mix as well.

“We never will, angel.”

. . .

The graduation ceremony feels like it takes forever, mostly because I feel exposed without having one of the guys next to me. Once it’s over, chaos ensues. Graduates rush to find their families, and I stand in the middle of it all with nowhere to go.

Athelia finds me first, and I realize she came straight to me before her parents. She throws her arms around me. When we pull away, her eyes are shining.

“When we first got here, I never could’ve imagined the hell we’d go through together.” Her gaze moves to Wes and Cal, who’re both watching us. “But I’m glad we made it here. I’m glad we made it out, Haven, even if it’s differently than we imagined.”

“So am I, Thelia. I—”

Kellan swoops in from nowhere, gathering Athelia in his arms and spinning her around. She lets out a happy squeal as she throws her arms out, embracing the moment. It tugs at my heart. She deserves this—this and so much more.

Gently, Kellan sets Athelia back down and fits his mouth to hers. She’s on her tiptoes and he has to lean down, and it reminds me of my boys.

“Found your parents,” Kellan says in between kisses. “They’re waiting for you.”

“Did you talk to them?” Athelia asks, a hint of nervousness bleeding into her tone.

“Briefly. Your dad congratulated me. Seems like they’ve come around a little more.”

Athelia beams up at him and brushes some of his brown hair out of his face. “Good.”

Kellan turns to me. “Sorry to steal her away, but I promised I’d find her, and we have a long way to go before her parents forgive us.”

Before Kellan can pull her away, Athelia grabs my arm. “Will you be okay alone?”

I nod. “Colton should be here any second.”

Her lips purse. In the same way her parents haven’t forgiven Wes, Cal, and Kellan, Athelia hasn’t forgiven my boys. Maybe I should feel the same way, but I’m just glad she’s finally happy.

“We’re still on for breakfast tomorrow?” I ask.

She grins. “Of course. See you then.”

With a parting smile, Athelia lets Kellan guide her away. Then I’m alone, the chaos of the crowd washing over me.

I stand in a sea of people, watching everyone greet their families and friends. I’m surrounded by laughter and hugs and kisses and so much happiness. It seems like everyone has someone to wrap them up in their arms and congratulate them.

Yet I stand in a bubble of isolation.

I could try to find Colton, but I can’t bring myself to move. All I can think about is my own family. My parents, my brothers and sisters, and how I could never ask them to be here.

They could never be proud of me. Not for this.

For rejecting everything I was raised to believe.

For falling out of line.

For running.

My heart feels like it’s being crushed under the weight of a thousand boulders when an arm slips around my shoulders, and I feel the sharp point of a knife at my side.

“Hello, Heaven.”